Does your organisation have a number of different device inventory repositories?
Hint: You might even be surprised by how many you have.
Examples include:
- Physical network inventory
- Logical network inventory
- DNS records
- CMDB (Config Management DB)
- IPAM (IP Address Management)
- EMS (Element Management Systems)
- SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
- Desktop / server management
- not to mention the management information base on the devices themselves (the only true primary data source)
Have you recently checked how in-synch they are? As a starting point, are device counts aligned (noting that different repositories perhaps only cover subsets of device ranges)? If not, how many cross-match between repositories?
If they’re out of synch, do you have a routine process for triangulating / reconciling / cleansing? Even better, do you have an automated, closed-loop process for ensuring synchronisation across the different repositories?
Would anyone like to offer some thoughts on the many reasons why it’s important to have inventory alignment?
I’ll give a few little hints:
- Security
- Assurance
- Activations
- Integrations
- Asset lifecycle management
- Financial management (ie asset depreciation)