Configuration Management

Configuration management is an essential part of IT service management; it’s the process of identifying, controlling, and documenting the configuration of IT services and their components. It is an essential part of ITSM, as it helps to ensure that IT services are delivered consistently and reliably.

In this article, we'll discuss what configuration management is, the importance of configuration management in relation to IT service management practices, the difference between configuration management and orchestration tools, as well as key examples of how configuration management can be used in practice.

What is configuration management?

Configuration management is a fundamental practice that ensures that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of IT services and the CIs that support them is available when and where it is needed.

Configuration management is typically implemented using a configuration management database (CMDB). A CMDB is a repository of information about all CIs and their relationships to each other. The CMDB is used to store information about the CIs, such as their name, type, location, and current configuration.

Why is configuration management important?

Configuration management is a critical practice for any organization that relies on IT services. By implementing configuration management, organizations can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their IT operations, reduce the risk of IT incidents and outages, and improve the performance and reliability of their IT services.

Configuration management can:

• Improve service delivery: helps to ensure that IT services are delivered consistently and reliably. 
• Reduce costs: help to reduce costs by preventing incidents and problems, and by making it easier to manage changes. 
• Improved compliance: help organizations to comply with a variety of regulations, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA and more.

Configuration management and ITSM practices

Configuration management (CM) supports a variety of IT processes, including:

• Incident management: CM can be used to quickly identify the root cause of an incident and to develop a workaround or resolution. 
• Change management: CM can be used to assess the impact of a proposed change on IT services and to develop a plan to implement the change safely and effectively. 
• Problem management: CM can be used to identify and resolve the root cause of problems. 
• Release management: CM can be used to ensure that new releases of IT services are implemented safely and effectively. 

Configuration management vs. configuration orchestration

Organizations that are looking to improve their IT service management processes need to consider both configuration management and configuration orchestration.

Configuration management is a process of organizing, managing and tracking changes to an organization's IT systems, applications and processes. It requires manual input and offers accuracy but can be time-consuming. 

On the other hand, configuration orchestration, often considered discovery, is the automation of this process; it offers faster deployment times while also providing improved accuracy compared with manual methods.

Combining both can provide organizations with improved visibility into their IT environment while reducing the risk associated with misconfigurations. Ultimately, having a combination of both in an organization’s IT service strategy will help them stay competitive in today’s markets by ensuring high levels of security, reliability and availability.

Key examples of configuration management in practice

Configuration management is a valuable practice that can help organizations to improve their IT operations and deliver better IT services to their customers. 

It be used across various ITSM practices, including but not limited to the following examples: 

• A change manager can use the CMDB to identify all CIs that will be affected by a proposed change. This helps to ensure that the impact of the change is fully understood and that all necessary precautions are taken. 
• An incident manager can use the CMDB to quickly identify the root cause of an incident. This helps to resolve the incident more quickly and effectively. 
• A problem manager can use the CMDB to identify all CIs that are affected by a known problem. This helps to develop a workaround or fix for the problem more quickly and effectively. 
• A service manager can use the CMDB to report on the performance and reliability of IT services. This helps to identify areas where improvement is needed.