Asset Management And
CMDB Systems
Lessons Learned in Accelerating
Time to Value
• Dennis Drogseth
• Vice President
• Enterprise Management Associates
• drogseth@emausa.com
• www.emausa.com
Abstract
• While many IT organizations have already committed to
implementing configuration management database
(CMDB) systems, the industry at large is still struggling
to find appropriate strategies to accelerate time to
value. This presentation looks at real world experiences
in CMDB system deployments with a focus on asset
management and provides some practical guidelines on
how to accelerate and assess time to value.
Agenda
• Next Generation Asset Management
• The changing face of CMDB adoption -- the search for value
• ITIL’ v3’s CMS, SKMS and the Lifecycle Service Management
• EMA’s CMDB System and its roots
• EMA’s two CMDBs
• The drive towards constituencies -- asset Management
•
Politics and metrics -- demonstrating value
• Factors for success/ lessons learned
• Conclusion
Slide 3
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Traditional Asset Management Is Changing
• IT management is evolving
•
•
•
IT service management, ITIL
IT as a value-adding partner rather than cost center
Visible business results and accountability
• Next Generation Asset Management (NGAM) is emerging
Slide 4
•
The IT service becomes the “ultimate” IT asset and traditional IT assets
map to IT services
•
•
•
Cost and value of services is tracked and managed
No longer just an asset lifecycle from procurement to retirement
“Convergence” of IT asset, IT service and IT financial management
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Managing Services And Assets Together
Asset Management Dynamics
1%
Asset management and service planning
are managed separately
29%
37%
Asset management and service planning
are managed together
Asset management and service planning
are managed separately today but w ill be
managed together in the future
Other (Please specify)
34%
Sample Size = 290
Slide 5
© 2008 Enterprise Management
Associates, Inc.
Next Generation Asset Management
Next Generation
Asset Management
Asset
IT Financial
Managemen
Management
t
Service
Management
Change/
Config
Mgmt
Service
Catalog
Service
Desk
Slide 6
CMDB System
Capacity
Planning
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Where Is Asset Data Stored?
Storage System(s) for Asset Data
Centralized DB
51%
Spreadsheets
37%
Asset management
product from a vendor
33%
Local DB
30%
CMDB
27%
Outsourced service
14%
Paper
14%
Other (Please describe)
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Sample Size = 290, Valid Cases = 290
Slide 7
% Valid Cases (Mentions / Valid Cases)
50%
60%
© 2008 Enterprise Management
Associates, Inc.
THE CMDB TITLE WAVE
Q17_1 How long has your
CMDB initiative been underway?
12%
Less than six months
31%
Six months to under 1 year
30%
1 year to under 2 years
17%
2 years to under 3 years
9%
More than 3 years
1%
Don’t know
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
% Frequency
Sample Size = 174; Responses not shown received 1% or less
Slide 9
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Financial Services And Healthcare Tend To Lead The Adoption Curve
Which of the following best describes your company's current status
for implementing a CMDB to store your configuration information?
8%
We have already implemented a CMDB
37%
14%
We are in the process of implementing a CMDB
30%
24%
22%
We are planning to implement a CMDB in the next 12 months
We are planning to implement a CMDB, but not in the next 12
months
25%
11%
We have no plans to implement a CMDB
29%
0
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
2008
Slide 10
0.25
0.3
0.35
0.4
2006
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Q24_1 Which of the following best characterizes
your current CMDB System budget status?
Our system budget…
59%
Has grown
Is being redirected to support more urgent nonCMDB-related initiatives
16%
13%
Has diminished
9%
Other (Please specify)
Is being redirected to support new investments
such as application dependency mapping, or
5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
% Frequency
Sample Size = 174
Slide 11
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
ITIL V3 Configuration Management
• Service Asset and Configuration Management Process
(SACM)
•
Configuration Management combined with elements of
Financial Management
• CMDB
•
Now includes multiple CMDBs connected to a single integrated
CMDB system
• Configuration Item (CI)
•
Now Service Asset
• Configuration Management System (CMS)
•
“Container” for CIs, management data repositories, CMDBs,
and the activities and processes for managing
• Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS)
•
•
Slide 12
Includes the CMS
Represents perhaps the most exciting advancement in ITIL V3
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
SKMS Architecture
• The primary purpose of
the SKMS is to improve
efficiency by reducing
the need to rediscover
knowledge
• SKMS is responsible for
gathering, analyzing,
storing, and sharing all
types of knowledge and
information within an
organization
Slide 13
Decisions
Service Knowledge Management System
Configuration Management System
Core CMDB
Citizen CMDB
Trusted Source
Citizen CMDB
Trusted Source
Trusted Source
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
EMA’S TWO CMDBS
The CMDB’s Two Parents
Slide 15
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Managing By The Fossil Record
Slide 16
© 2007 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Management By Design
Slide 17
© 2007 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
The CMDB System Landscape,
Today And Tomorrow
CMDB Evolution
IT & Customer
Owners
Systems
Performance
Application
Development
Service
Impact
Analysis
Events
DSL
“Process-Centric” CMDB
Change Impact Management
App
Dependency Configuration
Mapping
Slide 18
Asset
Inventory
CAB CACHE
Real-Time CMDB
Service Impact Management
Infrastructure
Utilization
Infra.
