HDI Introduces Support Center Maturity Assessment Service and Updated HDI Support Center Certification Standards

New Service Provides Independent Review of IT Support Centers Based on Industry Standards and Best Practices

Colorado Springs, Colo. – September 10, 2007 – HDI (http://www.thinkhdi.com), the world's largest membership association for IT help desk and service management professionals, and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced the Support Center Maturity Assessment Service (http://www.thinkhdi.com/resources/scma.aspx/) and the release of revised HDI Support Center Certification standards (http://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/siteCertification/).

The new service is designed to provide IT support centers with an unparalleled level of expert guidance for improving operational efficiency, service quality and value. This is accomplished via a thorough, independent review and assessment of the support center’s operations. The HDI Support Center Maturity Assessment is designed for IT service and support organizations that desire guidance to improve service and efficiency, a current state assessment or baseline to measure the impact of future changes, a third-party assessment to support a strategic plan, or to support the launch of an organizational change management plan.

This service differs from HDI’s Support Center Certification service in that the assessment provides a baseline for planned change and recommendations for service and efficiency improvements, while the HDI Support Center Certification audit provides validation and recognition for mature centers. Both programs utilize the HDI Support Center Certification standards, which were recently revised to align with industry best practices and internationally-recognized frameworks such as ITIL® and Knowledge-Centered Support (KCSSM).

Renowned industry expert Pat Albright has joined HDI as the Support Center Assessment and Certification manager. In this role, she is responsible for managing and developing the HDI Support Center Maturity Assessment and HDI Support Center Certification programs. Pat has been an active member of HDI since 1997, and has been an HDI-certified Support Center Certification auditor since 2003. Prior to joining HDI, she founded IT Support Consultants, Inc., (ITSC), and has been an IT service and support consultant and practitioner for more than 20 years.

“HDI’s new Support Center Maturity Assessment Service provides unprecedented insight into an organization’s IT support center and offers detailed and customized recommendations for improvement that take into consideration the organization’s environment, constraints, culture and goals,” commented Rick Joslin, executive director of certification and training. “Based on the assessment, the organization will understand how its support center compares to industry standards and will be able to establish a baseline for planned service improvements, improved operational efficiency and value.”

About HDI

HDI, a Think Service, Inc. company, is the world’s largest IT service and support membership association and the industry’s premier certification and training body. Guided by an international panel of industry experts and practitioners, HDI is the leading resource for help desk/support center emerging trends and best practices. HDI provides members with a vast repository of resources, networking opportunities and the largest industry event - the HDI Annual Conference and Expo. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA, HDI offers training in multiple languages and countries. For more information, visit http://www.thinkhdi.com or call +1 719.268.0174. (Think Service, Inc. and HDI are not affiliated with Customers International Limited or HDI Europe.)

### Media Contact:

Allison Wroe
HDI
+1-719-785-5355
[email protected]
ITIL® is a registered trademark, and a registered community trademark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. KCSSM is a registered service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.