On February 12, 2026, ITIL 5 (ITIL Version 5), a long-awaited release for the global IT industry, was officially released.
This new standard, which arrived approximately seven years after ITIL 4 in 2019, presents us with new challenges: "AI-Native" and "Experience." Compared to the existing ITIL 4, it presents the following significant differences.
| division | ITIL 4 | ITIL 5 |
| Key Points | Value Co-creation, SVS (Service Value System) | Value Chain, AI Framework, Digital Experience |
| philosophy | IT Performance Optimization | Business Value and Sustainable Change |
| measurement standard | Operational indicators such as SLA and KPI | Value-based and AI-driven real-time analytics |
| AI proportion | Exists as an expansion module | Included in the framework core (AI-Native) |
Over the years, we've witnessed the explosive growth of generative AI and the emergence of autonomous infrastructure.
ITIL 5 outlines how this technological upheaval has been incorporated into the standard framework for service management, and what the key trends in ITSM will be in 2026.
Before we get into the main content, I'd like to ask you one question.
You guys ‘ITSM (IT Service Management)’ What name comes to mind first? Many people probably think of HP (now HPE).
The Legacy of ITSM: The History of Management Written by HP
HPE is not just a manufacturer of servers and switches.
From the 1990s to the present, we are the ancestral home of ITSM, designing the standards for enterprise infrastructure management worldwide.
| times | Core Solutions | ITSM paradigm | ITIL Matching |
| 1990s~2000s | HP OpenView | Focused on equipment availability and network monitoring | ITIL v2 (Process) |
| 2010s | HP Service Manager | Process Integration and Workflow Automation | ITIL v3 (Lifecycle) |
| 2020s (Early) | Aruba Central / UXI | Cloud-based management and visibility | ITIL 4 (Value) |
| 2026~ (Now) | Central (SLE & Agentic AI) | AI-Native & Experience-Centric Autonomous Operation | ITIL 5 (AI & Experience) |
The Three Paradigm Shifts in ITSM Defined by ITIL 5
The core of ITIL 5 is not simply improving processes, Redefining the very philosophy of IT operationsIt is in doing.
① AI-Native ITSM: From Tool to Core
While AI in the past was an 'optional' that helped with some ITSM processes, in ITIL 5 AI is at the center of the entire value chain. ‘AI-Native’It aims to.
In particular, 'AI governance', which addresses the ethical use of AI and transparency in decision-making, has been placed at the forefront of the framework.
② From SLA to XLA (Experience Level Agreement)
The days of solely focusing on system uptime are over. ITIL 5 places the **experience**—the value users actually perceive—at the top of management priority. The new metric is no longer "Is the server functioning?" but rather "Is the environment optimal for users to achieve business results?".
③ Sustainable Digital Value (Sustainability)
The environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact of IT services is now a fundamental part of service quality. Efficient resource allocation and carbon emissions reduction are no longer optional, but core service practices mandated by ITIL 5.
A New Standard for Defining AI Capabilities: The 6Cs Model
ITIL 5 is designed to measure how well an organization is leveraging AI. 6Cs modelWe have introduced a new competency system called .
| Capability | Core Definition | ITSM Application |
| Cognition | Data pattern recognition and anomaly detection | Predict potential failures and establish performance baselines |
| Communication | Providing natural language-based interaction and interface | User Q&A and helpdesk automation |
| Clarification | Identifying root causes through complex data analysis | Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Transparent Reporting |
| Curation | Curation and management of reliable data and knowledge | Knowledge Base (KB) Optimization and Training Data Refinement |
| Creation | Create new content, code, and solution scenarios | Write operational automation scripts and create action guides |
| Coordination | Collaboration between AI agents and execution of complete workflows | Autonomous service operation and multi-step process automation |
[Case Study] Realizing ITIL 5: The Evolution of HPE Aruba Networking Central
How will these grand theories of ITIL 5 be implemented in practice?
How HPE, a traditional ITSM powerhouse, AI-Native NetworkingWe reveal the specific details of how ITIL 5's ideals are being turned into reality. Recently, HPE Aruba Networking CentralChanges introduced inThis is a good example.
- Introduction of Service Level Expectations (SLE): The SLE transplanted to Central is a prime example of a technical implementation of XLA (Experience Management), a concept emphasized in ITIL 5. By comprehensively surveying and digitizing all users' access experiences, it transformed abstract "experiences" into manageable "indicators.".
- Coordination through Agentic AI: The most advanced competency in ITIL 5, ‘Coordination’ Central's Agentic AIThis is realized through the network itself detecting a decline in the service experience (SLE) and the AI agent autonomously adjusting to the optimal settings, which is the autonomous operation that ITIL 5 dreams of.
- Sustainability Dashboard: Power optimization and energy reporting provided by Central are in line with ITIL 5. Sustainability We help engineers in the field put their practices into practice immediately.
Why ITIL 5 Now?
HPE, which has been leading the ITSM market for a long time, is now ITIL 5We have a new sail called .
In the past, people manually entered and managed processes, but now AI performs the process in real timeWe have entered an era of doing so.
Conclusion: From Engineer to Digital Product Manager
The release of ITIL 5 sends us an important message.
“ITIL 5 is a complete map of ITSM that puts the "experience" handle on the AI engine.‘
Technology is no longer something hidden behind infrastructure; it must be at the forefront of business, driving user experience.
We must now move beyond being engineers who check the condition of equipment to becoming managers who leverage AI and data to design the best digital experiences.
