A forward-looking CMDB does more than keep an organization's IT operations running. It draws clear connections between IT components and business services, which is the core of Business Service Management (BSM). But even more critical than the CMDB's ability to support business as it is now, is the question of how well it will drive business innovation in the future. If a CMDB is right for modern business, it should go beyond BSM.
Choosing the Right CMDB
Smart Considerations for Strategic Decision Makers
a white paper
B y J o h n C o n n o rChoose your CMDB wisely
As the role of the CIO changes and
the functions of IT expand, you must
understand and choose your CMDB
wisely. Along with delivering operational
advantages, a CMDB should propel CIOs into
the business forum, while offering support
for timely, informed, bottom-line decision
making throughout the enterprise.The Right CMDB for Strategic CIOsFlexibility, Federation, and Metadata: Must-Haves for Modern Business
Choosing the right CMDB starts with identifying its 100 million configurations without substantially lowering system performance.underlying data model. How does the CMDB you're considering manage data? Answer this question, and ASG's MetaCMDB's built-in intelligence synchronizes, reconciles, you'll know what it can (and can't) deliver for you and and organizes data associated with any item in the IT and business landscape. This holistic map gives decision makers a complete picture your business. of all items involved in any decision as well as a clear sense of how each of these elements will be impacted by various courses of action. SOA and virtualization have made IT environments more complex and volatile than ever before. To Because ASG's MetaCMDB is federated, it provides a comprehensive accommodate this environment, strategic CIOs need data store. With more than 100 out-of-the-box adapters, ASG's MetaCMDB easily connects to new and existing applications and a CMDB with a flexible method of data management tools and accesses data from any and all sources throughout an that will allow them to deftly handle high volumes of enterprise-even from other CMDBs based on less appropriate data evolving data and their interrelationships. models. When these data sources (or any aspects of the data itself) change, ASG's MetaCMDB also easily adds new CI classes (such as Conventional CMDBs, which rely on relational process controllers in manufacturing plants and diagnostic machines and object-oriented data models, do not adapt to in hospitals) and accommodates CI attribute modifications on the fly.change or accommodate complex data relationships Beyond BSM With the Right CMDBwithout considerable cost and effort. Unfortunately, When it comes to choosing a CMDB, it is not a question of if, but when. this makes it difficult to adjust to evolving IT The changing roles of CIOs-and business's mounting expectations requirements. Clearly, a new data model is needed of IT-demand it. The key to a wise choice lies in the CMDB's data to equip CMDBs to support rapid changes in IT and management style. Does it mesh with the volatile ways of modern business. business?An effective CMDB helps IT be more reliable and cost-efficient in its The Flexible, Federated Meta-Model support role. But the right CMDB creates clear business value. Only The best CMDB data model for modern business is a flexible, a CMDB with flexible, federated metadata management can provide federated meta-model with a metadata repository at its functional organizations with the information they need to become better core. Unlike conventional models, a metadata repository is designed prepared, more agile, and more innovative.to manage dynamic data, making it an ideal foundation for a CMDB. Because this model is not fixed, it is flexible, extensible, and easily adaptable to the changing needs of vital, real-world environments. More InformationTo fully leverage the value of trusted data sources, a CMDB must be federated-i.e., it must be able to access and consolidate data from The metadata technology behind ASG's disparate sources throughout an enterprise. MetaCMDB is ASG-RochadeŽ. Recognized ASG's MetaCMDBT: The Best CMDB for Modern Business as an industry-leading metadata repository, Because ASG's MetaCMDBT is built on a flexible, federated meta- ASG-Rochade is used by 10 of the 20 largest model, it easily adapts to the twists and turns of modern business. banks in the world.ASG's MetaCMDB's metadata repository supports urgent business needs for handling enormous amounts of data. ASG's MetaCMDB has virtually no capacity limits. It can support 100 million CI types and An Example of ASG's Federated MetaCMDB
The True Power of ASG's Federated MetaCMDB AdvantagesIn this example, we can quickly visualize how e... [download for more]
