Wednesday, April 30, 2008

BOOK: Implementing ITIL Configuration Management

I started reading through the book Implementing ITIL Configuration Management, by Larry Klosterboer. I'm really not what I'd consider an expert on ITIL nor IT Service Management, but I've had more than my fair share of exposure to it and am certainly no "slouch" in that area either.

This book looks to be an overview of ITIL and to how it applies to configuration management. From there one can extrapolate how much of it relates to CM for not just IT assets and infrastructure but to the software development environment and to software development itself.

The book includes coverage of the following (from the back cover):

  • Assessing your current configuration management maturity and setting goals for improvement
  • Gathering and managing requirements to align ITIL with organizational needs
  • Describing the schema of your configuration management database (CMDB)
  • Identifying, capturing, and organizing configuration data
  • Choosing the best tools for your requirements
  • Integrating data and processes to create a unified logical CMDB and configuration management service
  • Implementing pilot projects to demonstrate the value of configuration management and to test your planning
  • Moving from a pilot to wide-scale enterprise deployment
  • Defining roles for deployment and ongoing staffing
  • Leveraging configuration management information: Reporting and beyond
  • Measuring and improving CMDB data accuracy

To take the next step, and for a REALLY thorough treatment of how IT service management and CM comes full circle to embrace all of enterprise architecture and software development, I highly recommend Charles Betz' book Architecture and Patterns for IT Service Management, Resource Planning, and Governance: Making Shoes for the Cobbler's Children. As I mentioned in a blog-entry early last year, this book "really ought to be required reading for anyone that fancies themselves a 'CM professional' (especially Software CM) or an 'Enterprise Architect.'"

1 comment:

Alex Gutman said...

Hi Brad,
Thanks for the post. There is so much information out there. So much information on the subject of ITIL and how when fused with the Configuration and Change Management process, it all works. Or is supposed to:)

I thought I would chime in here with some relevant information on how we see two of the primary areas in your post: ITIL and CMDB

Hope it brings you and your readers some insightful information. Of course, it is a few years later, but indeed. The song, for the most part, remains the same.

Existing Solutions Fall Short.
CMDB and configuration management tools are too rigid to handle today's dynamics; they don't provide visibility and analytics at the most granular level –where the root-cause of downtime and incidents starts. A new approach is needed.

While CMDB gives an understanding of the big picture, it lacks visibility and control over the complex interdependent mesh of datacenter application and infrastructure components. CMDB is more about the way you record and manage information about your assets, technology and everything that links together to deliver a service.

A CMDB can’t be populated manually. Also, you can’t just -by default- take all the data in your environments and record it in the CMDB. It is simply too much data!

I invite you to check out:http://www.evolven.com/blog/how-granular-configuration-makes-cmdb-relevant-again.html COPY AND PASTE LINKS

While some habits are vital to attain fulfillment in life, our habits are especially important for those of us in IT striving for effective business systems that meet the requirements of the business. Now lets look at 9 areas where a Granular Configuration Automation solution can play a strategic role in enhancing ITIL v3 processes– helping IT managers to achieve less risk, more uptime and greater stability.

and

http://www.evolven.com/blog/9-habits-of-highly-effecitive-itil-people.html

Best,

Alex Gutman
Technology Evangelist
Evolven Software, Inc.
alexg@evolven.com
http://www.evolven.com