The ISO/IEC 20000 standard relates to IT service management and is based on elements of ITIL; COBIT has elements of the Australian IT security standard, AS7799.

Max Shanahan, member of COBIT's international steering committee, said the combination of ITIL and COBIT provides a best practice framework for IT service management.

"ITIL covers IT service management in more detail than COBIT and together the COBIT and ITIL frameworks provide a hierarchy of complementary and supportive guidance materials," Shanahan said.

"When COBIT and ITIL are used together in this way, they provide a powerful IT governance, control and best-practice framework in IT service management."

The forum runs August 28 to 30 at the Sydney Convention Center, Darling Harbour. For more information go to www.itsmf.org.au/conference2006.asp