Topology
QoE
Flow
Consumption
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
ASSET MANAGEMENT AND
CMDB CONSTITUENCIES
Q31_1 When considering how CMDB software is packaged or
sold, please rate your preference for each of the following
packaging options for core functional areas.
33%
Integrated into a service desk solution
Integrated with asset management and asset planning
capabilities
29%
Integrated with release management (device
configuration) capabilities
26%
Integrated with lifecycle service management capabilities
26%
Integrated with security, governance, compliance and risk
management capabilities
25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Sample Size = 174 ; Top Box Reported = On a 5 point scale, those who said: Strongly Preferred
Slide 20
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Asset Management Drivers in 2008
• “We were getting burned badly by changes
that had unknown and unintended
consequences. We’d bring a ‘human CMDB’
into the room and they’d try to resolve the
issues. But too often we got it wrong, or the
person who knew the answer was on
vacation.”
• “One of the drivers was a “pre-existing asset
database -- we wanted to expand it and
evolve it to capture relationships.”
• “The initial driver for this CMDB initiative
was PC asset management – including PC
hardware and software.”
Source: Enterprise Management Associates
Slide 21
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Asset Management As A First Phase Goal
IT & Customer
Owners
Systems
Performance
Application
Development
Service
Impact
Analysis
Events
DSL
“Process-Centric” CMDB
Change Impact Management
App
Dependency Configuration
Mapping
Slide 22
Asset
Inventory
CAB CACHE
Real-Time CMDB
Service Impact Management
Infrastructure
Utilization
Infra.
Topology
QoE
Flow
Consumption
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
CMDBs Critical For Asset Management
CMDB Linkages to Asset Management
50%
Inventory and discovery
Mapping assets to operational ow ners
39%
Introduction of new assets
39%
Mapping assets to custom ers
38%
Retirem ent of old assets
37%
Life cycle asset m anagem ent over all
37%
35%
Mapping assets to applications specifically
33%
Mapping assets to services
29%
Our CMDB is not linked
Mapping assets to security or operational risk
exposures
Cross-dom ain collaboration in supporting m ore
strategic asset m anagem ent and planning
27%
16%
Other (Please specify)
3%
0%
Sample Size = 290, Valid Cases = 147
Slide 23
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
% Valid Cases (Mentions / Valid Cases)
60%
© 2008 Enterprise Management
Associates, Inc.
THE POLITICS OF MAKING
IT ALL HAPPEN
Q18_1 What organization owns the CMDB mission and strategy?
IT Operations overall
45%
Service Management
13%
Strategy and Architecture
13%
Change Management
8%
Data Center
6%
New cross-domain organization
3%
Network Operations
3%
Inventory and Asset Management
3%
Service Desk or Help Desk
2%
Other (Please specify)
2%
0%
5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
% Frequency
Sample Size = 174
Slide 25
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Q21_1 What’s your specific role in the CMDB project?
Select all that apply.
Stakeholder in the project
51%
Provide overall process guidance
50%
Manage/oversee the overall project
48%
Provide overall architectural direction
38%
Internal consultant
30%
Outside consultant
8%
Other (Please specify)
3%
0%
Sample Size = 174, Valid Cases = 174
Slide 26
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
% Valid Cases (Mentions / Valid Cases)
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Communication And Cultural Change
• “You can only inflict so much change upon an
organization. Developing a true CMDB System is a pretty
revolutionary thing for people to own up to.”
•
“I put out a straw man and used that to start to learn
about the environment and asked all the people across
IT and Operations to tell me what they were doing, what
they were doing manually and how they were using tools
and what tools. I asked them what they would like the
CMDB to do for them – how would they like it to change
their lives? And that’s how I built up investment in the
project and refined the design.”
Slide 27
© 2007 Enterprise Management
Associates, Inc.
A Failure To Communicate
• Information is political
• Sharing information is also therefore
political
Slide 28
© 2008 Enterprise Management
Associates, Inc.
