CMDB Systems

CMDB Systems

by Dennis Drogseth, Rick Sturm, Dan Twing
Released March 2015
Publisher(s): Morgan Kaufmann
ISBN: 9780128013731

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Book description

CMDB Systems: Making Change Work in the Age of Cloud and Agile shows you how an integrated database across all areas of an organization’s information system can help make organizations more efficient reduce challenges during change management and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). In addition, this valuable reference provides guidelines that will enable you to avoid the pitfalls that cause CMDB projects to fail and actually shorten the time required to achieve an implementation of a CMDB. Drawing upon extensive experience and using illustrative real world examples, Rick Sturm, Dennis Drogseth and Dan Twing discuss:

  • Unique insights from extensive industry exposure, research and consulting on the evolution of CMDB/CMS technology and ongoing dialog with the vendor community in terms of current and future CMDB/CMS design and plans
  • Proven and structured best practices for CMDB deployments
  • Clear and documented insights into the impacts of cloud computing and other advances on CMDB/CMS futures
  • Discover unique insights from industry experts who consult on the evolution of CMDB/CMS technology and will show you the steps needed to successfully plan, design and implement CMDB
  • Covers related use-cases from retail, manufacturing and financial verticals from real-world CMDB deployments
  • Provides structured best practices for CMDB deployments
  • Discusses how CMDB adoption can lower total cost of ownership, increase efficiency and optimize the IT enterprise

