The five articles on CMDB/CMS that I provided in this issue of BSMdigest present many arguments for why you should take a fresh look at what you might achieve with the creative application of some of the better CMDB/CMS technologies.

However I would like to leave you with one reminder: just as a Configuration Management System initiative has the strong potential to be transformative in the best sense of the word -- it can’t be optimized, no matter how good the technology investment, without good leadership, communication and planning.

The list of ten areas most likely to impact CMDB/CMS deployments is from consulting and predates this research by two years. But if you’ll notice -- the first eight have nothing directly to do with technology!

1. Staff Buy-In

2. Staffing and Budget

3. Detailed Requirements

4. Executive Management Support

5. Follow Through

6. Process

7. Managing Expectations

8. Resistance to Change

9. Integration

10. Auto Discovery

But of course that’s why a true CMS can become so powerfully beneficial. Just as it holds the potential to deconstruct and reconcile many different management investments into a cohesive system, it also holds the potential to help transform how IT professionals work together, share information and optimize their time. And little else -- including cloud -- can make such a powerful and positive claim when it comes to true service management efficiencies.

About Dennis Drogseth

Dennis Drogseth is a Vice President at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) with a focus on Business Service Management and CMDB. He serves in a cross- practice area role, looking at trends across IT and related technologies -- especially those related to integrating cross domain requirements, including CMDB/CMS, automation technologies, and analytics.

Drogseth does IT consulting on request and helps clients set metrics and define phases for critical IT initiatives. He also tracks IT organizational changes, in terms of how IT is evolving structurally and culturally from an organizational perspective.

Drogseth has 29 years of experience in various aspects of marketing and business planning for systems and network solutions. Prior to joining EMA, he worked to develop marketing strategies and new business models for Cabletron’s SPECTRUM management software, and spent 13 years with IBM in marketing and communications.

Click here to read: The Quiet CMDB/CMS Revolution

Click here to read: 16 Questions to Get You Started on CMDB/CMS

Click here to read the CMDB/CMS use cases for Asset Management and Financial Optimization

Click here to read the CMDB/CMS use cases for Change Management and Change Impact Analysis

Click here to read the CMDB/CMS use cases for Service Impact Management