METRICS TO SHOW VALUE
Q39_1 Do you have any defined metrics that you are currently using or
plan to use that are directed at monitoring and publishing the growth of
your CMDB System and/or its business impact?
47%
No
Yes
44%
Don’t know
9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
% Frequency
Sample Size = 174
Slide 30
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
One Set Of Metrics
“Currently there are about ten different
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) mostly
focused around cost, reliability and
accuracy in populating the information in
the CMDB. Some of the specific examples
are:
Slide 31
•
Increase of CIs managed by change -percent increase
•
Decrease in application CI’s audited
manually
•
•
Percentage of CIs auto discovered
•
Percent reduction of cost of maintaining CIs
in CMDB -- monthly
•
Number of employees owning -- CIs”
Percent reduction of CIs missing from
CMDB
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Q45_1 Which of the following metrics relevant to CMDB support for
asset management does your company measure or plan to measure?
Cost savings from SW/licensing agreements in terms
unneeded licenses
66%
Reduction in operational costs for integrating and
retiring new assets
62%
Savings on superfluous devices on license, support
and maintenance costs (devices that no longer exist
or need to be supported)
57%
Cost savings from SW/licensing agreements in terms
of compliance penalties
41%
3%
Other (Please specify)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
% Valid Cases (Mentions / Valid Cases)
Sample Size = 174, Valid Cases = 76
Slide 32
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Retroactive ROI For An Asset Audit
• Two surveys -- audits on owners, devices and
resident software including application
dependencies
• One for $5 million and the other for $10 million
for a total of $15 million
• “The project managers on the one for $10
million had given me estimates that at least
40% of our costs could have been avoided if we
had an operational CMDB. I would estimate that
at least 75% of the second survey’s costs could
have been avoided with a CMDB, so that would
total $7.5M in savings.
• “Once the CMDB is in place, there is simply no
need to run the surveys, the data would be
available through simple reports.”
Slide 33
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Wall of Metrics -- False Insights On Real Assets
• Large banking customer
• Implemented management
dashboard
•
•
•
No underlying reconciled data
No CMDB
No automation processes
• Extensively used
•
•
Software/hardware purchases
Employee bonuses
• Wall of metrics was worse than
no data -- it was bad data!
•
Slide 34
Commonly seen in scorecards
and Service Level Agreements
©2008 Enterprise Management Associates
Q48_1 What are the top two (2) process and organizational factors that
contributed to the success of your CMDB initiative to date? Please rank the
top 2, where 1 is the greatest contributing factor.
1.39
Executive commitment in terms of leadership and vision
Budget, money, solidly in place
1.44
Good metrics
1.46
Good detailed requirements
1.48
Good communication across IT
1.48
Enthusiastic stakeholders
1.55
Process (best practices) education
1.56
Solid project planning
1.58
1.74
Good outside strategic consulting
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1
1.25
1.5
1.75
2
Mean
Sample Size = 19
Slide 35
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Lessons Learned
• “If you wait for all the information to be 100% perfect and
complete you’ll never get started. You have to flesh out the
project as you go along.”
• “If I were to start all over, I would have started with more
thorough ITIL training instead of doing the reading as we went
along.”
• “Get management buy in. That can make such a huge
difference. If you don’t get the funding you can’t make it
happen.”
• “I would have done a lot more advertizing up front. We started
bringing in vendors without communicating what we were
doing very well and it threw a lot of people off guard. They
really didn’t understand what was going on, and since then
I’ve found myself having to explain the same thing over and
over.”
Slide 36
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Lessons Learned (Continued)
• “We would recommend that you have more than one source
for your data, and if possible combine some form of manual
and automated discovery. Whatever you should do, you should
take the time to find out what you’ve got.”
• “We clearly underestimated the complexity of our
infrastructure and should have applied more people to that
task.”
• “I think the biggest thing I’d recommend would be to start
small, and get quick wins. I think it’s very important to achieve
some early success and get some quick wins under your belt.”
• “We should have started this CMDB initiative sooner -- I wish
we could have started it years ago.”
Slide 37
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Conclusion -- Key Takeaways
• Next Generation Asset Management requires a CMDB System
• CMDB Systems are still early in the evolutionary curve
• As per ITIL v 3’s notion of the CMS, CMDB Systems are not a
“thing” but a landscape for working together differently
• Asset management is one of the core drivers for CMDB adoption
• Sharing information is 40% technical, 60% political
• Metrics, ROI and time to value can be dramatic, but are
similarly in the early stages
• Recommendations -- start small, focused, with executive buy in
and pay attention to process
Slide 38
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.
Thank you for attending
today’s presentation.
April 13, 2015
© 2008 Enterprise Management Associates, Inc.