Configuration Management Database

Mastering increasing complexity with the CMDB

The Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is an indispensable tool in modern IT Service Management (ITSM). It forms the basis for transparency and control in complex IT landscapes by documenting all relevant configuration items (CIs) and their relationships.

The CMDB also plays a central role in ITIL® processes: In the ITIL® Service Asset and Configuration Management (SACM) process, it is intended to support not only the management of IT assets, but also the efficient implementation of processes such as incident, problem, and change management. This makes it a strategic tool for risk minimization, compliance, and business alignment.

We can support you in ensuring that the CMDB can fulfill its role as the central hub of your ITSM – from consulting and strategic alignment according to ITIL® best practices, to training for your team, to technical implementation on platforms such as the ServiceNow® CMDB. Our goal: Your CMDB will not only manage data, but also deliver real added value for your service management.

What is the CMDB?

The CMDB (Configuration Management Database) is a central database that contains information about an organization's IT assets.

The stored data includes configuration items (CIs) such as servers, software, networks, users, contracts, etc., the relationships between these items (e.g., which system runs on which server), and status information such as versions, owners, location, or lifecycle status.

CMDB und ITIL®

The framework for ITSM processes ITIL® (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) provides best practices for configuration management in the "Service Asset and Configuration Management" process defined therein. According to ITIL®, the CMDB is used for the structured recording, maintenance, and evaluation of configuration elements and their relationships in order to ensure the quality and stability of IT services. A well-maintained CMDB enables rapid fault diagnosis, informed decisions on planned changes, efficient resource management, and audit and compliance security through documented statuses and histories.

Typical contents of a CMDB include physical and virtual hardware, software installations and license information, users and roles, contracts and SLAs, and the relationships between individual components—such as which application is running on which server. This information is essential for supporting numerous ITIL® processes, including incident management, problem management, change management, release management, and IT asset management.

ITIL® recommends various best practices to ensure that the CMDB can deliver its full benefits. These include the use of automated discovery tools for data updates, a clear distribution of roles—for example, through a dedicated configuration manager—regular data maintenance to ensure data quality, and integration with established ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow or Jira.
Overall, the CMDB is much more than just a database. It is a strategic tool for controlling and optimizing the IT service landscape and, in conjunction with ITIL® processes, forms the basis for effective, transparent, and sustainable IT service management.

Based on this, we have developed a process model that allows IT organizations to successfully implement configuration management in a resource-efficient manner. It aims to increase the quality and availability of IT services despite growing complexity. The process model has already been successfully established in practice on several occasions. It can be individually adapted to the needs and environment of your IT organization and was developed for medium to large IT organizations.

The solution: ServiceNow® CMDB

ServiceNow® CMDB helps IT executives and operations managers make IT operations more transparent, efficient, and reliable. Through automatic discovery and service mapping, the solution provides a complete overview of the IT landscape and its dependencies. Features such as event management, operational intelligence, and workflow automation enable early detection of incidents, faster resolution of root causes, and efficient management of recurring tasks. The goal is proactive IT operations that identify problems before they have an impact and form the basis for stable, scalable service delivery. ITOM enables informed management of digital services, supporting the continuous development of IT toward a modern, service-oriented operating model.

To ServiceNow® CMDB

Many arguments in favor of our CMDB process model

Up to date

An up-to-date and validated data hub is provided at all times.

Flexibility

Individual requirements can be taken into account precisely thanks to the flexible process model.

Data quality

The data quality (validity, timeliness, accuracy) of the IT infrastructure is guaranteed.

Sequentially

Controlled approach in manageable steps according to the "think big, start small" principle

Holistic

Not primarily a technical focus, but a simultaneous view of the process

Proven in practice

Maximum success assurance for your CMS project thanks to our tried-and-tested methodology

Webinar on CMDB and CSDM

Powering the CMDB, Service Catalogue, and CSDM with ServiceNow

In this webinar, presented with our partner Qualdatrix, you will learn why it is important to have the right quality and decision-relevant data in ServiceNow® and how to keep it up-to-date.

