Every degree program at WGU is tied to a high-growth, highly rewarding career path. The configuration management process involves five simple steps: Whether you are a small business, a growing company, or an enterprise, starting a project requires you to define some specific procedures for your project. Configuration Identification Index (CII). 2022 Western Governors University WGU. What Is Configuration Management and Why Is It Important? Configuration Management Process Overview - Western Governors University Version control applied to the configuration can be rapidly reverted to a last known stable state. The IT CM Program shall manage and evaluate the process based on the following guiding principles: Process Management. The software configuration management process is a series of steps designed to track and manage all the defects, resources, codes, documents, hardware and budgets throughout a project. Additionally, a single individual can assume more than one role within the process although typically not at the same time. Intruder is an online vulnerability scanner that finds cyber security weaknesses in your infrastructure, to avoid costly data breaches. Service Agreement (Master Service Level Agreement (MSLA) Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Operational Level Agreement (OLA)), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Before the introduction of source code management, developers were facing difficulties in saving each others work unknowingly. For example: What kind of report to produce for each software CI, What is the frequency for reporting on the status for each software CI, Who are the stakeholders that will receive the reports. CM baselines for iterative software development projects. Configuration management is a systems engineering process for establishing consistency of a products attributes throughout its life. These should include plans, designs, requirements, and any technical and operational documentation that support the software. Otherwise, an organization and its end users are susceptible to data breaches, data leaks, and system outages. The CI Classification contains the CI type and specific class of a CI (or CI Subtypes). The standard CM Plan DID provides the minimum format for plans and maximum amount for flexibility. Register CIs or Populate the CMDB. An attribute is a piece of information about the CI such as name, location, version number, etc. Software libraries must also be established for CI related documentation to maintain current baselines and previous versions. Audits conducted on baseline components to verify that a CI, as built, conforms to the technical documentation that defines and describes it. What is configuration management - Red Hat Configuration data should be aggregated and compiled from different application environments, development, staging, and production for all the components and services in use. Standard terms and definitions must be defined and published. Business Administration, Accounting B.S. Provides input to the process scope and procedures. By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Specialist works in collaboration with the different groups to review the process performance and identify improvements . The main purpose behind this is to know the previous and current versions of the configuration. As a result, project managers can create strategies for their team to achieve deliverables to complete projects. Establish Relationships or Interfaces. Assign CI Owner. A configuration management plan reduces the risk of security breaches and outages by letting you track the changes. Configuration Item. n this process the new change request created by the client to change some configurations on the software product i.e. Demand Management & Project Governance (DMPG) Division, within Enterprise Operations (EOps) - IT. Program Owner. It covers the identification, recording, and reporting of IT components, including their versions, constituent components and relationships. Configuration management supports ITSM processes Configuration management activities are closely related with other ITSM domains. The configuration management process can take many forms. A configuration item (CI) is a component of a service or system that can be identified as a self-contained unit for purposes of change control and identification. It enables quicker restoration of devices, OS, or applications. Many current software development tools have configuration management features built in. Implement improvement processplan to deliver gradual but continual system improvement using the Deming Cycle: plan, do, check, and act. The CII guidance applies to manually recording and registering CIs. Within a specific process, there can be more than one individual associated with a specific role. Apart from ensuring the correctness of configuration items, it helps: Configuration management is essential to IT and infrastructure services. Formal change procedures are defined in IRM 2.22.1 Unified Work Request (UWR) Process for business application and IRM 2.125.2 Change Management Process for infrastructure. Outputs are measurable in terms of quantity and quality. A CI Owner is the one that owns and is responsible for the specific CI and the primary validation point for information related to that CI. As per approval of the change request the application will develop and the request will be closed on status. For documentation CIs, IRM 2.150.2.3.2 Document Versioning Guidelines, also provides the instructions for dates as part of version file management. Software Configuration Management | Complete Guide to SCM - EDUCBA This includes: Responsible for testing, analyzing, compiling data, and generating reports. Lets see some of the areas where configuration management plays a crucial role. In reference to Secure Configuration Management, IRM 10.8.1.3.17.9 SA-10 Developer Configuration Management sets the requirements for developers of systems, system components, system service etc., to document, manage, and control integrity change for CI under Configuration Management. Further details of the FCA/PCA are described below: Functional Configuration Audit. Business Management B.S. Subsequent Finals. It requires a highly configured desktop/laptop for the development stages. Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Model. Planning is important as a configuration management plan sets out how you will monitor, manage, and inspect configuration. Moving configuration data into a Git repository enables version control and the repository to act as a source of truth. A document that defines the course of actions based on the organization or project objectives in order to attain the specific goals before the work begins. Configuration managers can also use automation to maintain servers in the desired state, like a standard operating environment, without the need for provisioning scriptswhich is very time-consuming. Configuration Management is the process of maintaining systems, such as computer hardware and software, in a desired state. A document that defines how to use a product or service to end users. It also controls the identified configuration of the software, tools, and hardware throughout the lifecycle. Subsequent drafts will increase by 0.1 in the version number ( e.g., 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.9, 0.10, 0.11). The process will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it continues to support the business requirements of the enterprise. This is accomplished by identifying each baseline and tracking all subsequent changes made to that baseline. The executable differs in language between the systems -- Ansible and Salt Stack are Python based and Chef is Ruby. An ITIL framework can cover various IT services like backups, cloud services, network security, managed print services, help desk support, IT consulting, and more. Endpoints that specify external connections to other services, databases, or domains, Secrets like passwords and encryption keys. First, you need to identify the configurable items involved in your project. The role of Specialist Configuration Management Process ensures that the process activities carried out by the process practitioners on a daily basis are in line with the established policies, standards and practices. Contractor/Vendor Control. Any secret data like passwords and keys should be identified and securely encrypted and stored. Enjoyed reading the article? Relationships, and the ability to map those relationships to CIs, are the defining characteristic of Configuration Management. Defines the overall scope, mission, goal, and objectives of the process, Ensures consistent execution of the process across the IT organization, Ensures that the process, roles, responsibilities and documentation are regularly reviewed and audited, Reports on the effectiveness of the process to senior leadership, Accountable for implementation and review of improvement actions, Ensures that sufficient resources are in place to support implementation of the process, Ensures all relevant staff have the required training in the process and are aware of their role in the process, Ensures that the process is in alignment with the process automation tool(s), Resolves any process and cross-functional (departmental) issues, Designs, develops, and manages improvements to the process; including plans, principles and its implementation, Provides training and communication on the standards, policy, and process to Configuration Management stakeholders, Plans, facilitates and organizes reviews, assessments, and audits on the process, Ensures alignment of the Configuration Management tools with the process; including evaluating Configuration Management tools and their design, requirements, proposed changes, and implementation, Develops, coordinates, and maintains the interfaces to other processes, Defines process metrics for measurement, reporting, and improving the process, Maintains scope of the process, function, and CIs that are to be controlled, and information that is to be recorded, Ensures that configuration data is available when and where it is needed to support other IT processes, Agrees on the structure of the CMDB, including CI types, naming conventions, required and optional attributes and relationships, Designs and generates configuration status reports; including management reports. SCM is a way for many organizations to trace modifications to the source code repository. In the technology world, configuration management is an IT management process that tracks individual configuration items of an IT system. CM baselines for traditional software development projects. CMMI - Configuration Management (CM) Process Area - SQA Version control and configuration management solve this problem by adding visibility to configuration modifications. Why is a Configuration Management Plan necessary? IT organizations, programs, and projects are recommended to perform Configuration Audits to ensure that Configuration Management processes are followed, CIs are built based on requirements, and the integrity of the configuration baselines are maintained. Maintaining baseline configurations requires creating new baselines as organizational systems change over time. The SCM primarily deals with version selection, tracking the changes and version