LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 6, 2006, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), the leading independent IT management research and consulting firm, today unveiled new resources and services designed to help IT professionals successfully plan for and deploy Configuration Management Database (CMDB) initiatives. In addition to the most current and in-depth market research available on CMDB, EMA is now offering complete CMDB consulting services as well as free access to the CMDB Solutions Center, a comprehensive online resource that covers the basics of CMDB and provides the ability to search and compare objective profiles of CMDB offerings from different vendors side-by-side.
Over the past 18 months, EMA vice president Dennis Drogseth and EMA consulting director of IT services Chris Matney conducted extensive research on all aspects of the CMDB market and helped numerous enterprise IT organizations lay out an actionable roadmap for CMDB success. The CMDB provides a common trusted source for all IT data used by businesses and holds significant promise as a central point for IT governance, asset management, inventory, and change/configuration control. The CMDB is a core system for more effective service assurance. However, a successful CMDB initiative necessitates a new way of investing in, reconciling and consolidating management investments and may require substantial cultural, political and organizational change.
EMA’s four-part series of research reports on CMDB includes:
- “The ITIL Configuration Management Database: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?”
- “The CMDB Landscape: Market Directions, Vendor Solutions and IT Deployments”
- “ITIL’s Configuration Management Database: Strategic Recommendations for Planning and Implementation”
- “CMDB Adoption in the Real World: Just How Real Is It?”
“The CMDB holds substantial promise for enterprise IT organizations, including breaking down technology silos to align IT with the business, providing long-term cost savings to IT, and improving the quality of IT services. However, like anything, the CMDB is not a silver bullet,” explains Drogseth. “There are a number of potential pitfalls that could derail a CMDB initiative and keep the organization from reaping the benefits of the CMDB. Some of the biggest ones include unclear business focus, unrealistic expectations, a lack of organizational commitment, unclear ownership of the CMDB and an all-or-nothing approach.”
In addition to its research on CMDB, EMA also offers a CMDB assessment service that helps enterprise IT organizations address the tools, processes, and people critical to CMDB success. During this streamlined engagement, EMA consultants leverage their real-world expertise and EMA’s proven 8-step methodology to develop architecture recommendations and implementation roadmaps.
EMA is providing a number of no-cost educational CMDB resources to help enterprise IT professionals learn about and succeed with CMDB.
EMA’s CMDB Solutions Center, a comprehensive and convenient online resource, introduces the fundamental concepts of CMDB and offers the ability to search and compare objective profiles of more than a dozen leading CMDB offerings side-by-side. Access to this valuable resource is free of charge and is available now.
EMA’s Matney will be discussing the importance of a CMDB design addressing tools, processes and people, and sharing challenges and lessons learned during real-world CMDB implementations in a free one-hour Webinar on Tuesday November 14th.
“During the last year and a half, the notion of CMDB has really caught on in the industry,” said Drogseth. “While promising, the CMDB can be a puzzling and intimidating enterprise for IT professionals, so the ITIM Conference & Expo presents itself as an ideal place to reveal our latest CMDB initiatives.”
ITIM 2006 will feature a comprehensive conference program including more than 45 breakout sessions focusing on IT lifecycle management; IT business alignment and IT finance; IT governance and compliance; information security and business continuity and IT service management. Additionally, the conference will provide attendees with an opportunity to choose from nine pre-conference workshops and certification courses on ITIL, ISO20000 and CobiT. Keynote presentations will be delivered by Richard Teerlink, former chairman of Harley Davidson; noted IT expert Malcolm Fry, strategic adviser to BMC Software; Robert Stroud, director of brand strategy and IT service management for CA, Inc.; and Dilbert creator Scott Adams.
About Enterprise Management Associates
Founded in 1996, EMA is the only industry analyst and consulting firm dedicated to issues of IT Management. The firm conducts comprehensive, in-depth research and analysis on current and emerging concepts, issues, trends, strategies and resources. EMA consults with enterprise IT professionals to assess their organization’s current IT management infrastructure, skills, efficiency and effectiveness—making recommendations to improve productivity, maximize ROI, improve service quality and align IT operations with business strategy. In addition, the firm’s work with vendors and service providers gives it significant influence in the marketplace, reaching nearly 300,000 people each month.
About the IT Infrastructure Management Conference & Expo
Now in its fourth year, the IT Infrastructure Management Conference & Expo is the premiere event for IT management and executives responsible for the deployment, management and retirement of IT infrastructure technology. It is designed for IT professionals dedicated to the achievement of best practices and success across the entire IT organization. For more information, visit www.ITIM2006.com or call (800) 934-6566.