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CMDBs: An IT Goldmine?: Page 10 of 24

The connections among, and configuration of, the underlying devices that support an application have considerable effect on uptime. But given the complexity of today's networks, it's difficult for IT to have a clear picture of dependencies among the application infrastructure. By providing a map, a CMDB will help IT better understand the impact of potential changes and diagnose app failures.

Some vendors, including BMC, Managed Objects and Opsware, built their own app-dependency mapping technologies. Altiris says it plans to make app-dependency mapping available later this year. Tideway is the last of the standalone app-dependency mapping companies.

The Holy Rollers

The acquisitions derby demonstrates that the CMDB market is in flux. Some vendors still have work ahead of them to incorporate the CMDB as the foundation for their IT management suites. As we mentioned, two main go-to-market strategies have emerged for CMDB vendors; both are designed to influence IT's future purchase decisions. Vendors that offer standalone CMDBs generally position them as an overlay technology that can be brought into an organization and fitted atop a variety of third-party data sources.

Standalone products are aimed at IT shops looking to implement a CMDB without necessarily buying into a vendor's entire product line. That said, the standalone CMDB will federate more easily with other components in a vendor's suite, greasing the skids for future product sales.