ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) – an accelerated route to the latest knowledge for ITIL 4 Foundation holders

ITIL 4-certified professionals both need and want to remain relevant in a fast-changing, digital, and AI-driven landscape.

Therefore, the Foundation Bridge (Version 5) enables professionals with existing ITIL 4 Foundation certifications to quickly update their knowledge and align with the latest practices—without restarting their learning journey.

Several professionals have already taken the one-day ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) course and certification and have shared their experiences with us:

Remaining current and cutting edge in a digital environment

Leonardo Hokumura - Head of Customer Success at Desk Manager and contributor to the official ITIL publication – saw it as essential to stay up to date with the latest developments introduced in the new ITIL and start on the path to become an ITIL Master. Staying up to date was a reason also cited by Xavier Idrovo – IT service delivery manager.

“As an ITIL Ambassador, this certification is important to better support the community, actively promote and share the value of the new version with my network and clients and reaffirm my commitment and credibility within the ITIL ecosystem,” Hokumura said.

As for Nooreddin Tahaynet, Scrum Master at Harri, modernizing his existing knowledge to ensure all project deliverables and certification-related materials met current ITIL (Version 5) requirements, was his main goal.

“This transition allows me to maintain a high standard of professional support and provide more precise guidance to those adopting the new framework within our operations,” he said.

“As the industry shifts toward more integrated digital environments, I wanted to ensure my service management knowledge remains at the cutting edge. ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) provides an efficient way to transition my current ITIL expertise into the latest framework, specifically focusing on how AI and digital thinking are reshaping modern workflows,” he added.

Senior IT service manager, Ahmed Mohamed Nabil Elsayed Barakat’s passion for service management, value driven IT and continual improvement were his incentives for taking the certification.

ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) – the key learnings

As the Bridge course and certification are designed to provide existing ITIL 4 Foundation holders with a fast and straightforward knowledge update and exam focused on the key changes introduced at Foundation level, what can professionals expect to learn?

1. Value co-creation
Both Hokumura and Tahayneh highlighted how the course reaffirmed that value is not delivered unilaterally by the service provider, but co-created through active collaboration between providers, customers, and other stakeholders.

“It highlighted the importance of understanding outcomes, facilitating interactions, and continuously aligning expectations to ensure that value is realized in practice, not just defined in theory,” Hokumura said, with Tahayneh adding: “It is a collaborative process where both parties must actively engage through feedback loops and transparent communication to achieve the desired outcomes.”

2. Digital product and service thinking
The product and service lifecycle was the area that interested Hokumura most: “The structured view, from discover and design to acquire, build, transition, operate, deliver, and support, provides a clear and practical framework to manage services as evolving digital products, ensuring continuous value delivery.”

And the course taught Tahayneh the importance of viewing services through a holistic product lifecycle lens. “This involves shifting focus from technical outputs to business-driven outcomes, ensuring digital products remain sustainable and relevant,” he added.

3. Customer experience
The emphasis on end-to-end journeys, value perception, and experience-driven design reinforced to Hokumura how critical it is to manage services from the customer’s perspective.

And the fact that customer experience (CX) is a central driver of service design taught Tahayneh how to map the “emotional and functional journey of the user” to ensure every touchpoint in the service value chain adds meaningful satisfaction.

4. AI and service management
The introduction of the ITIL AI Capability Model, especially the 6 Cs – Hokumura said – “provides a clear structure to understand how organizations can adopt AI in a governed, scalable and value-driven way within service management”.

Meanwhile, Tahayneh gained insight into how AI and automation can be ethically and strategically integrated to optimize incident management, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making within an ITSM framework.

Aside from the key knowledge and skills obtained from the one-day course, its practicality, affordability and value for money are also proving popular with candidates:

“The practicality of the course was a key factor for me, with the focus on the main changes in ITIL Foundation (Version 5), combined with a shorter exam format,” Hokumura said. “This approach allowed me to efficiently update my knowledge while optimizing my time and effort.”

Tahayneh added: “It is a practical way to validate expertise in modern service management without the time investment of a full foundation program.”

Day-to-day knowledge application – individual and organizational benefits

Across a variety of workplace environments and day-to-day challenges, candidates are already applying their knowledge from ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5):

“The knowledge from the course supports my day-to-day work in several ways, Hokumura said: “I currently work at an ITSM platform organization with 18 ITIL-certified practices, so it strengthens my authority, enables me to better support my colleagues and allows me to bring the latest ITIL Foundation (Version 5) concepts to my clients; helping them translate these into practical actions.”

The course knowledge offers Tahayneh a practical framework for optimizing service delivery and improving workflow efficiency: “It will help me better align our internal processes with the latest industry standards, ensuring that we are delivering maximum value to our clients with minimal friction.”

He also explained how the knowledge enables the “seamless integration of agile delivery with service management, ensuring every task contributes to intentional value co-creation”. With AI and digital product thinking, he can optimize internal processes to reduce operational bottlenecks and enhance service reliability.

For Ahmed Mohamed Nabil Elsayed Barakat, the ITIL Foundation Bridge (Version 5) module has helped him approach incidents, problems, and changes with a more structured mindset, ensuring that services are delivered reliably and with clear accountability.

“For my organization, the updated framework's emphasis on value co-creation, collaboration across teams, and continual improvement aligns well with how we work with clients. It gives me a common language to use with stakeholders, helps me contribute to more efficient workflows, and supports better decision-making when prioritizing service improvements.”

Ultimately, he said, it strengthens his ability to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes for clients while reducing risk and waste in managing IT services.