A configuration management database (CMDB) is a file — usually in the form of a standardized database — that contains all relevant information about the hardware and software components used in an organization’s IT services and the relationships among those components. A CMDB stores information that provides an organized view of configuration data and a means of examining that data from any desired perspective.
As IT infrastructure becomes more complex, the importance of tracking and understanding the information in the IT environment increases. The use of CMDBs is a best practice for IT teams and leaders who need to identify and verify each component of their infrastructure to better manage and improve it.
How CMDBs work and why they are important
In the context of a CMDB, components of an information system are referred to as configuration items (CIs). CIs can be any conceivable IT components, including software, hardware, documentation and personnel. They can also indicate the way in which each CI is configured and any relationship or dependencies among them. Configuration management processes seek to specify, control and track CIs and any changes made to them in a comprehensive, systematic fashion.
CMDBs capture CI attributes, including importance, ownership and identification code. A CMDB also provides details about CI relationships and dependencies; this makes it a powerful tool if used correctly. As a business enters more CIs into the system, the CMDB becomes a stronger resource to predict changes in the organization. For example, if an outage occurs, IT can understand from CI data which systems are affected.
A CMDB can be used for many activities besides capturing CI data, including the following:
- Performing problem management.
- Conducting root cause analysis.
- Identifying potential vulnerabilities.
- Complying with regulatory metrics.
- Investigating workflows.
- Reducing downtime.
- Enhancing service delivery.
- Optimizing business services.
- Tracking software licenses.
- Capturing real-time data on potential performance issues.
The CMDB connects to virtually every element in the IT infrastructure. It provides asset management, as well as configuration data, for system and network administration and security management. CMDB data is typically presented on a dashboard display.
Features of a CMDB
CMDBs are centralized repositories that capture and store data about IT assets, their configurations, and relationships. Among a CMDB’s key features are workspace, data acquisition and integration, visualization and reporting. Here’s a description of core CMDB features:
- CMDB workspace. Provides a resource for managing and viewing CIs and how they interact.
- Data acquisition and integration. This process captures and integrates data from multiple sources, such as sensors, creating a total view of IT assets.
- Mapping of relationships. The CMDB presents visually how different CIs interact and depend on each other; this facilitates operational analysis and change management.
- Visualization and reporting. Prepares and presents detailed maps and diagrams of how CIs interact, helping the business understand how it uses CI relationships.
- Centralized asset management. Provides a single unified view of all IT assets, accommodating a single view of the truth.
- Compliance. Data gathered from a CMDB can show how a system complies with specific standards and regulations.
- Access controls. These govern access to the CMDB and detail how access is managed throughout the infrastructure.
- Lifecycle management. CMDB data can be used to ensure all assets are being managed in line with their expected lifecycles.
- Root cause analysis. CMDB data may be used as part of a root cause analysis, especially after a service disruption
- Risk and change management. CMDB data can support risk assessments and change management activities.
- Incident and problem management. Armed with CMDB data, technical staff responding to an incident or technical problem can examine the asset database for insights.
IT teams use CMDB features to manage their technology and networking infrastructures, improve resource visibility and facilitate IT activities such as change and incident management.
Who needs CMDBs?
IT organizations need CMDBs to capture information about the CIs. CMDBs can be paired with asset management systems to identify all elements in an IT infrastructure. CMDBs build on asset inventories, providing information on the relationships among CIs.
Organizations use the CMDB to predict changes that can affect IT systems, which systems will be affected and how. IT administrators can also use CMDB data to identify when it’s appropriate or necessary to replace a device or other asset.
Advantages of a CMDB
CMDBs provide various benefits, including the following:
- Centralized view of data. This capability gives IT administrators more control over the IT infrastructure. Admins can get data on each component in an IT infrastructure — like a storage device or an application running on a server. This helps with planning, managing and maintaining the entire infrastructure. It also lowers the incidence of administrative and management errors, helps to ensure regulatory compliance, and increases security.
