Understanding Configuration Management System (CMS) and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) – Part 2

Is the Service Portfolio and Service Catalogue part of the Configuration Management System (CMS) in ITIL V3? Yes.

We can and should define a “Service” as a configuration item (CI) and build a logical configuration model  for the Service, i.e. linking the “Service” CI to the other components or CIs that supports the Service. Such logical configuration models are useful when handling incidents, solving problems, assessing impact of changes or developing a cost model for a service.

Services are described using specification sheets (Service Specifications) and forms part of the Service Catalogue and Service Portfolio. Hence, the Service Specifications, Service Catalogue and Service Portfolio should be registered as controlled documents, subject to the Change Management process, and hence defined as CIs within the Configuration Management System (CMS).

In actual implementation, the Service Catalogue may take the form of a matrix, table or spreadsheet. Some may even document their services in an intranet and present it in the form of web pages, with drill down capability to show greater details as required. The Service Catalogue can be viewed as a "database”, which forms part of a federated CMDB, containing detailed information and attributes of the Services and has linkages or relationships with other physical CMDBs within the CMS.