What Is A Configuration Item? Classes, Identifiers And Life Cycle
A configuration item (CI) is any component that needs to be managed to deliver a service, recorded in the configuration …
Wiz Integration Doubled Cloud CIs With No De-duplication Tasks
A security tool integration doubled the number of cloud server configuration items (CIs) in one broadcaster's configurat …
Why Your Change Advisory Board Is Approving Changes Blind
Most change advisory boards approve changes on configuration data they never see. The risk rating, the impacted services …
The CMDB Blind Spots That Cause Most Security Breaches
Most security breaches trace back to blind spots in the configuration management database (CMDB), the record of every se …
CMDB Health Dashboards: Making The Three Metrics Mean Something
ServiceNow's CMDB health dashboard scores the configuration management database (CMDB) on three metrics: completeness, c …
Three Plants Down For Two Hours And No Owner To Call
A firmware upgrade on one small component stopped three manufacturing plants for two hours at an automotive manufacturer …
What Your Discovery Gaps Cost During A Major Incident
Discovery gaps cost you twice during a major incident. First, engineers lose time working out what a device is, what it …
Agentic AI For CMDB Accuracy: A Practical Use Case
The most practical use of agentic AI for accuracy in a configuration management database (CMDB) today is evidence-gather …
Why Problem Management Can't Find Root Cause Without A CMDB
Problem management can't find root cause reliably without a configuration management database (CMDB), because root cause …
Change Impact Analysis Is Only As Good As Your CMDB
Change impact analysis in ServiceNow is only as good as the relationships in your configuration management database (CMD …
ServiceNow Discovery Isn't A CMDB: Why Scanning Isn't Enough
ServiceNow Discovery and a configuration management database (CMDB) are often bought as though they were the same thing. …
What Happens When CI Owners Leave?
Succession on configuration item (CI) ownership means that when an owner leaves or changes role, every CI and service th …
ServiceNow Reconciliation Rules: Which Source Wins
ServiceNow reconciliation rules decide which data source is permitted to write which attribute on a configuration item ( …
Bad CMDB Data Leads To False Patch Compliance
A patch compliance figure is a fraction. The patching tool supplies the top half: servers that received the update. The …
ServiceNow Identification Rules: How CMDB Duplicate Prevention Works
ServiceNow identification rules are the criteria the platform uses to decide whether an incoming record describes a conf …
CMDB Health Assessment: What It Involves And What It Risks
A CMDB health assessment carries very little risk, and the reason is mechanical rather than reassuring. It reads your co …
