Description

This curriculum spans the equivalent of a multi-workshop program focused on integrating virtualization into core ITSM processes, addressing the same level of operational detail found in advisory engagements for service transformation and internal capability builds.

Module 1: Defining Virtualization Scope and Alignment with ITSM Strategy

Select whether to virtualize compute, storage, or network components first based on existing service bottlenecks and change request volume.
Map virtualization initiatives to specific ITIL practices such as Incident, Change, and Configuration Management to ensure process integration.
Determine ownership of virtual assets between infrastructure teams and service owners to prevent accountability gaps in service catalogs.
Assess compatibility of current CMDB schema with virtual configuration items, including dynamic naming and lifecycle tracking.
Establish criteria for retiring physical assets post-migration without disrupting service level agreements.
Define service boundaries for virtual environments that align with business service portfolios, not just technical domains.

Module 2: Virtual Infrastructure Design and Capacity Governance

Size host clusters based on peak workload demands and anticipated service growth over 18 months, including buffer for unplanned spikes.
Implement right-sizing policies for virtual machines to prevent over-provisioning and license overruns.
Allocate shared storage with performance tiering to balance IOPS requirements across critical and non-critical services.
Design network segmentation for virtual environments using VLANs or micro-segmentation to meet security and compliance mandates.
Integrate capacity models with service request workflows to auto-validate resource requests against available pools.
Define thresholds for automated scaling actions and ensure they trigger appropriate event records in the monitoring system.

Module 3: Integration with Change and Release Management

Classify virtual machine provisioning as standard, normal, or emergency change based on impact and automation level.
Embed automated configuration checks into change workflows to validate compliance before deployment.
Require change records for template updates, even when automated, to maintain audit continuity.
Coordinate release windows for hypervisor patches with application teams to minimize service disruption.
Enforce peer review for scripts used in infrastructure-as-code deployments to reduce rollback frequency.
Track rollback success rates for virtual deployments to identify recurring configuration drift issues.

Module 4: Configuration and Asset Management for Dynamic Environments

Synchronize CMDB updates with provisioning tools using event-driven APIs to reduce stale configuration records.
Define lifecycle states for virtual machines that include transient states like "paused" or "suspended" for accurate tracking.
Implement automated discovery tooling with reconciliation rules to handle duplicate or ghost CIs.
Assign ownership of templates and golden images to designated teams to ensure version control.
Track software license usage across cloned VMs to avoid compliance exposure during audits.
Enforce naming conventions that encode environment, function, and owner to support incident triage and reporting.

Module 5: Incident and Problem Management in Virtualized Systems

Correlate hypervisor-level alerts with application incidents to distinguish infrastructure from service faults.
Document known errors for recurring VM snapshot failures and link them to resolution knowledge articles.
Establish escalation paths for resource contention issues that span multiple service teams.
Configure monitoring tools to suppress redundant alerts during planned host maintenance.
Use dependency mapping to assess blast radius before initiating live migrations or host reboots.
Review incident post-mortems to identify patterns in VM sprawl or misconfigured resource pools.

Module 6: Performance Monitoring and Service Level Reporting

Define SLIs for virtual environments such as VM boot time, host uptime, and storage latency.
Aggregate performance metrics by business service rather than by host to align reporting with customer impact.
Set baselines for normal VM behavior to reduce false positives in anomaly detection systems.
Integrate monitoring data with service dashboards used by service owners and business stakeholders.
Adjust sampling rates for performance data to balance storage costs with diagnostic resolution.
Report on resource utilization trends to inform capacity planning and budget requests.

Module 7: Security, Compliance, and Audit Readiness

Enforce role-based access controls for hypervisor management consoles aligned with least privilege principles.
Conduct regular access reviews for VM console and snapshot privileges to prevent privilege creep.
Implement encrypted VMotion and secure boot policies where regulatory standards require data-in-transit protection.
Generate audit trails for VM cloning and snapshot export activities to detect potential data exfiltration.
Validate that backup and replication jobs meet RPOs defined in business continuity plans.
Coordinate vulnerability scans across virtual and physical layers to avoid coverage gaps in compliance reports.

Module 8: Continuous Improvement and Automation Governance

Measure time-to-provision for virtual machines and target reductions through workflow automation.
Establish a review board for approving new automation scripts that impact production environments.
Retire unused VMs based on utilization thresholds and notify owners through automated workflows.
Integrate feedback from service reviews into template updates and provisioning standards.
Track automation failure rates and correlate them with change-related incidents.
Update runbooks to reflect automated recovery procedures and ensure operations teams are trained on override protocols.