The question about how to manage virtualization and
configuration items pertaining to the Cloud continues to challenge service
management practitioners and managers who are trying to strategize and
architect a working solution to provision business services. Some would say the idea of the CMDB (Configuration
Management Database) is dead because we use the infamous “Cloud”.
Let’s start with a refresher about the structure and purpose
of a CMDB and system and then move into how that relates to the management of
virtual Configuration Items or Cloud services.
Configuration
Management System
The key to a CMDB, or the sets of data that comprise your broader
Configuration Management System (CMS), is “Relationships”. When provisioning a service, the service
provider must be able to manage and control all of the items necessary to
produce “Value” to the consumer. All
elements in the end to end service that need to be managed and controlled are
referred to as a Configuration Item (CI). Most IT practitioners think of a CI as an
infrastructure component such as the “Application”, the “Server” that the app
sits on, the “Network” that the server is connected to and other elements such
as switches, hubs, routers etc. That is
correct, these are all CI’s. A CI could
be critical documents, changes, and other items in addition to the
infrastructure and software that comprises the end to end service. Each one of these CI’s has relationships to
one or more services that they support. In addition to CI’s having links or
relationships to other components that
they impact, they should all be directly or indirectly related to one or more
IT Services. Most integrated suites of
ITSM tools or application platforms for ITSM will include the capability for
the Configuration Management System. Where they go wrong sometimes is when the
focus is on the IT Infrastructure itself and not on service value or business
outcomes. Business outcomes must drive
each and every configuration management initiative. Example:
Rather than have a CMDB project for the creation of a CMDB it is
suggested to start with a business need or outcome such as… “we need to be able
to track our assets for Total Cost of Ownership” or “we need to know when there
is an outage what business services and business process that outage is
impacting”. More importantly how does
this impact Q1 bottom line? Therefore,
you should never have a CMDB project. You
should have a project to meet the stated business need and then look at how the
CMDB or the broader CMS can help to achieve the defined business outcome.
CMS and the Cloud
Value is determined by the consumer. As a service provider we must be able to define
how a service is constructed and delivered, but more importantly we must know
how the service is sustained and consumed.
This mapping of services is referred to as a Service Model. There are many layers in the Service Model
and if we design it from the top down it is comprised of Business Process to
Business Service. The Business Service
is then mapped to the IT Service/IT Services that support it. Each of those IT Services are then mapped to
the Infrastructure components as described in the CMDB relationships. Identify the hierarchical layers needed to
support your business process. Each of the layers above could be broken down
into a much more detailed tiered hierarchical structure. In the case of virtualization or the Cloud
the key thing to remember is that you (the service provider) must still retain
management control over the configuration and support of the services that you
support. The Cloud is only one element
in the end to end service mapping and although it must still be identified in
your CMS, you will not have to have all of the underpinning CI’s that are owned
by the Cloud represented. There are
linkages to dynamic virtual data from your CMS but the detail will of course be
managed and controlled by your service provider and you will then manage the
overall service to the consumer. The
virtualization and Cloud are still represented in your CMDB and they will still
be part of your end to end service mapping, but they will not contain the level
of infrastructure detail that they would otherwise.
The CMS is not dead with the onset of virtualization and the
Cloud. It may be lighter and better tied
to business outcomes, but we still need to manage and control the delivery of
service VALUE.
For more information or questions on “Service Mapping” and
“Configuration Management Systems”, send questions to the itsmprofessor@itsmacademy.com.
For Training and certification opportunities relating to
“Service Offerings and Agreements” or “Release Control and Validation” through
delivery with focus on CMS relating to change and release go to: http://www.itsmacademy.com/capability/
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