- Cost savings. CMDBs help IT managers spot ways to eliminate unnecessary or redundant IT resources and their associated costs.
- Data integration. CMDBs let admins integrate data from various vendors’ software, reconcile that data, identify any inconsistencies in the database and ensure all data is synchronized. A CMDB system can also integrate other configuration-related processes, such as change management and incident management.
Challenges of a CMDB
A CMDB can also present several challenges. A particularly difficult issue is organizational: to convince the business of the benefits of a CMDB and then to use the system properly once implemented.
Other challenges include:
- Importing relevant data. This can be a tedious task. Admins must input a wealth of information about each IT asset, including financial information, upgrade history and performance profile. Modern CMDB tools offer enhanced discovery capabilities, enabling the tool to find and profile CIs automatically. However, this data doesn’t always come from the same source. In theory, a process called data federation brings together data from disparate locations to prevent IT from replacing or eliminating other data systems. In practice, data is dispersed across sources that aren’t well integrated, which prevents IT managers from federating data.
- Updating and maintaining CMDBs. Over time, IT administrators must regularly review, update and maintain CMDB data. A CMDB can fail if admins don’t update the data, in which case it becomes stale and unusable.
CMDB best practices
Several activities can be considered best practices when planning, implementing and managing a CMDB. As with any technology implementation, careful planning and alignment with business requirements are essential to a successful project. Additional best practices:
- Define operating objectives. Determine the goals of a CMDB, such as enhancing asset tracking, change management and incident response.
- Secure management approval and funding. This is essential to ensure the CMDB initiative is fully supported and funded.
- Identify primary configuration items (CIs). Launch the CMDB with critical assets, services, and operating relationships.
- Keep data accurate and current. Minimize the likelihood of data inconsistencies, duplicates and outdated data by regularly reviewing, validating and reconciling data.
- Use automation when possible. If the CMDB offers automation tools, use them for activities such as CI discovery and updating to minimize errors.
- Governance and access controls. Manage the CMDB by defining roles and access permissions.
- Integrate CMDB with ITSM and related assets. For optimal operational efficiency, integrate the CMDB with incident, change, and service management activities.
- Dependency and relationship mapping. Identifying how various assets work with each other is essential; capturing those relationships and dependencies eases incident response and problem resolution.
- Testing and performance analysis. Periodic CMDB tests can ensure that it is performing properly and tee up the resolution of potential issues.
- Reviewing, auditing and monitoring. Make sure the CMDB is reviewed periodically for completeness, accuracy, and alignment with business needs.
- Training and documentation. Provide training and any descriptive content on the CMDB to users to ensure the CMDB is leveraged effectively.
- Continuous improvement. The CMDB is a living resource. Set performance metrics, gather feedback, and refine CMDB operations for continuous improvement.
Evolution of the CMDB
As a single source of truth of configuration information for IT assets, a CMDB facilitates monitoring of assets and dependencies, making upgrades deployment of new services easier. For example, CMDB data can help identify which servers run an older operating system (OS) version and how patches might alter security and performance.
Organizations can track and enforce CMDB information over time, which can improve security and compliance and reduce risks. CMDBs also play a central role in automated failover and disaster recovery activities.
The term configuration management continues to expand its meaning to reflect the increased use of software-based configurations and interactions: scripting the configuration of a software stack, container management and Kubernetes, automation down to the code level, and cloud resources and provisioning.
The DevOps universe of technologies and practices, including containers, microservices, infrastructure as code, source control, package management and release automation, has changed what it means to map and track asset configurations and dependencies. Machine learning and AI promise to predict the impact of undesirable results more quickly and accurately from configuration changes and their propagation.
Configuration management for tracking configuration changes in physical and digital assets remains essential. Organizations still must understand the landscape of their IT infrastructure resources and how the interplay of those resources supports business objectives.
