Configuration Management

Configuration Management (CM) is the discipline of identifying, recording, evaluating, tracking, coordinating, reporting, and controlling Configuration Items (CI) by performing supporting process activities that maintain the integrity of these items throughout their life cycle, including their versions, constituent components and relationships. Configuration Items (CI) are components that can be individually managed and versioned, and has been placed under configuration management (CM) control. A CI may be anything that makes up a CM environment and should be recorded as part of the CM system. This includes (but is not limited to) hardware, software, documentation, and the physical relationships and logical dependencies among these CIs.

Strong Link Data will implement a clearly defined CM process for our customers to manage the unique complexities of each product in the CMDB. This, combined with well-defined, documented, and accepted CM processes and procedures, and strict adherence to them, will ensure only authorized software and hardware are being installed, supported and reported.

SLD’s Configuration Management (CM) process will be based on four classic ITIL operational aspects.

Configuration Management is implemented to keep the inevitable changing CIs and their attributes under control by eliminating the confusion—and errors that result—from dealing with multiple versions of CIs. Strong Link Data will develop well-defined policies, procedures, and standards that clearly define things such as:

Once Configuration Management is implemented, every other ITIL process, directly or indirectly, interacts with CM. Strong Link Data understands how these processes integrate with CM and how each process benefits from timely and accurate CM data as shown in the figure below.