Do you ever wonder what counts as a configuration item? You’re not alone. Understanding configuration items is crucial for anyone in the IT industry, or anyone who relies on technology to get their work done. In fact, knowing what counts as a configuration item can mean the difference between smooth sailing and a total catastrophe.
So, what counts as a configuration item? Essentially, a configuration item is any component of a system that can be managed and tracked. This can include anything from hardware like laptops and servers to software like operating systems and applications. It also includes any documentation related to these components, such as user manuals or system specs. Essentially, any item that can affect the operation of a system can be considered a configuration item.
The importance of understanding configuration items lies in the fact that they allow IT professionals to keep track of all the moving parts of a system. This can help prevent issues like downtime or lost data, and can also make it easier to troubleshoot issues when they do arise. Whether you’re an IT pro or just someone who relies on technology, understanding configuration items is an essential part of navigating the ever-changing tech landscape.
Definition of Configuration Item
A configuration item (CI) refers to any component, asset, or service that is essential for the delivery of an IT service. This component can be hardware, software, documentation, or any item that requires management and tracking throughout its lifecycle. CIs are managed, monitored, and maintained using a configuration management system (CMS), which captures all the details about the CI, including its relationship to other CIs. An effective CMS enables organizations to minimize downtime, detect critical issues, and ensure that all CIs are up-to-date and compliant with established standards.
Features of a Configuration Item
- Identifiability: A configuration item must have a unique identifier to differentiate it from any other item in the CMS.
- Control: A CI must have a defined level of control or management for its entire lifecycle, from acquisition to disposal.
- Relationships: Each CI in the CMS must have links to other CIs it is related to, enabling users to maintain an accurate view of the IT infrastructure.
- Version Control: The CMS must have a way to track the versions of the CIs and manage changes to those CIs over time.
- Documentation: All relevant documents, such as user manuals, purchase orders, and service level agreements, must be attached to the CI.
Examples of Configuration Items
Common CIs in IT service management include:
- Hardware, such as computers, servers, and network devices
- Software, such as operating systems, applications, and utilities
- Service objects, such as email, telephony, and databases
- Documentation, such as user manuals, policies, and procedures
CI Classification
CIs are classified based on their criticality and impact on the organization. The classification system helps IT personnel understand which items to prioritize when managing changes, incidents, and problems. The typical classification system includes:
| Classification | Description |
|---|---|
| Strategic | CI that have a significant impact on business objectives and goals |
| Tactical | CI that assist in the delivery of strategic CIs to the end-user |
| Operational | CI that assist in the delivery of tactical CIs to the end-user |
| Supporting | CI that provides support to other CIs but not critical to the delivery of the IT service |
By understanding the classification of CIs, IT teams can prioritize their efforts to ensure that the critical CIs receive the necessary attention and resources.
Types of Configuration Item
As defined in ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), a configuration item (CI) is any component that must be managed and tracked in a configuration management system. The purpose of identifying CIs is to control the lifecycle, relationships, and dependencies of each item in the IT infrastructure.
There are different types of configuration items that an organization must manage and track, including:
- Hardware CIs: These are physical devices such as servers, routers, switches, and storage devices.
- Software CIs: These are applications, operating systems, middleware, and scripts that are installed on hardware devices.
- Documentation CIs: These are items such as manuals, procedures, diagrams, and reports that provide information about the IT infrastructure.
- Service CIs: These are items that are part of a service offering, such as a service level agreement (SLA), pricing, and service catalog.
It is essential to keep track of all CIs and their relationships in a configuration management system to ensure that any changes are made in a controlled and documented manner. This helps to avoid configuration drift and minimize the risk of failure and outages.