Get the webinar recording

Case

ITSM

Andreas STIHL AG & Co. KG

Implementation of an ITSM roadmap at Andreas STIHL AG & Co. KG

The STIHL Group develops, produces and sells power tools for professional forestry and agriculture as well as for garden and landscape maintenance, the construction industry and private garden owners. The product range is supplemented by digital solutions and services. The products are sold to end users via authorized specialist dealers and STIHL's own online stores, which are to be expanded internationally in the coming years. The STIHL Group's sales network consists of 42 sales and marketing companies, around 120 importers and more than 55,000 independent authorized dealers in over 160 countries. The Group produces in seven countries worldwide: Germany, the USA, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria, China and the Philippines. STIHL has been the world's top-selling chainsaw brand since 1971.

Challenge

Establishment of ITSM as a strategic measure for IT organizational development with the vision to generate measurable value for and with the business as a Global IT
Design of a roadmap for the gradual development of the maturity level of the IT organization by establishing globally effective ITSM practices embedded within a framework for continuous improvement
Design and implementation of an SMO to institutionalize ITSM within the global IT organization
Worldwide onboarding of all IT employees through effective communication and training measures

Download: Customer Success Story (Detail)

Case

ITSM & ITOM & ITAM

Manufacturing Industry

ServiceNow® IT Service Management Relaunch and Establishment of IT Operation & Asset Management

iTSM Group supported a global manufacturer of fluid & air filtration systems with over 80 locations in realigning its ITSM platform and building a unified IT Operations & Asset Management based on ServiceNow®.

Challenges

Customized platform, which did not comply with current vendor standards
Local and distributed structures such as tools and teams
The binding nature of the platform use for the entire IT

ServiceNow® was already being used as a ticketing tool as part of IT support. Many of the elements used were adapted to user behavior and were scaled back to the manufacturer standard in a first project phase so as not to jeopardize the future scalability of the platform. In parallel, IT operation and asset management was set up, which was integrated into the current processes in the second project phase.

Download: Customer Success Story (Detail)

Case

IT Service Management

Global Investment Company

Realignment of the IT organisation based on ServiceNow®

The iTSM Group supports a global alternative investment specialist based in Switzerland with almost 700 employees in 13 locations worldwide in the comprehensive realignment of its IT service management with the aim of making a whole range of processes available across all business areas with one service platform.

The challenge

Consolidate disparate processes onto a single platform that ensures a consistent user experience to improve productivity through workflows and automation.

The solution

By implementing ServiceNow® Incident, Problem & Request Management as well as ServiceNow® Service Portal and Knowledge Management, a user-friendly service portal was set up as a "one-stop shop" for employees. The included agent dashboards with live data allow for better transparency and a reduction in the time needed to resolve critical support problems and incidents. In addition, the knowledge database allows for improved knowledge sharing and thus also shortens resolution times. In addition, the service catalogue was reorganised in the course of the implementation and thus made accessible to automation potentials.

Case

ITSM & ITOM

International airline

Implementation & Rollout of ServiceNow® ITSM & ITOM

The iTSM Group supports an international aviation company based in Germany in the comprehensive realignment of IT Service Management as well as IT Operations Management with the aim of making a whole range of processes available across all business areas with one service platform.

Challenge

The complete package of strategic roadmap, process consulting, tool implementation, process rollout and training support had to be managed, while also moving the customer infrastructure from the on-site data centre to the AWS cloud.

iTSM Group solution

Integrated transformation using the ServiceNow® platform.
Use of ServiceNow® Discovery & Cloud Management
End-to-end approach
Tool and process qualification of the employees with the help of Digital Learnings

Case

IT & ITSM strategy

German energy provider

IT & ITSM strategy for the IT organization of a German energy provider

The iTSM Group supports a local energy supplier in its transformation to a future-oriented IT organization. To this end, the task was to develop a target picture and a roadmap for the medium- and long-term IT transformation.

Challenges

Elaboration of the strategic IT goals based on the corporate vision and mission.
Fit-gap analysis of the maturity of the current IT (SM) processes and organization in relation to the strategic goals
Roadmap for a step-by-step optimization of the organizational structure and processes as well as the main tools to be used
Recommendations at the level of the organization, the processes and the technologies used

Passende Schulungen

ServiceNow® CMDB Fundamentals

Our three-day ServiceNow® CMDB Fundamentals training course is ideal for people who want to understand the basics of CMDB and learn the principles of automation and maintenance to improve the efficiency and reliability of IT services in their organisation.

To the ServiceNow® Training