Fundamentals of Metadata Management

Preface

Something crucial in how companies approach metadata management is often overlooked. This book addresses that missing piece.

Every company has a configuration management database, an endpoint management system, an information security management system, and most likely a knowledge management system, plus many more systems (don’t worry—you will get to know these systems in this book if you don’t already). They all depict the IT landscape and can be holders of metadata about the IT landscape—they are metadata repositories. But they are often managed in silos.

Metadata management relies heavily on repositories, each serving a distinct role in bringing companies into control of their IT landscapes. However, few companies take a holistic approach to metadata. Metadata repositories are often managed throughout various teams in organizations, leading to high costs, risks, and confusion.

During strategic initiatives, companies often encounter a recurring pattern. Whether the initiative is a merger or acquisition, a transition to cloud computing, an enhancement of data privacy, or an implementation of a durable data science project, certain questions persistently arise: What applications do we have? Who owns them? What data do we possess, and how is it utilized in our processes? Which technologies support what capabilities? Where are our servers located? How do we get access?

In most companies, management teams (and external regulatory bodies!) ask these questions and realize ...