Configuration Management (CM) is a “system, set of processes or tools that document all of the components comprising a larger entity. Configuration management enables those entities to be built and replicated reliably, using a list of the associated components and an understanding of any dependencies. As a discipline, configuration management has been used successfully in a wide variety of applications from software development to complex manufacturing environments.”
At the project level, Configuration Management is vital for a company in order to maintain important information on its “product’s attributes, version, and performance over its life cycle.” This necessary tool allows project managers to deliver quality and consistent information about a product.
CM takes place at both the development and release stages. These are the two most critical stages in a product’s life cycle; thus, it is important that the same processes are used at both time periods.
“Between 60 percent and 90 percent of service performance issues are the result of configuration changes. When combined with good processes, network and systems configurations tools can reduce this number to 10 percent or fewer.”
“Average time to discover IT security vulnerabilities can be reduced in some environments from two weeks to two minutes.”
“Average time to assess the impact of changes made on the infrastructure can be reduced from hours to minutes.”
“Operational efficiencies in making changes can increase by even more than 1,000 percent.”
Intelligent Enterprise and Cindy Hauer’s presentation on CM and DM (Dec. 5, 2007).