Configuration Item Attributes
Each configuration item has attributes that describe its characteristics and properties. The attributes can be stored and managed in a configuration management database (CMDB) or a similar repository. Here are some examples of common CI attributes:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The unique name or identifier of the CI. |
| Type | The type of CI, such as hardware, software, or documentation. |
| Description | A brief description of the CI and its purpose. |
| Status | The current status of the CI, such as active, inactive, or retired. |
| Owner | The name of the person or team responsible for managing the CI. |
| Vendor | The name of the vendor or supplier that provides the CI. |
| Location | The physical or logical location of the CI. |
By tracking the attributes of each configuration item, IT teams can easily search and retrieve information about the IT infrastructure. This can help to speed up incident resolution, change management, and problem management processes.
Importance of Configuration Item Management
Configuration Item (CI) refers to the fundamental requirements of any business system, which involves all the hardware, software, services, and documentation that support a particular service or product. It is vital to manage CIs in any organization since they represent an essential process asset. Proper CI management ensures that each configuration item is correctly identified, controlled, and accounted for, enabling them to be used efficiently and effectively.
In Configuration Management, treating every asset as a configuration item is an essential step towards having a comprehensive overview of the system landscape. Implementing effective Configuration Item Management can help an organization to make informed decisions about its service and product delivery, ensure regulatory compliance, and minimize the risk of failure, among other benefits.
What is considered a Configuration Item?
- Hardware and Software
- Network Infrastructure
- Operating System configurations
- Individual Models and Versions
- Service configurations
Benefits of Configuration Item Management
Proper CI management helps organizations to clearly understand their assets, which in turn helps to mitigate risks, centralize operations and processes, and promote quality control. Some of the benefits include:
- Efficient and Effective Service Delivery: Proper Configuration Item Management helps in identifying the correct CIs required to meet a client’s service level agreements, thus facilitating efficient service delivery.
- Improved Productivity: Teams can focus on complex tasks rather than simple troubleshooting when there is a proper Configuration Item Management system in place.
- Enhanced Decision Making: Identifying CIs, their dependencies, and relationships are critical in making informed decisions when it comes to improving service quality and future investment.
CI Management Processes
Configuration Item Management involves different processes that ensure the accuracy, reliability, and sustainability of CIs. These processes fall under four primary divisions:
| Division | Processes |
|---|---|
| Planning | This process identifies and plans all the required CIs needed to support the service or product delivery. |
| Identification | This process involves identifying and recording the attributes of the configuration items. |
| Control | This process involves the use of procedures to ensure that CIs are under control and can be tracked throughout their lifecycle. |
| Reporting and Audit | This process involves producing regular reports and conducting audits to ensure that CIs comply with the organization’s standards and policies. |
Effective Configuration Item Management is a crucial component in the success of any organization that delivers services or products. It helps to mitigate risks, improve service and product delivery, promote quality control, and enhance decision-making processes. By implementing and efficiently managing CIs, organizations can ensure optimal performance and remain competitive in today’s ever-changing business landscape.
Process of Configuration Identification
Configuration identification involves the process of identifying all items that would be considered configuration items (CIs) for an organization. This process involves examining all the organization’s processes, procedures, products, and services to determine what items impact the organization’s mission.
What is considered a Configuration Item?
- Hardware
- Software
- Documentation
Hardware CIs can include servers, laptops, desktops, routers, switches, and other physical devices. Software CIs can be anything from operating systems to custom software developed in-house. Documentation CIs can include user manuals, process flows, and operational procedures. Any item that has an impact on the organization’s mission can potentially be considered a CI.
What is the Process for Identifying CIs?
The process of configuration identification involves several steps. The first step is to determine the scope of the identification process. This step involves identifying the business processes, products, and services that need to be considered for configuration identification. Once the scope is defined, the next step is to create a baseline of the CIs. This baseline should be used as a starting point for all future configuration management activities.
The next step is to define the naming conventions for CIs. These naming conventions should be designed to make it easy to identify the CIs in the future. The fourth step is to define the attributes and relationships of the identified CIs. This information should be documented in a configuration management database (CMDB).
