Configuration Management

Today’s configuration management solutions are designed to address common problems facing IT: uniform deployment of applications, correct deployment of patches and updates, the right applications on the right servers.

However, basic unintended changes to the environment outside of a CMDB system put application availability at risk, for example, an administrator who has access and makes changes, software that updates itself, and so on. Often and most frustrating is finding something is wrong after it breaks.

Traditional IT best practices use a variety of techniques for platform management in an attempt to address this issue. For example:

  • CMDB for provisioning and software control
  • Patch management to keep products updated and reducing risk
  • Intrusion detection techniques to look for patterns of attack

However, these methods do not include a necessary component: IT configuration controls which are critical to prove that software is deployed as it is intended.

To be world class, increase application availably, and have a successful configuration management solution you must include methods that:

  • Completely identify applications, binaries, and libraries. Is the package complete, partial, part of a suite, etc?
  • Are limitless in the ability to detect software. It's not enough to rely on a small limited set of product identifiers.
  • Manage and expand a centralized reference of known good and known bad software identifiers
  • Provide different views and reports for different ownership levels within the platform (IT, business line, SA and Operations)
  • Integrate with existing Definitive Software Libraries (DSLs) to create a known reference

Ask this: are all of my servers that are supposed to be the same, in fact, the same, down to the binary level? SignaCert is the only technology that uses centralized reference and management techniques to prove this today.

SignaCert can be used with or pre-rollout of CMDB. Our solution can scale as your processes matures. It easily integrates into your SDLC process and gives greater control while providing visibility into systems not under CMDB control. It is a light lift, quick and easy to install.