Managed Objects announced “myCMDB” today with the aim of further breaking down of the barriers to CMDB use and adoption within the typical IT organization. This innovative approach to easing the “rough edges” and increasing the transparency of a typical CMDB deployment looks like a great step forward to ensuring a successful CMDB deployment that provides value.
With initial details introduced here include:
* Easy to define user communities provide meaningful views of CMDB data
* Role-based user profiles personalize the community experience
* Intelligent, refine-able, and repeatable search to quickly retrieve CMDB information
* Enhanced data input through pre-defined templates and forms
* Integrated CIM (Common Information Model) and policies enforce governance
* Pre-defined, community specific reporting and analytics – or add your own
* Modeling environment for impact and dependency analysis
* Integrates easily with existing change control systems
* A common platform for ready communication with other community members
While this may appear gimmicky to some, anything that provides a means for easier use and adoption of a CMDB is a win-win for the companies who pursue them. The rigidity of a single authoritative discovery tool, product or process are the things that ultimately turn against the successful adoption of a CMDB within any company. Your end users, SMEs and practitioners are the ultimate source of information and insight into the configuration and operation of complex business services and applications. They must be strongly encouraged to participate in the broader federated story for CMDB development and the CMDB life cycle.