Service Asset and Configuration Management (SACM) Practice

Statement of Best Practice

The purpose of service asset and configuration management is to define the assets, physical and virtual, from which our services are built and delivered.

• Ensure that assets under the control of the IT organization are identified, controlled and properly cared for throughout their lifecycle
• Identify, control, record, report, audit and verify services and other configuration items (CIs), including versions, baselines, constituent components, their attributes and relationships
• Account for, manage and protect the access to and integrity of CIs through the service lifecycle by working with change management to ensure that only authorized components are used and only authorized changes are made.
• Ensure the integrity of CIs and configurations required to control the services by establishing and maintaining an accurate and complete configuration management system (CMS)
• Maintain accurate configuration information on the historical, planned and current state of services and other CIs
• Support efficient and effective service management processes by providing accurate configuration information to enable people to make decisions at the right time

Contact

• Assistant Director, IT Process and Planning: Bob Black
• Process Owner: Bob Black
• Process Sponsor: Troy Travis

Roles and Responsibilities

• Process Owner: accountable for ensuring the service asset and configuration management process meets organizational goals and process targets.
• Process Manager: maintains and audits individual configuration items managed in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
• Configuration Item Owner: creates and updates attributes for specific configuration items managed in the CMDB
• Change Implementer: see change management process
• Logger/Solver: see incident management process
• Change Authority: see change management process

Process Policies

• When possible, use automated or forced discovery to ensure the accurate collection of configuration management information that is free from human errors
• Prefer as few configuration management data sources as possible
• Limit duplication of configuration information across multiple repositories as much as possible; configuration and asset information stored outside the Configuration Management System should be reviewed and approved in collaboration with the configuration management and change management process owners
• All configuration items must have a unique identifier, type, single owner, and name that follows a naming convention for each type
• Take a regular configuration snapshot of the configuration management system(s) for business continuity purposes
• Only authorized individuals may view or change configuration items
• Take regular configuration snapshots and performance snapshots for important configuration items

Definitions 

• Configuration Item (CI): a service asset that needs to be managed in order to deliver an IT service. All CIs are service assets and come under the control of Change Management. Configuration items may vary widely in complexity, size and type, ranging from an entire service or system including all hardware, software, documentation to a single software module or a minor hardware component
• Service Asset: see configuration item
• Configuration Management Database (CMDB): database of configuration items we agree to manage and track
• Configuration Record: a set of attributes and relationships about a CI.
• Attribute: a specific data point regarding a CI, such as name, description, acquisition date, etc.
• Configuration Model: a model of the services, assets and the infrastructure by recording the relationships between configuration items
• Service Offering: a collection of CIs specifically assembled for use by end users
• System: a collection of CIs working together for use by other CIs
• Application: software that provides functions which are required by an IT service. Each application may be part of more than one IT service. An application runs on one or more servers or devices
• Server: virtual or physical computer and storage
• Network Device: devices, physical or virtual, used to convey data from one location to another
• Database: platform for providing databases to applications
• Database Instance: a specific instance of a database platform consumed by an application
• Process: formalized means by which inputs are transformed into outputs in a
• Capability: function of the institution required to sustain business operations
• Metric: mechanism for measuring performance, compliance, or context in a quantitative manner
• End User Device: equipment that resides with end users or deployed as an end-point
• Facility: specific locations containing technology managed by IT

Related Documents, Forms, and Tools 

• Service Asset and Configuration Management Process Design Package
• Detailed Service Asset and Configuration Management Guide
• Fundamentals Training Slides