Software Configuration Management Tools

Software Configuration Management Tools can be procured from many different organizations. In fact you can find an absolute plethora of information out there on these tools. But is it really enough? Perhaps, if we are looking at tools we will need to start looking at things that can give full Infrastructure Configuration Management rather than just software.

Software Configuration Management Tools – Infrastructure Configuration management

Some software like HP Openview, Tivoli and Peregrine Asset Center are focused on Infrastructure Configuration Management rather than the historic approach to software Configuration Management. Actually what I am referring to is true organizational knowledge Management. Let me explain.

Let’s say we identify a base item (Configuration Item) that is the lowest level that we are going to manage change at throughout our organization. In any organization there will be several types of these, but to give you an example – The desktop PC.

Now imagine if every incident, every problem, every change, every release and history, how it relates to service levels, all capacity information all disaster recovery information, all financial information as well as how it relates to other CI’s and also the significance to the business and you may be starting to comprehend the amount of information that is available for use by the proactive IT department!

Software Configuration Management Tools – Total Knowledge Management

The thing is I am only just scratching the surface as to what this can really mean to an organization, because now consider some of the things that can be Configuration items. All hardware, all software including standard operating environments etc, licenses, tables data, documents including SLA’s and Underpinning contracts etc.

By the way this is far more than simple Asset management.

Starting to get the picture?