Example of a Configuration Item Relationship Table
| CI Name | Description | Depends On | Required By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server | Physical device that provides computing resources | Router, Switch | Web Application |
| Operating System | Software that manages computer hardware and provides common services | Server | Web Application |
Finally, the last step is to perform ongoing configuration management activities. This involves monitoring, identifying, recording, and reporting changes to CIs throughout their lifecycle. These activities can help ensure that CIs are maintained in a consistent and systematic way, which can mitigate risks and improve the overall performance of an organization.
Configuration Item Version Control
When managing the configuration items (CIs), it is important to maintain proper version control, allowing for easy tracking of changes and updates made to a CI. Proper version control ensures that the most current version of a CI is used and prevents errors or issues that could arise from using outdated configurations.
- Versioning refers to the process of assigning unique identification numbers to each version of a CI. This helps to track changes and is essential when managing a large number of CIs.
- Each version should be fully documented, including the date it was created, the author who made changes, and any details about the changes themselves.
- Changes made to a CI should only be made through a controlled process to ensure proper documentation and eliminate unauthorized modifications.
Version control should be done through a centralized system, such as a Configuration Management Database (CMDB). The CMDB helps to ensure that all team members have access to the latest version of a CI and can easily track any changes made to it.
When working with large numbers of CIs, it can be helpful to have a visual representation of the different versions and changes made to each. This can be done through the use of a version control table.
| CI Name | Version Number | Date | Author | Change Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Network Switch | 1.0 | 05/01/2021 | John Doe | Initial Configuration |
| Network Switch | 2.0 | 06/01/2021 | Jane Smith | Added VLAN 10 |
| Network Switch | 3.0 | 07/01/2021 | Mike Johnson | Updated Access Control List |
The use of proper version control ensures that the most current version of a CI is being used and helps to prevent errors or issues that could arise from using outdated configurations. Documenting each version and tracking changes made to a CI is essential to maintaining version control and is best accomplished through the use of a centralized system, such as a CMDB.
Configuration Control Boards
Configuration Control Boards (CCBs) are a group of experts responsible for ensuring proper management and control of Configuration Items (CIs) throughout their entire lifecycle. CCBs manage changes to CIs, ensuring that only authorized changes are made after a thorough CCB review. The CCB is the key decision-making body of a change management process and is accountable for all changes in the system.
- Composition: The CCB must have a balanced representation of stakeholders with the authority to approve or reject change requests. Typically, CCBs include members from multiple groups such as project management, quality assurance, development, testing, and production support.
- Responsibilities: CCBs are responsible for reviewing, approving or rejecting any proposed changes to the configuration items. The board ensures that proposed changes are thoroughly evaluated for their impact on the system. If a change is approved, then it will be implemented and tracked until the final release of the new product version. CCBs are also responsible for ensuring that the system complies with defined policies, procedures, and regulations throughout its lifecycle.
- Authority: The CCB has the final authority to approve or reject proposed changes to the item. They are responsible for ensuring that the impact of any proposed changes to the configuration items is appropriately managed. The board must ensure that the proposed changes comply with organizational standards and policies, and evaluate the risks associated with each change.
CCB Membership
The CCB should consist of members selected to provide specialist expertise, with sufficient knowledge of the system and its application. These members should be senior enough within their organizations to ensure that their decisions are respected and implemented when required.
CCB Decision-Making Process
The CCB has a formal decision-making process that must be followed to ensure that all members agree on the decision made. The process typically includes the following steps:
- Planning: The change initiator will develop a change request. Next, the change request will be submitted to the CCB for review.
- Evaluation: The CCB will evaluate the change request. The evaluation may include assessing the impacts, risks, and benefits of the change. The evaluation can also include a review of the system’s architecture, database, and technical infrastructure.
- Approval: If the change request is approved, then the CCB will specify how and when the change will be made. The CCB will also identify any related communication or training needs, and who will be responsible for these. The CCB will record decisions and the changes made in any appropriate documentation.
- Implementation: Once approved, the CCB will work with the system owner to implement the change, monitoring progress regularly and mitigating any problems that may arise.
