MKS Inc. has announced that a process framework for the Information Technology Infrastructure Library® (ITIL) delivered via its enterprise Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) offering, MKS Integrity Suite™ 2005. With this announcement, MKS is among the first vendors to support, integrate and connect IT operations and development processes with a single system and architecture. The Company also announced that it has been certified ITIL compatible through Pink Elephant's PinkVerify™ program. MKS now provides standardized and certified processes in support of the four core ITIL process areas: change management, configuration management, problem management and incident management.

David Martin, MKS vice president of Product Management says, "ITIL best practices strongly recommend that the service management processes used by IT operations be closely aligned and integrated with their counterparts in application development, but this often further compounds the implementation risk and effort. Through our new PinkVerify-certified ITIL solution, delivered through MKS Integrity Suite 2005, Global 1000 organizations can accelerate ITIL adoption, and connect help desk, business analysts, development personnel and IT operations staff through common process. Our solution will maximize efficiency, collaboration and traceability necessary for ITIL and supports sustainable IT governance."

"PinkVerify™ certification for MKS Integrity Suite 2005 demonstrates a true commitment to the industry's most credible best practice framework," said David Ratcliffe, President and CEO of Pink Elephant. "Over the last few years, we have provided the PinkVerify™ service to many companies - helping them to align their products with the guidance contained in ITIL. MKS's certification gives their customers confidence that they have an ITIL compatible tool to leverage the framework for maximum efficiency."

MKS Integrity Solution for ITIL delivers ITIL processes via its highly flexible process and workflow engine, MKS Integrity Manager®, enabling companies to quickly implement the four processes at the core of ITIL, while fine-tuning and adjusting controls over time to meet an organization's business needs.

Change Management - ITIL change management ensures all changes to configuration items are planned and authorized. MKS's certified change management process ensures organizations maintain a secure and ongoing record of requests for change, ensuring only authorized personnel have access to the system to submit or manage requests for change. Change requests are monitored and fully tracked from inception to closure, and via approval cycles, are routed to appropriate levels, such as a Change Manager, Change Advisory Board, or IT executive for review and final authorization.

Configuration Management - The MKS solution, for ITIL configuration management, enables the registration of all IT assets including hardware, software, contracts, service level agreements, relevant information, and complete management of each component's unique lifecycle, including an audit log and history of change. Tapping into enterprise security protocols, MKS ensures access to the configuration management database (CMDB) and contained assets is secure, and available only to authorized personnel. Automated workflows, powered by MKS Integrity Manager® route change to various constituents for approval, and configurable reports provide visibility.

Problem Management - MKS's problem management workflow enables the creation, modification and closure of problem records, and provides a complete audit trail of the 'who, when, what and whys' associated with the specific problem. Problem records can be assessed, categorized and problems can be escalated automatically if necessary. MKS's solution also provides ongoing tracking, monitoring and assignment of responsibility for problems. The MKS process for problem management is supported by full reporting, trend analysis and audit logs. Integration with enterprise security models ensures secure access to information.

Incident Management - MKS's incident management workflow ensures there is a proper process in place for the creation, modification and closure of incident records, and ultimately provides a comprehensive audit trail of details associated with the incident. Incidents can be properly assessed, categorized and escalated when necessary. MKS's solution also provides a complete audit log against incidents and full reporting capabilities. The MKS process for incident management offers seamless integration with other problem, configuration and change management processes under the ITIL framework.
 
ITIL is a best practice framework for managing IT services, and a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC). Specifically, ITIL is a set of books developed by the United Kingdom's OGC that describe an integrated, process-based, best practice framework for managing IT services. ITIL is increasingly being used by organizations throughout the world, including North America to improve their help desk and support operations.

MKS is the preeminent provider of enterprise technology management solutions for the global 1000. MKS's solution spans the application lifecycle from requirements management, through application development, to server deployment providing customers with greater visibility over software development activities, enhanced development productivity and improved IT controls for regulatory compliance. MKS solutions are distinguished by their ease of implementation and low total cost of ownership. Founded in 1984, MKS serves more than 10,000 customers in countries across the world. Whether through deployment of MKS's enterprise solutions strategically on an enterprise scale, or by leveraging individual components to solve project-level challenges, our customers can use MKS's technology to better enable higher levels of process maturity, better manage global development activity and safeguard their most critical business applications and software assets. Under its widely known MKS Toolkit brand, MKS also provides UNIX-Windows co-existence and system administration that significantly cut development and administrative costs and reduce time to market, while enabling enhanced performance. More information about MKS can be found at http://www.mks.com.