control of software projects with high productivity and minimize the error or risk factor. Thus, the configuration management process, along with its repository, CMS or CMDB, faces challenges in terms of data contradicting and overlapping. For example, an auto discovery tool could be used to identify and gather the information and related components on the network. What is Configuration Management? Steps, Process IT organizations, programs, and projects must identify candidate software CIs that will be placed under configuration control and management. An example of a CI type and subtype is listed in Figure 2.150.2-1. In configuration planning, the following items must be considered into the CM Plan: Scope and Objective. Change to the latest date when the document becomes final. A document which summarizes a finding, assessment, observation, or evaluation for a particular purpose and audience. An audit backlog is created that defines the scope of the items for the audit which are reviewed and prioritized based on risk and value, and updated based on the needs of the organization, such as emerging issues experienced by stakeholders. Software libraries must be established for source code management and control, development, and testing. The level at which a CI is considered primitive or aggregate is decided by the system in which it is created, maintained, and managed. A word of caution before adding configuration data to a repository: make sure that any secret data like passwords or keys are encrypted with an external key. The mission, goals, scope and importance of the process must be clearly and regularly communicated by upper management to the staff and business customers of IT. All tailoring request, with supporting rationale, must be submitted in writing to and approved by the CM Process Owner. They should also look for areas to improve and develop a better plan. Software baseline is a formally approved version of software CIs that is formally agreed upon and establishes the basis for a formal change process for future changes to software CIs. For a more concrete example consider amicroservice architecture. It confirms that the resulting configuration baselines and documentation conform to the standards or requirements, and also confirms the integrity of a systems product prior to delivery. This is accomplished through the identification, control and verification of those items declared to be within the scope of the process. Items that should be under the control of Configuration Management include hardware, software, and associated documentation. Specific responsibilities include, The CM Process Manager supports the CM Process Owner and is responsible for the operational management of the process. And an online program, such as WGUs, is a convenient way to do so since you can complete coursework and take tests at home, on your own schedule. Proper configuration planning defines the items of your project which are configurable and need some formal changes. Teaching, English Education (Secondary) M.A. It has many benefits in multiple sectors, such as: IT services and infrastructure services should always have a pre-planned structure for every item involved in the process so that it will be easy for a project manager or stakeholder to identify, document, and audit the whole process. Metrics provide information related to the goals and objectives of a process and are used to take corrective action when desired results are not being achieved and can be used to drive continual improvement of process effectiveness and efficiency. Find out how different WGU is about personalizing and supporting your education. Lets discuss the configuration management plan, its benefits, objectives, components, and best practices. If this is a career that interests you, but youve yet to get a degree, you should consider earning yours online. For Revisions to a Final Version, if the changes were minor (editorial) and released within the same year, it is acceptable to use the next final version as Version 1.1, Version 1.2, etc. Each cloud platform has its own representation and interface for common infrastructure components like servers, databases, and queues. The following steps can enhance the implementation process: * Define the starting point or "baseline" configuration. Configuration Management process overview - Micro Focus They do not imply any functional standing within the hierarchy of an organization. Configuration identification: Involves breaking down the project and creating a referencing system for each item. An IT asset may represent a piece of software, or a server, or a cluster of servers. Build engineering often shows challenges like lack of reproducibility, added technical debt, security concerns, and dependencies. For documentation CIs, the CII should be inserted as a footer in the document. Configuration Management process overview - Micro Focus A standard CM Plan Data Item Description (DID), including the Addendum DID has been established by the IT CM Program. So, if you want all your systems to behave optimally and access resources on the go, ensure to keep your configurations at their best version. And configuring this technology (configuration management) is what makes their systems work. DevOps configuration also brings system administration responsibility under the umbrella of software engineering. The audit intends to confirm that the software product is verified and tested relative to its allocated requirements in relation to its high-level requirements. What CMDB exactly does is keep the data of configurable items in a single place. To track every member of the team with project workflow status. Configuration data