- Closure: After the change has been completed, the CCB will verify that the change was implemented as planned. The change will then be closed.
CCB Decision Record Keeping
The CCB must maintain a record of all changes, proposed and approved, and the outcome of those changes. The record is essential as it improves accountability, ensures consistency, supports audits and helps keep track of all the changes made to CIs.
| Change Control Board Documentation | Description |
|---|---|
| Change log | Record of all change requests |
| Change request form | Form to document requested changes to CIs |
| Impact analysis report | Documentation showing how a proposed change will affect the configuration of the system |
| Approval record | A record of all the approvals and rejections |
| Post-implementation review report | A report produced after a change is made and implemented, outlining how the change has affected the system. It identifies any changes to the system that may have been overlooked during the initial assessment and recommends any further improvements. |
Configuration Item Documentation
Configuration items (CIs) are important components of information technology infrastructure that need to be managed and documented properly. CIs are any component that needs to be managed in order to deliver IT services to customers and users.
Configuration Item Documentation is a process that involves recording, tracking and managing the CIs from the time they are created to the time they are retired. This process is essential in ensuring that the CIs are properly managed, maintained, and supported.
What is considered a configuration item?
- Hardware devices, including servers, switches, and routers
- Software applications, including commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and custom-built applications
- Operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux
- Database management systems, such as Oracle and SQL Server
- Networking components, including firewalls, load balancers, and WAN accelerators
- Printers and other peripheral devices
- Documentation and specifications for each CI
The importance of Configuration Item Documentation
Configuration Item Documentation plays an important role in the management of IT infrastructure. It helps to establish a system of record for each CI and ensures that the supporting documentation is accurate and up-to-date.
This process ensures that the CIs are properly managed and maintained, and that the support team has access to the necessary information to troubleshoot and resolve any issues that arise.
Effective Configuration Item Documentation can also help to reduce the risk associated with changes to the IT infrastructure by providing a reference point for previous configurations and ensuring that any changes are adequately documented and tracked.
Typical Configuration Item Documentation
The most important documentation for CIs includes:
| Document Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Asset inventory | A list of all CIs, their location, and other relevant details such as owner and cost |
| Technical specifications | Detailed information about the CI’s hardware, software, and configuration settings |
| Change management documentation | Information about changes made to the CI, including the reason for the change, the person responsible, and any issues that arose during or after the change |
| Incident and problem management records | Descriptions of any incidents or problems with the CI, their impact, and the actions taken to resolve them |
These documents are used to support the IT service management process and to ensure that CIs are properly managed throughout their lifecycle.
What is considered a configuration item?
Q: What is a configuration item?
A: A configuration item (CI) is a component of an IT system that needs to be managed and tracked throughout its lifecycle.
Q: What are some examples of configuration items?
A: Some examples of configuration items include hardware components such as servers and network devices, software applications, configurations, and documentation.
Q: Why is tracking CIs important?
A: Tracking CIs is crucial for IT asset management, change management, and incident management. It helps ensure that systems are properly maintained and that changes are made in a controlled manner.
Q: How do you manage CIs?
A: CIs are managed through a configuration management system (CMS), which tracks information about each CI and its relationships to other CIs.
Q: What information is tracked for each CI?
A: Information tracked for each CI may include its name, type, version, owner, location, and dependencies on other CIs.
Q: What is the difference between CIs and assets?
A: While CIs are a specific category of IT assets, not all assets are considered CIs. CIs are typically components that are critical to the functioning of an IT system.
Q: How can I ensure that I am properly managing my CIs?
A: Ensuring proper management of CIs involves implementing a comprehensive CMS, maintaining accurate and up-to-date information about each CI, and establishing clear processes for change management and incident management.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading and learning more about what is considered a configuration item. Proper management of CIs is essential for ensuring the smooth operation of IT systems, and we encourage you to continue exploring ways to optimize your IT asset management practices. Be sure to visit our website for more informative articles and resources in the future!