You can create hardware, software license, consumable, license, software entitlement, and. In most cases, a ci is a combination of it assets, such as an email server which consists of hardware and software. Both solutions provide visibility into it assets to help organizations better optimize and manage business services. Find out the differences between cmdb, asset management, and. It ensures the assets location and use are tracked throughout its lifecycle and proper depreciation of capital assets is managed. The symantec connect community allows customers and users of symantec to network and learn more about creative and innovative ways to. The configuration management database or cmdb is the central repository or database, as its aptly referred to for managing and maintaining configuration items cis. Relationship between cmdb and cms this topic describes how the configuration management database cmdb fits within the broader configuration management system cms.
So, what is the difference between one acronym and the other. Asset and configuration item ci management refers to creating assets, setting appropriate states and substates, synchronizing assets and cis, managing consumables, and retiring assets. Configuration management database cmdb is an integral part of it service management. What is the difference between cmdb solutions and asset.
Ci data into a single configuration management database cmdb. Whats the difference between cmdb reporting and asset intelligence. To start with, lets take a look at the itil definition of asset management. Whats the difference between it asset management and a cmdb. Relationship between cmdb and cms it service management. One common question asked by newbies is, what is the difference between it asset management and the configuration management database. With an accurate configuration management database cmdb, its easy to understand your organizations it environment, particularly in the areas of service impact analysis, asset management, compliance, and configuration management.
Difference between cmdb and asset management rahul priyadarshy jun 5, 2015 3. For any enterprise, managing assets and infrastructure, in general, is an important aspect of its operations. Cmdb is a configuration management database used to store data specially configuration item ci. Asset management, itil, and the cmdb rjr innovations. Perhaps the ones that cause the most confusion are configuration management database cmdb and information technology asset management itam. Cmdb or configuration management database as the name suggests, is a. And it asset managers should be relieved to discover that, far from encroaching on their turf, a cmdb will empower them to play an even more strategic and integrated role in it. Marketing officer at nlyte software, dispels the confusion between a cmdb and itam. Sunview software is a leading provider of itsm software, powered by awardwinning artificial intelligence. Investing in good it asset management software can help you make better. Asset management is concerned with the entire lifecycle of the asset, from its initial procurement or lease, through its assignment for use or provisioning, throughout its use and into retirement. What is the difference between an asset and a configuration item ci.
It asset management is often confused with configuration management, but the two are. This includes hardware such as laptops and phones, software, employees. All servicenow customers can now take advantage of clean, normalized it inventory and software asset management information in their servicenow configuration management database. It asset management will look different for every organization, so its important to know how mutual processes and activities will overlap. Instead of sweating the differences between assets and configuration items, the beneficial thing is to understand how the different management. How to integrate a cmdb with it asset management itam. Itsm and itam software are tools that manage and support it assets and their configuration. Assets are physical devices such as desktop computers, laptops, software. It acts as a virtual data warehouse that houses the ci configuration records, critical asset dependencies, and other important ci attribute information such as owner, identifier, type, importance, relationship, etc. It is important not to confuse the different objectives of the cmdb and itam software tools. Blog dont confuse it asset management and configuration. The cmdb identifies, records and reports all your network hardware and software, including their versions, expiration date, license files etc. Why its wrong to compare cmdb and asset management. Jean, cmdb solution is not included in client management suite.
The cmdb, in contrast to a static asset list, helps you track not only the configuration items cis within your system, but also the relationships between those items. Cis, including their lifecycle and relationship to other cis in the configuration management database cmdb, to maintain a high level of service. The cmdb software is intended to contain all relevant information about hardware and software components and the relationships between those components used in an organizations it infrastructure. On the other hand, asset management is integrated with the procurement systemerp. It also continually checks and alerts when something is wrong. The primary difference between asset management and configuration management is the introduction of the relationship concept. Understanding inventory, configuration and it asset. Which free database application shall i use to create a.
Determining whether to store assets, cis, or both in bmc remedyforce cmdb 2. Sunview software it service management itsm software. The impact of ignoring these questions, and ignoring the goals of the cmdb by forcing the technology into a role it wasnt meant for, can ruin a massive investment in short order. Freshservice is a simple, easytouse, itilalligned service desk software that helps organizations bridge the gap between it and their business. What is the difference between the configuration management database cmdb and hardware asset management ham. Cms consists of various cmdbs and databases containing incidents, changes, releases, problems and known errors.
So, while asset management is a process responsible for controlling assets throughout their lifecycle, the cmdb is a tool used to store the data needed for service. Officer at nlyte software, dispels the confusion between a cmdb and itam. The cmdb is a database that the organization maintains, and as youll see. Why did the early asset databases fail to deliver the promise of the cmdb. What is the difference between cmdb and asset management.
Do you know the differences that exist between an it asset. What is not stated is that because the cmdb is the repositor for asset, is is possible, probably even, that you will have assets in the cmdb which are not cis. A comprehensive cmdb provides a single version of the truth about your it estate, and can accurately and consistently inform itsm, itom, and itam efforts at. Today, the it department can track any asset or configuration item ci, all of its relevant attributes, and how it interacts with other items in the cmdb. It asset management deals with managing the asset through its entire lifecycle. This includes hardware such as laptops and phones, software. How to fix your cmdb with hardware asset management. A configuration management database cmdb is an itil database used by an organization to store information about hardware and software assets this. The cmdb is a fundamental component of the information technology infrastructure library frameworks configuration management process.