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Preface
  6. Introduction: How to Use This Book
    1. How to Use This Book
    2. Time Line
    3. Who’s Speaking: The Many Voices in This Book
    4. Who/What is Enterprise Management Associates?
  7. About the Authors
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Section 1: Failure is Not an Option
    1. Chapter 1: The Odds Are Against You
      1. Abstract
      2. CMDB Opinions
      3. Who Should Care About a CMDB System?
      4. CMDB System DNA
      5. Ok, So Are the Odds Really Against You?
      6. Voices from the Industry, Voices from the Trenches
      7. Back to the Drawing Board?
      8. Framing the CMDB System Conversation
      9. Summary Takeaways
    2. Chapter 2: Why Bother? The Case for a CMDB System
      1. Abstract
      2. A Few Initial Data Points
      3. CMDB Success Rates Revisited
      4. Some Short Answers
      5. Return on Investment
      6. Reasons for Going Forward: More Voices from the Trenches
      7. Bringing the Organization Together
      8. Summary Takeaways
  10. Section 2: The Basics
    1. Chapter 3: CMDB System Foundations
      1. Abstract
      2. CMDB Foundations Part One: Process
      3. CMDB Foundations, Part One: Process—Summary Takeaways
      4. CMDB Foundations Part Two: Technology
    2. Chapter 4: CMDB System Deployment Stages: An Eight-Step Ladder to Success
      1. Abstract
      2. Standing in the Middle of the Storm
      3. What About “People?”
      4. A Closer Look at the Third Vector
      5. Climbing the Eight-Step Ladder to CMDB System Success
      6. Step one: Define Your Objectives and Consider Your Resources
      7. Step Two: Technology, Process, and Organizational Audit
      8. Step Three: Evolutionary or Maturity-Level Assessment
      9. Step Four: Define Your Requirements, Architecture, and Metrics
      10. Step Five: Technology Selection
      11. Step Six: Addressing Critical Issues and Gating Factors
      12. Step Seven: Developing a Three-Tiered Roadmap for Immediate and Future Deployments
      13. Step Eight: Review Progress and Milestones
      14. Summary Takeaways
  11. Section 3: Awareness and Goals
    1. Chapter 5: IT in Transformation: What's Going On and Where Does That Leave the CMDB?
      1. Abstract
      2. How Has the Model for IT Changed?
      3. What Does It Mean for IT to “Show Value”?
      4. Looking Ahead
      5. Cloud and the Extended Enterprise
      6. Data Sharing and the Extended Enterprise
      7. Agile and Mobile: Changing Dimensions in CMDB System Possibilities
      8. Business Service Management (BSM): IT and Business Alignment and Its Dramatic Implications for CMDB Systems
      9. The Move to a Cross Domain IT Organization— And Why It's More Needed (and Real) Than Ever
      10. Is ITIL Enjoying a Rebirth as Another “New Trend”?
      11. Given All This, and More, Are CMDB Systems a Reemerging or an Aging Trend?
      12. Wrapping Up
      13. Summary Takeaways
    2. Chapter 6: Getting Your Executive Team on Board: How to Sell CMDB to Your Organization
      1. Abstract
      2. The Executive Imperative
      3. Distractions, Resources, and Communication
      4. Reaching Your Executive(s): A Few Thoughts on “Executive Perspectives”
      5. Failures and Successes Can Both Be Valuable Resources
      6. Executive Dialogue Across the Eight-Step Ladder
      7. Summary Takeaways
    3. Chapter 7: CMDB System Use Cases: Carving Out the Right Place to Start
      1. Abstract
      2. What's Most Popular? What's Most Successful?
      3. The Use-Case Landscape: A Kaleidoscope of Values
      4. Two Additional Use Cases: Security/Compliance and DevOps
      5. Summary Takeaways
    4. Chapter 8: Making Your Initial Assessment Work
      1. Abstract
      2. Whom Should You Talk To and What Should You Ask Them?
      3. What Are You Solving For?
      4. Toolset Issues: Sprawl, Redundancy, Possessiveness, and Mistrust
      5. Inventory, Data Quality, and Issues
      6. Data: Power, Possession, and Ownership
      7. Process Issues
      8. Communication
      9. Communication: Vehicles and Approaches
      10. Use-case Audits
      11. Pulling It All Together
      12. Summary Takeaways
    5. Chapter 9: Maturity and Readiness: A Four-Phase Evolutionary Assessment
      1. Abstract
      2. Cyclical and Opportunistic
      3. IT Organizational Evolution: A Closer Look
      4. The Four Stages of IT Maturity: A Closer Look
      5. Reactive Infrastructure Management
      6. Active Operational Management
      7. Proactive Service-Oriented Management
      8. Dynamic Business-Driven Management
      9. Salient Trends to Watch Across the Four Stages
      10. Summary Takeaways
  12. Section 4: Moving Forward
    1. Chapter 10: Developing a Project Plan: From Metrics to Requirements and Beyond
      1. Abstract
      2. Internal and External Metrics Versus ROI
      3. ROI
      4. Translating Metrics into Detailed Requirements Unique to Your Organization
      5. Summary Takeaways
    2. Chapter 11: Finalizing Your Phase One Team
      1. Abstract
      2. Consumers
      3. Stakeholders
      4. Finalizing the Core Team
      5. Wrapping Up
      6. Summary Takeaways
    3. Chapter 12: Technology Selection
      1. Abstract
      2. Core CMDB Packaging
      3. Deployment and Administration
      4. Architecture and Integration
      5. Functional Concerns
      6. An Example from One Client Engagement
      7. Application Discovery and Dependency Mapping
      8. Other Investments to Consider
      9. Summary Takeaways
  13. Section 5: Running Your Project
    1. Chapter 13: Closing the Gap: Fine-Tuning Before Full Deployment
      1. Abstract
      2. Getting There: Moving Past the Proof of Concept
      3. Modeling and CI Definition
      4. Integration, Normalization, and Analytics
      5. Federation
      6. Follow-Through, Maintenance, and Workflow
      7. Accountability, Objectives, and Metrics
      8. Crossing the Abyss
      9. Summary Takeaways
    2. Chapter 14: A Tiered Road Map for Going Forward
      1. Abstract
      2. Core Road Map Ingredients
      3. One Case Example: Acme Financial Services Corporation's Three-Tiered Road Map
      4. Initial Summary and Analysis
      5. An Overview Graphic of Acme Financial Services Corporation's Three-Tiered Road Map
      6. 6-Month Road Map for Acme Corporation
      7. 12-Month Road Map for Acme Financial Services
      8. 2-Year Road Map at Acme Financial Services
      9. Wrapping Up
      10. Summary Takeaways
    3. Chapter 15: The CMDB System Moves to Cloud and Beyond!
      1. Abstract
      2. Progress and Benefits
      3. Issues and Advice
      4. Future Directions and Plans
      5. What's Happening with the CMDB System Today and in the Future: Insights Gleaned from Four Key Research Projects
      6. The CMDB System as a Foundation for Service-Aware Asset Management
      7. The Move to the Cloud
      8. How ADDM Can Improve the “Journey to the Cloud”
      9. The CMDB/CMS, ADDM, Service Modeling and Advanced Operations Analytics
      10. DevOps and the CMDB System
      11. Summary Takeaways
  14. Appendix A: Glossary of Terms and Concepts
  15. Appendix B: Sample Request for Product Information
    1. Introduction
    2. Distinguishing Product Features
    3. Deployment Cost Efficiency
    4. Product Strength
    5. Some Additional Questions
  16. Appendix C: Self-Assessment: What If You're Not Ready?
    1. Chapter 9's “One-Chapter Readiness Assessment”
    2. Complementary Self-Assessment Test
    3. Don't Think You're Ready, But Want to Set the Stage?
  17. Appendix D: Product Map
    1. Core CMDB Capabilities Integrated with Service Desk or IT Service Management Solutions
    2. Unique CMDB or CMDB-Related Offerings
    3. General-Purpose Application Discovery and Dependency Mapping Solutions
    4. Application Discovery and Dependency Mapping Optimized for Performance and/or Other Real-time Values
  18. Bibliography
    1. Question and Answer Interviews
  19. Index

Product information

  • Title: CMDB Systems
  • Author(s): Dennis Drogseth, Rick Sturm, Dan Twing
  • Release date: March 2015
  • Publisher(s): Morgan Kaufmann
  • ISBN: 9780128013731