One of the main components of an ITIL ( Information Technology Infrastructure Library) configuration management process is the Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

A CMDB is a database that contains all the pertinent information about an organization’s technology components (called configuration items, or CIs) such as network equipment, computers, servers and peripherals and the relationships among those components. A CMDB gives enterprises an organized view as to how the various components interact to deliver applications and services for their customers. A CMDB can only be implemented in parallel with an effective Configuration Management Process. That means all data related to core IT operations must be appropriately stored and managed in order to ensure the integrity, validity, and accuracy of the configuration management data.

Here are five benefits of implementing a CMDB:

1. Breaks down the barriers between IT and the business—A CMDB removes IT silos and helps people, processes and technologies work more efficiently together. That’s because knowing what technology components you have, where they are and how they’re connected will let you better manage and improve your IT services.

2. Provides more proactive management—A CMDB allows organizations to better manage change in their IT environments. As the complexity of a organization’s IT infrastructure increases, a central database containing information about all the CIs and how they work together will help you avoid downtime by more efficiently planning and better appreciating how those changes affect the IT environment.

3. Helps better assess risk, improve security—IT organizations can use CMDB data to assess the risks to the business associated with known vulnerabilities on servers. That means your IT team can prioritize patches and secure the most critical vulnerabilities first.

4. Helps keep track of any changes in software—Data from the CMDB lets organizations know if there is any unauthorized or illegal software being used.

5. Makes compliance easier, more accurate—Using CMDB data, IT organizations can make sure that the information about their assets is accurate and up to date in order to comply with such initiatives as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA. By keeping a close eye on CIs and their relationships and continually monitoring them to make sure they’re accurate, your IT organization can better ensure that your systems and their components comply with legislative mandates.

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The IT Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is a framework for organizations to implement to make sure that their IT services can be delivered effectively and efficiently. It was developed in the 1980s by an agency of the British government, now called the called the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), to help the government better manage its IT infrastructure and save money in the process.

Since 1989, the OGC has issued a series of books on ITIL. Each of the books covers a topic of IT service management.

The core ITIL process have basically stayed the same since v1, however the way they are put together has evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of the organization.

Since v3 was introduced in 2007, many IT service managers have wondered about the key differences between v2 and v3.

For one thing, the library has been consolidated to five new books, each dealing with a phase of the service lifecycle. In ITIL v3, the concept of IT service delivery has been expanded from the day-to-day operations of those services to the following five phases of the service lifecycle:

• Service Strategy: Developing and implementing service management as a business strategy.

• Service Design: Designing the right IT services to support the business strategy.

• Service Transition: Transitioning the new system to production.

• Service Operation: Developing effective services to support operations.

• Continual Service Improvement: Continuing to improve IT services.

For another, while v2 is organized around process, v3 is centered around service and helping IT provide value to the business. Version 3 calls on IT to develop, design and expand IT services based on what’s best for the business. Version 3 is more about making IT a business partner, rather than just a department that provides the technology to support the business. One benefit of v3 is that it closes the gap between the IT organization and the business. In v3, the success of the business depends on its relationship with IT.

Although v2 talked about using IT to save money, it focused on how much the IT services cost, rather than the return on investment realized by integrating IT services with the business needs.

Version 2 also focused on the best practices for incident management, change management, capacity management and configuration management to help companies improve and standardize their data center operations. But while v2 told organizations what to do, it really didn’t explain how to do it. And for some, that just wasn’t good enough.

Version 3, however, provides more specifics on how to reach the goals advocated in v2, including offering examples of various business cases. What v3 does is integrate the different ITIL components much better than v2, making them all equally important.

Version 3 is also less complicated and more easy to understand than v2. Additionally, organizations can customize it to meet their specific business needs. And because v3 provides more structure than v2, organizations can incorporate other best practices and standards like Six Sigma.

ITIL v3, therefore, is a change in mindset from v2. It provides the framework for IT to work more closely with the business so it can design and develop the appropriate services to move the business forward efficiently and effectively. Version 3 is about integrating IT services with the business for the good of the business.

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If there’s one thing that’s true in IT, as in all business, it’s that change is unavoidable. It’s how you deal with that change that will make or break your business.

One of the keys to managing change is creating a Change Advisory Board, or CAB, which will help a business balance the need for the changes with any inherent risks. The members of this board will give the change management team the input necessary to help you make the best decisions for your company.

The job of the CAB is to review and prioritize any potential changes, keep track of the change process, and provide feedback. The board will also make sure that all the stakeholders including IT, security and business analyze the changes. The board will help ensure that the changes are implemented without disrupting your customers’ operations.

But once the CAB is established, what can be done to ensure that the board’s meetings are as productive as possible?

For one thing, the Change Manager, who convenes the meeting, must make sure that someone from the essential departments in the company are at the meeting. The Change Manager, who is responsible for change management, serves as the leader and facilitator of the CAB. If board member disagree about how best to prioritize changes, the Change Manager can resolve those disputes.

The CAB must meet on a regular, published schedule, typically weekly, to authorize changes. Hold meetings at a time that is convenient for board members. But they should be held at the same time and same day every week for consistency’s sake.

No one in the company should schedule a meeting that conflicts with the CAB meeting. And, if at all possible, CAB meetings should not be cancelled. Decide whether every board member needs to attend every meeting. Members new to the board should receive an orientation before they begin. The orientation should include the board’s bylaws, work plans, and descriptions of their roles on the board.

In order to make the meeting run smoothly, the topics for discussion should be distributed to each member of the board before the meeting. Too much time will be wasted if the members are required to review this information for the first time at the meeting.

These topics include:

• The requests for changes that have been submitted

• Minutes of the last meeting to be reviewed

• Updates of the status of changes that the board has already approved

• Review of the changes that have already been completed

Taking part in a Change Advisory Board requires members to listen to the ideas and opinions of other members. And they should discuss those ideas and opinions before making any final decisions. Sometimes it’s hard to work together as a group but here are a few tips to help board members feel more comfortable with one another and become a cohesive board:

• Ensure board members know each other’s names and a little bit about each other

• Encourage all board members to participate in the discussions and brainstorming sessions

• Ensure that each board member respects the opinions of fellow board members

In order to keep the CAB meeting moving forward as efficiently as possible, the Change Manager has to take charge and own the meeting. He must let members know he plans to keep the discussion on topic and on time. Having a clock nearby lets members know he values their time. Keeping to the schedule of agenda topics, and setting a time limit for each agenda item, will also help the Change Manager keep the meeting on track. If the members start to discuss something that’s not on the agenda, the leader must refocus their attention to the task at hand.

For the meeting to be most productive, the Change Manager has to be sure to get input from all the board members. He should treat all board members with respect and not immediately reject ideas or opinions he believes are worthless. And he must not impose his opinion on the group.

Before the meeting ends, the Change Manager should ensure that all the board members understand the next step or steps. Additionally, he should ask members if they thought the meeting was useful and stayed on track and what could be done differently at the next meeting. He could also follow up with board members individually to gain insight into his meeting strategies.

Finally, the Change Manager should ensure that the appropriate people understand what happened at the CAB meeting and what decisions were made. In addition, the Change Manager should have a system in place to track the board’s decisions and what, if any, tasks individual members agreed to undertake so he can follow up with them to make sure things are proceeded as scheduled.

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