Configuration Management Database | Modules

Delivered with all N(i)² Business Applications or as a standalone product, the N(i)² CMDB manages a wide range of discoverable and non-discoverable resources and their relationships.

The N(i)² CMDB consists of (3) modules: Configuration Management, Asset Discovery and the CMDB Platform.


The Configuration Management module enables to manually gather and maintain information, by managing CIs such as software, hardware, documentation, processes and their interrelations, which are stored in a federated repository of valuable information (CMDB). Configuration Management is instrumental in maintaining an accurate account of all ICT assets. It allows to:

• Define and manage various types of CI's, related to infrastructure, service, application or business processes
• Establish and manage relations between assets, and track their lifecycle history as well
• Generate reports related to the CIs and their relationships

Asset Discovery automatically tracks the status, location, and changes having impact on software and hardware assets. The Asset Discovery plays a vital role in a fast implementation, as well as in the monitoring of unplanned changes that may affect the performance and reliability of IT resources. Asset Discovery allows to:

• Gather data on discoverable end-user hardware and software based on WMI, Windows Registry Scanning and SNMP protocols
• Reconcile discovered data into the N(i)² CMDB
• Automatically create catalogs of end-user assets' specifications

The CMDB Platform is the core of what brings the N(i)² CMDB  to a next-generation level. In summary, it can be described as the engine that provides capabilities such as the spatial location of resources and the ready to use nature of the N(i)² solutions. The CMDB Platform includes the following (8) features:

CMDB Dashboard
Catalogue Management
Template Management
Workflow Engine
Administration
Reconciliation Engine
Spatial Engine
Content Management

CMDB Dashboard
The N(i)² CMDB is delivered with generic functions within a complete user interface known as the Dashboard. The Dashboard is what allows the CMDB to function as a standalone product, providing the capability to query, consult and visualize federated information, as well as generate reports concerning Infrastructure CIs.

Catalogue Management
Catalogue Management is at the root of implementing IT best management practices. By allowing users to create a list of approved CIs, it facilitates the standardization of technology selection, design and strategy, of versioning and customer services, as well as the standardization of models, service packages, and common plans.

Template Management
Template Management works hand in hand with Catalogue Management in the implementation of best management practices. Based on an approved list of catalog items, this feature enables the creation of approved groups of template items, which helps streamline the standardization of technology in the areas of procurement, customer services, and other.

Workflow Engine
The Workflow Engine enables all N(i)² modules to leverage embedded business and engineering rules and workflows. It provides a selection of best available combinations of data in concordance with these preset business rules. Applications of these rules and workflows are well illustrated in the N(i)² Reconciliation Engine and Infrastructure Management Design modules.

Administration
This module provides the System Administrator with tools for managing the N(i)² Suite or the N(i)² Essentials. It includes functions for user authentication and role management, default values definition and data import.

Reconciliation Engine
The Reconciliation Engine allows a rule-based reconciliation with multiple external sources of information, resulting in a single, reliable dataset. These rules can help detect which source of information is most accurate and filter which information should be reconciled. They support standard models such as CIM, SID, OSS/J IM, DEN, etc.

Spatial Engine
The CMDB platform offers the capability to locate resources on floor plans and maps. CMDB can also provide a containership perspective. This is accomplished by integrating images and geometry features (GML).

Content Management
Within the N(i)² CMDB, CIs can represent any IT resource, whether these are traditional IT assets, people, buildings or contracts. Content Management allows to associate external content based objects to CIs, thus optimizing the information. Such content based objects can be manufacturer guidelines, document authorizations, and much more.