Reference model build out, take two

So a quick continuation note on my recent post related to pulling together a reference model for automating our data centers.  Once I get the Data Center Infrastructure categories set it’s going to be very important to build out the actual Data Center Automation categories.  In the previous post I mentioned Performance, Fault, Configuration & Security - which functionally are part of a now defunct reference model initiated many moons ago.  My friend Glen O’Donnell recently wrote about this on his blog R.I.P. FCAPS.  He is a proponent of ITIL as the replacement for that.  I’m familiar with and have worked with ITIL previously, so let’s take a quick look at what it may add to my Data Center automation categories.

There are 11 functional domains that are core to ITIL, here is a link that describes each of the below items in detail.

1. Service Level Management
2.  Capacity Management
3. Contingency Planning
4. Availability Management
5. IT Financial Management
6. Configuration Management
7. Problem Management
8. Incident Management
9. Change Management
10. Service / Help Desk
11. Release Management

Reviewing these areas points out a major hole I missed in my first post on this topic.  A CMDB - no matter what you call it (e.g, IT Asset Management, Inventory) is an automated, up-to-date, capability to have a fresh view of all IT assets and their relationships.  Not only is it needed to make decisions but also is a core component of course for configuring your Fault, Performance, Configuration & Security automation solutions.

Another area I need to put more thought into is if/how to incorporate the people/process side of things (e.g., Help Desk/Ticketing).  My desire for this model is what it would take to approach the utopia of “lights out” data centers through automation.

Next time on this topic I’ll tackle the above questions and also look at eTOM from TMN (another model I’ve worked with previously).  But that will have to wait till next week.  Here is a quick note I came across on the internet that compares eTOM to ITIL.