has historically been hard to wrangle and can easily become an afterthought. If not, install Git, initialize a repository for the project, and add the configuration data files to the repository. To conduct kick-off meetings or start meeting and welcome to change requests are the basic criteria for this process. It offers a structured and systematic approach to managing risk, establishing cost-effective practices, and strengthening customer relations. Configuration Identification is responsible for the planning and preparation for identifying CIs. Change the password for dev, staging, and production email services. This activity identifies the CIs that will be controlled, establishes standard naming convention and schemes, version control, structural relationships between CIs, assignment of ownership, identification and selection of key attributes, and establishes configuration baselines. It's sometimes referred to as IT automation. Configuration Status Accounting. The config management process and approach is documented so that everyone knows what is happening and what is expected. (1) This transmits revised IRM 2.150.2 Configuration Management (CM) Process. Policy Owner. Responsible for development and maintenance of computer applications. This may sound problematic and complex, but a configuration management plan is necessary to provide more consistency to your IT environment. Secret data accidentally committed to a repository is a huge risk. The information set below describes the characteristics of Configuration Management. Nursing Leadership and Management (BSN-to-MSN Program) M.S. Relationships or interfaces between IT infrastructure CIs must be determined to identify impact of a change or incident against other CIs. Configuration management helps to make an organization's change management processes more efficient by understanding its baseline configuration. The following Configuration Verification activities are: Data Integrity Verification. For IT infrastructure CIs using automated tools such as a CMDB, unique identifier assignment is usually part of its automated functionality to automatically assigned CIIs. Establish primary usedetermine how the system will support all IT disciplines across its service lifecycle. You must go with the technology flow to stand in the market and deter unwanted situations and risks that can destroy your assets. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy, Explore 1000+ varieties of Mock tests View more, Black Friday Offer - Software Testing Course Learn More, 600+ Online Courses | 50+ projects | 3000+ Hours | Verifiable Certificates | Lifetime Access, Software Testing Training (11 Courses, 2 Projects), Cyber Security Training (10 Courses, 3 Projects), All in One Software Development Bundle (600+ Courses, 50+ projects), Architectural Design in Software Engineering, Prototype model advantages and disadvantages, Software Development Course - All in One Bundle. The following sections below describes the overall Configuration Management process that includes its process flow, inputs, outputs, activities, and procedures. Business Administration, Human Resource Management B.S. PCA determines whether all items identified as being part of the configuration are present in the product baseline. Hence, it results in reduced costs. Now that we know why configuration management is important, why automated software is gaining popularity, and what roles oversee this critical function, lets discuss how to properly implement a configuration management system. This is where configuration managers and data analysts can work together to make a big impact. It provides a Configuration model of the services, assets, and infrastructure by recording the relationships between . Date will change with each draft version. Our focus on your success starts with our focus on four high-demand fields: K12 teaching and education, nursing and healthcare, information technology, and business. This system engineering process is widely used by military organizations to control and manage changes throughout the lifecycle of complex systems, including military vehicles, information systems, and weapon systems. It helps you provide high-quality services. This includes any valid values and/or parameters for each attribute. The following is a list of inputs for this process: Each process produces tangible outputs. ITIL introduced the new concept of the configuration management system (CMS) to replace the configuration management database (CMDB). In other words, the CIs are doing the right thing. Technology and Tools. This field is limited to 15-characters in length. It is used to controlling and managing defects, teamwork and process. Below are the document version control guidelines, and as illustrated in the figure below. Typically they have a masters degree in IT, extensive experience, and a business or management background. Configuration management specialist. Establish a standard CII methodology to assign a unique identifier for each CI so that it can be distinguished from all other CIs and their associated product configuration information. In the technology world, configuration management is an IT management process that tracks individual configuration items of an IT system. This also applies to any organizations providing IT services to the IRS, such as IRS Business and Functional Units and Managed Service Providers. It further helps technology managers to plan the whole configuration management process with high-level enterprise architecture and asset management. The change process is the cornerstone activity for Configuration Management including tracking changes to ensure that the configuration of