Which statement is true regarding ITIL 4's deployment management practice?

The statement that deployment management practice in ITIL 4 separates deployment from release is accurate and highlights a significant evolution in thinking from previous iterations of ITIL. In ITIL 4, the deployment management practice is designed to ensure that new or changed services are delivered to the live environment with minimal disruption to existing services and operations.

By clearly separating deployment from release, ITIL 4 allows for a more streamlined and efficient process. This separation means that while a release may involve multiple deployments (for example, in the case of continuous delivery or a phased rollout), the deployment management practice focuses specifically on delivering the elements of a release into production and ensuring they are ready for use. This change aids organizations in managing their change processes more effectively and supports agility, as deployments can be executed more rapidly and with less risk.

This focus on separation helps organizations better manage complex deployments alongside broader release activities, aligning with contemporary practices in software development and IT operations, such as DevOps. Therefore, the recognition that deployment and release are distinct processes is crucial for optimizing IT service management in an agile environment.