Hello, this time I will try to show or remember you how important is the activity of keeping a complete registry of a department's configurations.
First, what do we mean for "Configuration"?. There are at least two definitions for "Configuration":
1. Arrangement of parts of a thing, and its peculiar form and attached properties.
2. Assembly of devices and programs that make up a computer system.
Following the second definition, the "Settings" or "Configuration" of a computer system are all elements of the solution or system. Even more, I would add, all components which enable the computer service is available for use.
We will not stay only with intrinsic components of the service, but we also worry about the components "satellites" that let you use the service. Consider an example. Imagine your mail. A first approach of mail service configuration would be:
The Mail Service Setup Configuration is: The server or machine that hosts the mail program.
This phrase could write it down mathematically as follows:
MAIL SERVICE = MAIL SERVER + MAIL PROGRAM
But this formula but is good for a first approximation, we will leave some important gaps for decision making. Then you need to increase the scope of the definition, but we will do it later in this article. Let's continue detailing this definition.
Configuration Management, in short, is the dynamic registration of all data or useful information that enables us to keep track of or Computer services .
Given that premise, we must ask now, what information is useful to me for this service? (In this example "Mail Service").
Viewing the above formula, then we must answer: What interests me, or helps me, know about Mail Server and its programs? The answers or basic questions should be these:
1) WHO or WHAT
2) HOW or WHY
3) WHERE or WHEN
Let see each one for our example:
1)
Who are the stakeholders in this service? There will always be at least 3 teams who are involved in each service:
- The team of "End Users", who "use" the service to perform some business work. They are the "exploiters" system. In short they are responsible for using the system information for a given business.
- The "Functional" team: who "feed" and configure the system to adapt the system to the needs of business end users. In most companies they are in charge to keep the "logic" and business rules, define users, roles, reporting, etc.. In summary we can say they are responsible for the consistent and useful information.
- The "Technical Support" team or IT (Information Technology), they are in charge of keeping "alive" (accedible) the system. In short they are responsible system information is available.
Given the above, the Configuration Manager must make a proper survey to register who are responsible for every level of user.
2) How is carried out the service?
Here are the answers related to procedures, diagrams, use cases,
documentation. Every Company must safeguard updated documentation of its procedures, you
should instruct your Configuration Manager to make a survey of procedures for each service. The team of Functional users certainly are called to compose this survey because t
hey are the most "experts"
in each service, without prejudice to some interviews with end users to corroborate points in doubt.
3)
Where or When is carried out the service?
These responses are related to the detail in itself, should register at least:
- The name and version of the program used in both server side and client side (the "client" refers to the end user's PC). Users may also receive mail on their mobile devices smartphones, it would also have to register.
- Data about the server hosting the service program. As the name of Network, IP number, characteristics of capacity or resources such as CPUs, amount of disk space, amount of RAM, etc..
- Software installation settings, such as users and their roles; both in the end-user PC and in the central server.
So, our example formula would be
at least something like this:
EMAIL = SERVER + PC + END USERS + FUNCTIONAL USERS + SUPPORT USERS + PROCEDURES + CONFIGURATIONS + SCHEDULES
Now imagine you did all this survey with Configuration Manager with each of the IT services that you. operates or provides. It is now the question, what for serves me keep all this information?
There will be many, but many, times you'll appreciate having done this work, and always keep it updated (I mentioned that this is a dynamic work that needs to be updated?). Let's review some cases that for sure you will face:
1)
Projects: You have a new need for computer services. How Configuration Manager can assist you in this?. First of all we must remember that every project start with a phase called "Taking Requirements" which leads to a "Technical Practicability" phase. These two phases must create a "capacity study" of the project (or the "Capacity Planning"). With the project's data from study of capacity you must pass to the Configuration Manager and he should answer whether or not there is currently capacity within systems to accommodate the project's business function. How? good. Querying the Log looking for services capabilities.
Thus, Configuration Management will be helping you in making decisions on the viability of the projects.
2)
Incidents: A contingent problem, fairly urgent, and need to know who is affected? How does it affect you? What business processes are being impacted? Does the support team know what machines are those that have to attend? What are the settings that need to be reviewed? (eg.: If users do not have access, it will be because they lost permissions?, have those permissions properly documented for re-apply?.You see, without the useful information provided by the Configuration Managers, your SLA or response time, will be harmed because they lose a lot of time trying to "guess" that information. When instead,
you could have everything centralized in one control panel that shows to support team exactly the data they need. But without Configuration Management will not matter if you use a tool such as NASA panel, because you wont have the updated data nor previously recorded. (This is like Batman's belt, what could achieve Batman without his tools? But these tools should be previously "fueled" with data, with useful information.)
3)
Changes: Whether technological renovation, or because they have decided to make a full BPO services, You are in the dilemma of the steps necessary to conduct a massive and important change in service. Here, once again the Configuration Manager will be your ally, answering questions as who does this change affects?, To coordinate with them. What are the machines must "touch" for change? What settings should be respected to keep or change? What are the criteria for success?.
Once again your decision making will rest securely on reliable data by Configuration Management.
As you will see dear friend, the importance and utility of having a function of configuration management is crucial to help you better manage IT. And not only the Computer, it is the same examples to one area of medicine. For example do we have remedies?, For cars, do we have stock to sell? etc. This is known under the old name, Inventories. Just take into account that today
inventories should be centralized in technology platforms, and with sufficient staff to keep current, controlled and reliable information.
Why so much? Can you imagine that your configuration manager tells you that you have a server with 2 terabytes of disk, and if IT staff going to use, they realize it have much less disk space? ... What happened? .. well that's another topic, but surely the responsibility of the accuracy and control of information rests on a configuration manager, who has power to be able to avoid these situations, ie that role should have sufficient resources and control mechanisms "keys" configuration, and not allow changes without their permission. (examples are many: cameras, biometric access control, signatures, authorizations, procedures, etc.). Failure to do so will have a weak configuration management, poor, reactive, outdated, unable to control changes, no reliable data. All of which the short to medium term will directly affect their decision making.
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