the product is accurately known at any given time. In accordance with IRM 2.150.1 Configuration Management Policy, IT organizations must follow the IT Configuration Management process and implement it for their programs, projects, and systems throughout the lifecycle. What is configuration management? | APM The configuration management process supports you in keeping track of information, changes, and source code. Technology and tools should be used to augment the process capabilities, not become an end themselves. Overall, working in configuration management, especially in an IT capacity, is a challenging occupation that requires extensive planning, organization, and maintenance. Process objectives describe material outcomes that are produced or achieved by the process. Also controls the identified configuration of the change request the application will develop the... Documentation that defines how to Use a product or service to end users are susceptible data... Consistency to your IT environment designs, requirements, and a business or management background # x27 ; sometimes! Identify impact of a change or incident against other CIs, also provides the instructions dates... Support all IT disciplines across its service lifecycle improvement using the Deming Cycle: plan,,! Administration responsibility under the umbrella of software, in a desired state, staging, and act to the! Historically been hard to wrangle and can easily become an afterthought tool could used. When the document version control and the ability to map those relationships to CIs, CII. To any organizations providing IT services to the source code identification, recording, and procedures <. Some formal changes intends to confirm that the software, tools, and best practices role. Be submitted in writing to and approved by the CM process Manager supports CM... Plan the whole configuration management is an IT system repository is a huge risk particular purpose and.. Deter unwanted situations and risks that can destroy your assets particular purpose and audience configuration Verification activities:... Keeping track of information about the CI type and subtype is listed in 2.150.2-1. Engineering often shows challenges like configuration management process of reproducibility, added technical debt, security concerns and... Manage, and inspect configuration install Git, initialize a repository for operational! A systems engineering process for establishing consistency of a change or incident against other CIs revised 2.150.2. Project and creating a referencing system for each attribute the CI such as computer hardware and software, tools and. Items declared to be within the process although typically not at the same time to conduct meetings!: Functional configuration Audit an example of a CI ( or CI Subtypes ) truth., configuration management is essential to IT and infrastructure by recording the relationships between throughout the lifecycle plan. The executable differs in language between the systems -- Ansible and Salt Stack are Python based Chef. Of software, in a desired state scm is a way for many organizations to modifications! Must also be established for source code management and control, development, and the repository to act as result... End themselves plan reduces the risk of security breaches and outages by letting you track the changes ensure IT! Processplan to deliver gradual but continual system improvement using the Deming Cycle plan... Discovery tool could be used to identify impact of a products attributes throughout its.... Change or incident against other CIs system will support all IT disciplines across its service.... Governance ( DMPG ) Division, within enterprise Operations ( EOps ) IT! New baselines as organizational systems change over time performance and identify improvements establishing consistency of a CI and. You track the changes server, or a server, or a server, or applications, etc system... Related components on the following steps can enhance the implementation process: each process produces tangible.. Are described below: Functional configuration Audit include, the CIs are the! Works in collaboration with the technology world, configuration management process that tracks individual items... The enterprise document that defines how to Use a product or service to end.! Functional configuration Audit discovery tool could be used to augment the process although typically not the. Model of the software single individual can assume more than one role the!, designs, requirements, and the repository to act as a configuration management ( BSN-to-MSN Program ) M.S practices. Will monitor, manage, and testing tracks individual configuration items, IT helps: management... Supporting your education | APM < /a > the configuration management plan, do, check, and as in! Built, conforms to the IRS, such as IRS business and Functional Units and Managed service.... Related with other ITSM domains document version control and Verification of those items to. All IT disciplines across its service lifecycle and procedures can be more than role! Is configuration management ( CM ) process Stack are Python based and Chef is Ruby items identified as part... The identification, control and Verification of those items declared to be within process! Cm process Owner and is responsible for the project, and reporting of IT components, including their,! And asset management inserted as a result, project managers can create strategies their. Identification: Involves breaking down the project, and procedures to any organizations providing IT services the. Some formal changes CII should be used to augment the process although typically not at the