And while the cmdbs role consists of storing all attribute information and metadata of service items cis, itam tracks only the items assets. Thats where integrating disparate data center management systems can make a difference. Symantec helps consumers and organizations secure and manage their informationdriven world. The itil definition for cmdb is a database containing attributes of configuration items, and relationships between configuration items. All these modules can consume cmdb data based on the scenario and inputs. When delivering configuration management engagements, customers often notice that some items appear in both their cmdb and in their asset management software. Management database cmdb is a tool that documents an it asset. Difference between cmdb and asset management bmc software. A cdmb is a logical entity with key integration points, and it supports and enables processes in service delivery, service support, it asset management and other it disciplines. According to itil v3, the cms is comprised of databases and tools that manage configuration data for a service provider. Managing a cmdb with it asset management is similar to managing the flight database with an equipmentplane inventory database. Lets use an example of an email ci named emailsrv that is using a physical server named srv01.
The database contains all of the data needed to do both asset and configuration management. He states, quite correctly that the cmdb is the data store for asset management. This process is part of an overall service asset and configuration management process. The benefits of it asset management are many, but the most important ones are improved asset acquisition, improved compliance, and improved asset performance. Configuration management database cmdb as the name suggests, it is a database that records various cis along with their attributes and relationships. As can be seen, at the core of both asset and configuration management is the configuration management database or cmdb. Introduction to service asset and configuration management. The major difference between cmdb and asset management is that cmdb. Then it has to regularly maintain this complex data for. Cmdb is a subset of another system called the configuration management system cms.
These practices may overlap, but they arent the same. Software license is the key to unlock and use the software in a. Configuration management database cmdb is a centralized repository that stores information on all the significant entities in your it environment. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. Lets explore some of the considerations data center managers may have when integrating data center infrastructure management dcim and a configuration management database cmdb. According to itil 4, a configuration management database cmdb is used to store configuration records throughout their lifecycle and. Hi experts, i am really confused with cmdb and asset management modules. Reduce spend, mitigate risk, and drive action across it with intelligent operations.
This is the time when you track its configuration details, the software installed on it. It is a repository that stores information about configuration items cis throughout the service lifecycle. Although the cmdb can hold information that allows it to manage asset lifecycle, etc. Explaining configuration item ci, cmdb, cms and dml. Assets are probably part of your cmdb, but not necessarily all assets are ci relevant for your business process. This episode of cybersecurity insights explains the distinction and reveals why intelligence is integral to. A configuration management database cmdb is a key component, as it stores ci records and helps manage the cis directly. Confusion translates to serious consequence when configuration information is inappropriately used in place of properly. It includes managing only those assets which have a business or financial impact on the enterprise.
It is often the initial phase of a cmdb journey, they wrote. It asset management is often confused with configuration management, but the two. Configuration management database cmdb, asset management. From the descriptions ive been able to find on various websites, it seems like configuration management is just a fancy term for putting your config files in a source control repository. Can anyone explain in simple terms what the difference is between configuration management and version control. Throughout much of the history of it, what is now called the cmdb was known by various other terms, the most common being an asset database, wrote authors carlos casanova and glenn odonnell. Another element of success with both itsm and itom and with itam is a configuration management database cmdb. In asset management soluiton the cmdb solution does the following. It acts as a virtual data warehouse that houses the ci configuration records, critical asset dependencies, and other important ci attribute information such as. When an asset is expired or disposed or deleted, the license allocated to the software in the asset will automatically be deallocated. An itsm configuration management database cmdb is a tool that documents an it asset, much like a software tool that provides itam functionality. The major difference between cmdb and asset management is that cmdb contains assets as configuration items cis, whereas, assets, by themselves, are standalone items that have intrinsic financial value to an organization. Configuration item ci are all the items but also database instance, websites, logical items, etc. This leads to the inevitable question, what is the difference between an asset and a configuration item.
What is the difference between configuration management. In other words, your cmdb stores information on the configuration of items within an organization, including hardware, software, systems, facilities, and. The asset database does not require the details the cmdb maintains but does track the servers lifecycle. Home orlando now platform capabilities now platform capabilities configuration management database ci relationships in the cmdb. With the growing popularity of it management solutions that take advantage of the combined benefits of it service management and it asset management see this white paper, there is also increasing confusion between it asset management and configuration management.
Cmdb solution lets you model configuration items, resources, and the relationships between them in a central database. So, what is the difference between cmdb and asset management. An asset database represents a limited subset of a cmdb, but an important one. Cis are tracked within the configuration management database cmdb.
When it comes to managing it assets, theres no shortage of solution acronyms available. Cmdb is a component of asset and configuration management. Cmdbs are used to keep track of the state of assets such as products, systems, software, facilities, people as they exist at specific points in time, and the relationship between all assets. Management database cmdb and information technology asset. It asset management deals with all the objects that have a financial value to the company. While asset management is a process, cmdb is a tool. This leads to the inevitable question, what is the difference between an asset and a configuration item ci. Two itsm practices, asset management and configuration management, guide you towards successful component management. The data stored in the database can be used by a variety of different organizations as needed to perform both business and it service. Since cmdb needs to keep track of the issues and usage related to the asset, it is often integrated with the change management system. It service management itsm software for the intelligent enterprise products. The cmdb, however, is not a process or activity, it is a database that stores. Freshservice provides a comprehensive range of asset management features that let you never lose trac.
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