CMDB ITIL: Definition and automation of IT processes
According to Gartner’s analysts, "By 2022, 90% of I&O leaders who use SACM capabilities to guide their CMDB efforts will achieve their criteria for success, versus 25% for those using conventional approaches”, which (if my English is sufficient) can be paraphrased as: those who really have the capacity to implement the SACM (Service Assets Configuration Management) process will have a much higher probability of success with their CMDB than people who omit the definition and automation of processes.
The previous assumption is taken from0 the study by Gartner Lead a Successful CMDB Initiative by Aligning With SACM Capabilities (G00327435), which I encourage you to read if you get a chance.
Configuration Management: SACM and its importance
This study doesn’t offer any magic formula either, but it does help to refresh some basic concepts that we often forget. One of these is: if you are going to model your services in a CMDB, it is essential to find out in the first place what IT assets you have available to provide these services. And here the difficult part is that, due to the complexity and rapid transformation of today’s infrastructure it will be essential to have automated systems to be able to obtain this complete IT inventory and above all, to keep it up to date, in order to later feed and keep up to date the CIs of the CMDB (as I always say, manual CMDB = guaranteed failure).
Nothing is more dangerous than making decision based on incorrect, outdated and/or incomplete data. The false confidence that we have good information will encourage us to make decisions without checking first whether the assumption taken as the point of departure is correct. . .and that is when the real problems begin!! When inaccurate CI data is used, it increases the risk of self-inflicted outages to critical IT services when changes are made. It also slows down IT teams who are under pressure.
This might seem obvious, but it is nevertheless important to remind ourselves:
The definition, development and evaluation of the CMDB must be under the strict supervision of Service Assets Configuration Management...
… (SACM) process and (CMDB) tool which must work together very closely with an asset management system with the maximum possible degree of automation.
I know that this is no secret, but I could resist reminding everyone anyway....It is never out of place to recall what we know... 😉
Best regards,
Jandro Castro.
