CMDB vs Assets
CMDB versus Assets what exactly is the difference?
CMDB Configuration Management DataBase provides a logical overview.
Asset provides an overview of the financial value of a CI (Configuration item).
Written by Ronny Michelsen
CMDB Configuration Management DataBase provides a logical overview of how the infrastructure is built with relationships between services and hardware.
Asset provides an overview of the financial value of a CI Configuration item in its lifecycle.
CIs such as PCs, servers, phones and printers all have a warranty period and an expiration date.
We will provide a little insight into how CMDB and Assets work together.
CMDB
The CMDB shows the logical structure of the infrastructure. By using More Service Discovery, an organization can easily get an overview of all CIs and their dependencies. This is a static overview that can be further made dynamic through automation in More Service using the API tool. See CMDB integrated via API with monitoring further down.
CMDB service directory and technical directory
The CMDB consists of a business catalog and a technical catalog.
The service catalog relates to the services that the IT department provides to customers/users, such as printing, email, file storage, backup, etc.
The technical catalog relates to how the technical infrastructure is interconnected.
When these two catalogs are merged, one gets a unique overview of how relationships and services depend on each other.
To get a proper overview, one should see everything from a customer's perspective and approach it from a service standpoint.
It's all about breaking down the structure (BDS).
We look at the service as the most important vertex and go from there down the hierarchy to the hardware.
Service relationships
The relationships are built from service, application, service and database servers.
When an error message comes from a customer, for example on the email service, the service desk can easily see which CI (application, service or hardware) has led to the incident on the email service.
CMDB integrated via API with monitoring
If an integration is set up with the monitoring system, More Service can, for example, auto-generate events, which are routed directly to the responsible team/technician.
More Service can also close the case if the monitoring system reports the server, service, or application as healthy.
In this way, productivity in the department can be increased.
Assets
The Assets/Inventory application integrates the financial aspects of CI inventory objects into the CMDB.
Inventory also takes into account the physical, technological, contractual and administrative aspects. They have a common goal.
– Inventory control
– Reduce costs of purchasing and management
– Manage the CI (object) throughout its lifecycle from purchase to replacement
– Improve IT service to end users
– Create a standard processor for managing assets at the customer/end user.
How should CMDB vs Assets relate to each other?
Asset management and configuration management (CMDB) are related but have different goals. Asset management focuses on the financial tracking of company assets, so it falls under Asset. Configuration management in CMDB focuses on building and maintaining elements that create an available network of services.
When Assets management is integrated with the CMDB, updating the CI can be performed from one location, and both the CMDB versus Assets are updated.
Whether updates are made from the CMDB or the Asset module is up to the Administrator.
Asset and CMDB should share information about the CI (PC, server, etc.) the number of events and changes made to the CI.
From the individual inventory CI in Asset, you can go straight to the CMDB and see how the Inventory is related to the user/customer and the infrastructure.
Assets Inventory should give your department control over PCs, warranty expiration dates are provided. This provides opportunities to reject future financial investments on all equipment that is written off.
By combining CMDB and Assets (inventory), in More Service, you will truly get a tool that can increase departmental control and productivity.
Get full control of CMDB and Assets.