Configuration management is the process that involves the creation and continuous upkeep of a system across its entire lifecycle. A configuration management database is a central repository that acts as a data warehouse, and stores information about the IT environment of a company, and is a purpose-built database for configuration management. Configuration Management Database tools are instrumental software applications are used to scrutinise, retain, and monitor data related to a system's functionality. IT service management software improves communication between IT teams and stakeholders.

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Why is configuration management important?

With the help of configuration management, one can verify that a system is performing properly. Doing so is vital in maintaining the control of a system and may aid in risk management, maintenance and performance improvement. It helps identify defects in a system, which can majorly lower expenses and increase the lifespan of the system. The key purpose of CMDB tools usually is to provide the data IT needs to support service management practices. For instance, in the case of Incident and Event Management, the CMDB provides information on CIs that cause a reported issue or which services may get affected by an issue that has been detected by monitoring systems. The change enablement practice depends on CMDB data to determine risk.

The use of the right database configuration management tools can go a long way in streamlining data organisation and workflows. It can bring all the relevant team members together and ensure a smooth work process.

Top 15 Configuration Management Database Tools

Here is the configuration management tools list:

1. Wolken ITSM: Wolken's CMDB module simplifies processes for the employees. It enables a data warehouse-like repository that stores information about IT assets and infrastructure. This AI-enabled tool provides IT operations with improved visibility into IT resources in an enterprise, all in one place.
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2. Freshservice: Designed for asset discovery and governance, Freshservice is among the most popular cloud CMBD tools. It provides you with complete visibility into your infrastructure, both on-premise and cloud. It is an auto-updating CMDB with real-time connectors and would help you get an instant view of your infrastructure.
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3. Device42: This is a cloud-focused tool that helps manage, identify, and verify information within a database and features visualisations to enable data analysis. It is compatible with a number of software and can offer reports in varying formats.
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4. JIRA Service Management: Previously known as Jira Service Desk, this IT service management solution is built on the popular Jira platform that helps in unlocking high-velocity teams. With its use, your team can deliver seamless, coordinated service experiences without the complexity of traditional ITSM.
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5. ManageEngine: Organising all configuration items in a centralised repository becomes simple with this CMDB. It allows you to gain complete visibility of your improved system along with your IT infrastructure. This database configuration management tool would enable you to use simplified relationship maps between business entities for understanding how they are webbed with each other.
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6. Ivanti: Ivanti IT Service Mapping Software is ideal for any company that heavily relies on core services and worries about application availability. This solution discovers correct asset identification of sources of service issues and risks in real time and provides deployed service with simple drag-and-drop dynamic visualisations.
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7. i-doit: This is an open-source CMDB software that helps in visualising the relationships between the configuration items and keeps track of hardware and software assets along with their relations. i-doit is fast and easy to install and makes it easy for businesses to manage their IT environment as per relevant ITIL practices.
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8. SolarWinds: This is among the most popular configuration management database tools available and helps analyse changes and track relationships. It includes dependencies between the multiple components of IT environment and helps a gain complete visibility into the organisation's technology infrastructure. SolarWinds has a significant number of employee-focused features and can be a holistic solution for configuration management.
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9. ServiceNow: As a CMDB platform incorporating multiple components into a single system, ServiceNow facilitates visualisation, increased control and cloud computing. It is useful for managing workflows and supporting enterprise operations and can be well-suited for teams with fewer technical employees.
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10. GLPI-Project: GLPI is a suite that incorporates a plethora of change management tools. Apart from coming from the CMDB tools list, it is also a popular web-based and open-source tool for inventory and asset management. With its assistance, one can manage software, data centres, and hardware all in a single place.
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11. iTop: This platform by Combodo offers a centralised repository to accommodate system information from several teams and sources. It is an open-source platform. The basic version of iTop is free to use, but it also provides paid subscription options with additional features.
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12. BMC Helix: This comprehensive configuration management database solution can consolidate data from different sources and features a high level of scalability. BMC Helix is also adaptable to a wide range of settings and networks. However, while being among the most popular database configuration management tools, BMC Helix is relatively complex to use, and an inexperienced or non-technical user may experience difficulty when using the platform.
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13. Snow: The cloud-native platform Snow is meant to deliver technology intelligence to modern IT environments. It helps discerning companies to competently understand and manage their assets, costs, software licenses, and security posture across hybrid, on-premises, or cloud.
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14. IBM Tivoli CMDB: This database has the capacity to collect configuration data from multiple sources at once. It is effective in collecting, storing, and sharing information to support system monitoring and decision-making.
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15. TOPdesk: This tool is meant for businesses wanting to improve their facility operations, asset management and service delivery. TOPdesk's IT Asset Management (ITAM) and CMDB software aid discerning businesses maximise the use of their resources by providing in-depth insights into all hardware, software, licenses, and contracts throughout the organisation.  

Characteristics of a Configuration Management Database Tool

Core characteristics of Configuration management database tools include:

• Seamless dashboards: Integration of dashboards with analytics and CI metrics makes it simple to track data health, impact of changes, patterns leading to incidents and more. It provides the operations team with real-time insights into the previous incident, problem and change related to a CI. This ultimately lowers the time it takes to remediate an issue to a good extent.
• Compliance: Configuration management database tools come with compliance features that provide detailed records and visibility for auditors into the state of CIs, checks and balances, historical changes, and incidents.
• Access controls: Access controls offer the ability to provide access levels to varying teams and individuals as necessary, as well as trace any changes back to their source in the event of incidents or questions.
• Creation of CIs and data population: This feature tends to be supported across three different methods: discovery tools, integrations, and manual input that scans IP addresses within an organisation's network to find software and hardware information. This process allows for the creation of an inventory of all assets and devices within a company, which includes cloud resources.

Selecting the right CMDB tool

The list of available CMDB tools is quite long. Hence, one has to do their research and check the features of these tools to identify the one that meets their business needs. It is prudent to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to Configuration management database tools. Varying organisations have distinctive ITSM requirements and preferences. Nonetheless, there are a few common criteria and features to consider, like scalability and flexibility to handle the volume and complexity of the IT environment, reliability to ensure the accuracy and reliability of CI data, as well as automation to integrate with other ITSM tools and systems. The chosen CMDB tool also must adapt to changes and growth over time.

Conclusion

CMDB tools are essential in IT service management for maintaining a database that contains information about all configuration items (CIs) within an organisation's IT infrastructure. There are many Configuration management database tools available in the market, each having its own pros and cons. One must focus on analysing their business requirements and subsequently identifying a CMDB tool best suited for their business. Modern businesses rely on ITSM tools to optimize processes, driving efficiency gains and ensuring seamless operations.