The Enduring myth of CMDB – White Paper
Although entitled ‘The Enduring Myth of CMDB’ this white paper is actually about configuration management. My aim is to show that although a CMDB (Configuration Management Data Base) is an essential component of a robust Configuration Management System (CMS), there are other key components that drive best practice, namely people and processes. The paper will look at a definition of CMDB, how to select a CMDB solution, how to populate it and especially how to make it work within a Configuration Management System. It will also look at the role of a CMDB in two key ITIL processes – Change and Incident Management.
Whitepaper: Knowledge Management for ITSM
As with most terms found in IT the term Knowledge Management means different things to different people. There is much available on the subject of KM and the term is often interchangeable with other terms such as intellectual capital, information management, data management and document management. In reality, KM embraces all of these.
Improving IT Change to drive Business Value
I think it is safe to assume that IT change management, as defined by ITIL v3, is well known to the majority of ITSM personnel. Therefore, in this paper it is not my intention to attempt a ground up design of a Change Management process, but rather to start with the premise that all IT organisations will by necessity be operating some form of IT change management.
Risk reduction through proactive Problem Management
I have a suspicion that out of all the ITIL v3 processes it is the Problem Management process that is least understood. In part, I believe this is due to an entrenched view that exists in most IT organisations that problem management is basically the same as, or subordinate to, incident management.
Achieving ‘Data Nirvana’: How to Maximise Business Value with Good Data Management – and Why it Really Matters
Data is omnipresent in our daily lives. We are constantly generating and using it, both in our private activities and at work. And when it comes to organisations, it underpins almost every activity they undertake. Yet it’s so ubiquitous that we often take it for granted – or neglect to notice it’s even there.