The importance of a comprehensive Configuration Management Database (CMDB) solution can’t be underestimated. But many businesses don’t fully appreciate the value it can bring to their IT operations.

Properly deployed and configured, a service-orientated CMDB solution offers a range of powerful benefits – including:

a holistic view of your entire IT estate – providing a single, trusted source of the truth
a graphical, hierarchical representation of the Configuration Items (CIs) underpinning your Business Services, and their inter-relationships – which informs better Service-Management decisions.
the ability to centrally manage meaningful data, and integrate complimentary tools and data sources
effective lifecycle management of related Hardware and Software Assets, including license tracking and optimisation
greater planning and design capabilities for Enterprise Architecture, Service Portfolio Management and Application Portfolio Management

Perhaps most importantly, the effective use of a CMDB solution takes these benefits beyond the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework. It extends them to a wider group of stakeholders than IT Service Management (ITSM) – the ‘traditional’ consumers of CI data. That group might include the SecOps, Integrated Risk Management (IRM), and Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) teams.

This is vital in today’s environment. Given the need for digital transformation, the concept of a CMDB is moving beyond its core ITIL-driven approach. Yet crucial teams like these may not understand the potential to be unlocked from a comprehensive CMDB implementation.

We have put together a helpful five-step guide to developing a a strategic CMDB solution for your organisation.

A practical guide for IT Operations Directors

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