CMDBs have evolved to more closely align with IT service management (ITSM) and reporting capabilities, as well as the cloud and distributed infrastructure. Many CMDBs integrate with IT asset management (ITAM) platforms, which are similar information repositories about IT assets that support change management. CMDBs can also be used to store such information themselves.
CMDBs and ITIL
The IT Infrastructure Library service management framework includes specifications for configuration management, although adoption of the ITIL framework isn’t a prerequisite for configuration management. According to ITIL specifications, the four major aspects of configuration management are:
- Discovery. Identify CIs to be included in the CMDB.
- Security. Control data to ensure only authorized individuals can change it.
- Reporting. Maintain status, ensuring that the status of any CI is recorded and updated consistently.
- Auditing. Verify accuracy through audits and reviews of the data.
Prior ITIL versions introduced and expanded the importance of configuration management, which is designed to capture details of all configuration items as part of ITSM activities. The most recent ITIL release, ITIL v4 (2019), defined an IT operations model for delivering products and services. It plays a role in the overall business strategy.
CMDBs vs. ITAM
There is functional overlap between CMDBs and ITAM platforms for change management. Their capabilities are also increasingly integrated into broader service management frameworks. However, they are different tools used for different purposes.
ITAM tools track asset data, such as hardware and software details, across the entire asset lifecycle. That data tends to be more static than the dynamic activities a CMDB tracks: acquisition and procurement, operation, change management, maintenance and disposal.
ITAM data includes configuration information. It also tracks costs at each lifecycle stage, such as purchasing and licensing, service, support and depreciation. Asset management benefits include better asset utilization and proactive asset compliance and security auditing. Improved asset visibility also leads to faster and more accurate business decision-making.
ITAM tools are typically used to achieve business-oriented goals, such as making and reviewing decisions through an infrastructure asset lifecycle. Configuration management tools are better suited for service-oriented goals, helping IT staff understand dependencies so they can plan and maintain IT services. Change management is an important CMDB activity.
ITAM and CMDBs are not mutually exclusive. For example, an application server is an IT asset with financial value that depreciates over time. It also requires maintenance and can incorporate operational information, such as service agreements, that are not part of a CMDB. That server is also a CI, and information about it can be tracked and managed through a CMDB, including its installed OS and software, server setup and firmware versions. The CMDB could reveal how changes to the server’s configuration state might affect performance, stability and security; this is called an impact analysis.
CMDB vendors and tools
General CMDB capabilities include the following:
- Discover and assess the CI of IT assets.
- Automatically update CMDB entries when an asset is changed or updated.
- Map dependencies between assets and CIs.
- Simulate or predict the effect of a change to CIs.
- Audit CMDB records for security and compliance initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations.
Many configuration management, asset management and CMDB tools are available for enterprises of various sizes and needs. Here are some available tools:
Integrated and third-party tools are also available to supplement a CMDB. Examples include the following:
- ITSM tools. They can integrate with CMDBs and often incorporate CMDB capabilities of their own. Many ITSM vendors offer standalone CMDBs as well. Tools from a single vendor may offer integration advantages but less so for users of third-party CMDBs.
- Automated discovery and change management tools. They automatically generate and update data to capture the state of the IT environment. However, while discovery tools enable IT to take a more hands-off approach to configuration management, they don’t eliminate the need for manual entry. For example, some details such as the hardware’s purchase date, price and due date of the next renewal of service may require manual entry.
- IT operations analytics tools. They can integrate with CMDBs. These tools can analyze the established configuration of each server, compare possible changes against an existing benchmark and alert IT managers to unexpected or disallowed changes to a configuration for examination and remediation.
- Data management tools. They can address data federation by taking all IT data from a variety of sources and automatically storing it in a CMDB. Such tools increase the accuracy of an enterprise’s CMDB data.
- Unified endpoint management and software asset management tools. These are used as data sources for a CMDB to provide visibility for devices in their control.
Find out more about the relationship between change management and configuration management