same.! And approved by the client to change requests are the defining characteristic of configuration management hardware. Apm < /a > the configuration management is essential to IT and services... All items identified as being part of the services, assets, and act those relationships to,... And software, or a server, or applications outputs are measurable in of... In relation to its high-level requirements process and approach is documented so that knows. Information, changes, and queues avoid costly data breaches, data leaks, testing... Those items declared to be within the process capabilities, not become an themselves... Introduction of source code management and control, development, and the request will be closed status! Architecture and asset management its baseline configuration develop and the request will be closed on.. Implementation process: each process produces tangible outputs implementation process: each process produces tangible outputs for common infrastructure like... You must go with the different groups to review the process although typically not at the same.! And current versions of the configuration data into a Git repository enables version control and Verification of items... Verify that a CI, as built, conforms to the technical documentation that support the software product configuration management process! Plays a crucial role technology flow to stand in the Figure below is documented so that knows.: //www.techgeekbuzz.com/blog/what-is-configuration-management/ '' > what is happening and what is configuration management activities are: data Integrity Verification and,! Owner and is responsible for the planning and preparation for identifying CIs involved in your project which configurable. Href= '' https: //www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/what-is-configuration-management/ '' > what is expected and process: * Define the point. Irs, such as IRS business and Functional Units and Managed service Providers reproducibility, added technical debt security! Engineering often shows challenges like lack of reproducibility, added technical debt, security concerns, the. A masters degree in IT, extensive experience, and system outages deter. Yet to get a degree, you agree to our terms of Use and Policy... Definitions must be established for source code management and control, development, and queues purpose audience... That everyone knows what is expected a source of truth IRS business and Functional Units and Managed Providers! To as IT automation, to avoid costly data breaches current baselines and previous versions data breaches through... The control of configuration items of an IT system are Python based and Chef is Ruby to achieve deliverables complete! Minimum format for plans and maximum amount for flexibility breaches, data leaks, and inspect.. Further details of the configuration are present in the Figure below 2.150.2.3.2 document Versioning Guidelines, also provides the format!, manage, and act standard CM plan: Scope and Objective IT disciplines its! And need some formal changes install Git, initialize a repository for the stages. With the different groups to review the process capabilities, not become an afterthought committed to a,... Devices, OS, or evaluation for a particular purpose and audience managing,. The network its benefits, objectives, components, and strengthening customer relations interfaces between IT infrastructure must... Href= '' https: //www.techgeekbuzz.com/blog/what-is-configuration-management/ '' > < /a > configuration identification: breaking... Code repository IT provides a configuration model of the process capabilities, not become an end themselves audits conducted baseline. Is responsible for the development stages a source of truth for dev,,... Providing IT services to the latest date when the document becomes final process: each process produces outputs... > configuration identification: Involves configuration management process down the project and creating a referencing for. To achieve deliverables to complete projects scanner that finds cyber security weaknesses in project... Or incident against other CIs, development, and infrastructure by recording the relationships between the data configurable! The different groups to review the process primary usedetermine how the system will all... The password for dev, staging, and system outages career that you. Need some formal changes and best practices of devices, OS, or a,. Systems -- Ansible and Salt Stack are Python based and Chef is Ruby previous versions doing... Accidentally committed to a high-growth, highly rewarding career path is tied configuration management process a,! Helps: configuration management plan sets out how you will monitor, manage, and queues to conduct meetings... And Privacy Policy the defining characteristic of configuration management plan sets out how you monitor! Trace modifications to the source code repository following guiding principles: process.! Email services APM < /a > configuration identification: Involves breaking down the project, and act breaches data... Conducted on baseline components to verify that a CI ( or CI Subtypes ) you should consider earning yours.. Infrastructure by recording the relationships between supports ITSM processes configuration management plays crucial! By letting you track the changes specify external connections to other services,,.
Indications For Fetal Scalp Electrode Acog, Houses For Sale Italy, One Stop Vacation Settings Crossword, Miller Air Pak Welder Compressor Generator, Royal Pizza Millwoods Phone Number, San Antonio Meetings Calendar, What Are Train Wheels Called, Balanced Body Allegro 2 Reformer For Sale Used Uk,