The CMDB Imperative

Book excerpt: Implement Configuration Management Databases that Deliver Rapid ROI and Sustained Business Value Implementing an enterprise-wide Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is one of the most influential actions an IT organization can take to improve service delivery and bridge the gap between technology and the business. With a well-designed CMDB in place, companies are better positioned to manage and optimize IT infrastructure, applications, and services; automate more IT management tasks; and restrain burgeoning costs. Now, there’s an objective, vendor-independent guide to making a CMDB work in your organization. The CMDB Imperative presents a start-to-finish implementation methodology that works and describes how the CMDB is shifting to the superior Configuration Management System (CMS). Expert CMDB industry analyst Glenn O’Donnell and leading-edge architect and practitioner Carlos Casanova first review the drivers behind a CMDB and the technical, economic, cultural, and political obstacles to success. Drawing on the experiences of hundreds of organizations, they present indispensable guidance on architecting and customizing CMDB solutions to your specific environment. They’ll guide you through planning, implementation, transitioning into production, day-to-day operation and maintenance, and much more. Coverage includes Defining the tasks and activities associated with configuration management Understanding the CMDB’s role in ITIL and the relationship between CMDBs and ITIL v3’s CMS Building software models that accurately represent each entity in your IT environment Ensuring information accuracy via change management and automated discovery Understanding the state of the CMDB market and selling the CMDB within your organization Creating federated CMDB architectures that successfully balance autonomy with centralized control Planning a deployment strategy that sets appropriate priorities and reflects a realistic view of your organization’s maturity Integrating systems and leveraging established and emerging standards Previewing the future of the CMDB/CMS and how it will be impacted by key trends such as virtualization, SOA, mobility, convergence, and “flexi-sourcing”