In this podcast, www.enterpriseleadership.org asks Casanova to describe some of the key tasks associated with CMDB/CMS; the effect technologies, such as virtualization, service-oriented architecture, and cloud computing are having on the CMDB/CMS; and the various approaches CIOs can use in selling CMDB/CMS within their organization.

During his tenure as the senior enterprise architect for MetLife, Inc., Carlos Casanova realized that carrying out an enterprise configuration management database (CMDB) became one of the most influential actions an IT organization can take to improve service delivery, and to bridge the gap between technology and the business.

Casanova has done two things to make it easier for large IT organizations to deal with what he calls the CMDB imperative. First, he is president of K2 Solutions Group. His firm offers professional services to support the delivery of IT service initiatives, such as the CMDB. Second, he is the co-author with Glenn O’Donnell of The CMDB Imperative: How to realize the dream and avoid the nightmares.  He says with a well-designed CMDB in place, companies can better position themselves to manage and optimize IT infrastructure, applications, and services; automate more IT management tasks; and restrain burgeoning costs. His book presents a start-to-finish implementation methodology that works and describes how the CMDB is shifting to the superior configuration management system, the CMDB renamed and overhauled in ITIL v.3.

Bio
Carlos Casanova is the president of K2 Solutions Group, Inc. and the co-author of The CMDB Imperative: How to realize the dream and avoid the nightmares. He is also a committee member and contributor to the itSMF USA newsletter and the financial sector vertical lead for the itSMF New England Chapter. Prior to K2 Solutions, he was a senior enterprise architect and chief technology officer with MetLife, Inc.

Resources
What is the CMDB? - InformIT
The Convergence of CMDB/CMS: Is it the answer? - Computer Reseller News
Data management grows up: From CMDBs to CMSes - TechTarget - Data Center News

Production Credits
Elizabeth Ferrarini, Executive Producer
Tom Parish, Host and Audio Producer
Audio Editing by Doug Marcis