RightStar’s prospects and new customers often tell us that they know exactly where all their IT assets are located. Later, when our consultants get on site, we find out that just isn’t the case. Normally we find disparate home grown databases, spreadsheets, and inventory discovery programs, and very rarely is this information linked to the Service Desk. Forrester confirmed this low adoption rate in a recent IT survey, for which only 15% of the respondents were halfway through an asset management rollout.

This was made even more apparent this past week, when I listened to a BMC Straight Scoop, entitled “Selling into the Suite Spot—Atrium.” Although the concept of a CMDB is not new, it is still a significant differentiator for BMC. What started as a data repository has evolved into a true hub that provides work flow and complex services and tasks. Atrium is now the “glue” that connects all BMC suites: BMC Remedy IT Service Support, BladeLogic Automation, and ProactiveNet Performance Management. 

How does this apply to RightStar’s current customers?  Well, I believe that the Forrester 15% adoption rate mentioned above is fairly consistent.  For example, I talked yesterday to a large BMC and RightStar DHS account which is in the early stages of a CMDB rollout. They understand the value proposition of integrating asset, change, incident, and problem management and are working hard to define their workflow and configuration items for their service catalog.

RightStar’s configuration management value proposition for this account and most of our other customers is significant. By comparing the IT assets required with what is actually on-hand, most organizations can identify surplus software and hardware and realize significant cost savings. In addition, linking IT assets to incidents and problems allows troublesome assets to be identified before future incidents are reported. This facilitates problem management and reduces call duration and volume.

How do we identify these potential opportunities and what can we do to help solve IT asset disorganization? Improved configuration management processes are essential, but so is technology. For example, BMC has four license add-ons products that are shared across each suite:

• Atrium Dashboard and Analytics (D&A): understand how effectively IT is supporting critical business applications and services.
• Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping (ADDM): details configuration item relationships to minimize downtime and enable faster problem diagnosis.
• Atrium Service Level Agreement (SLA): helps IT staff meet service level commitments.
• Atrium Orchestrator (BAO): enforces processes and automates routine tasks.

The CMBD is and will continue to be the center of the IT universe, not only for service delivery and support but now also for service automation and assurance.