A new vendor has emerged, with a CIO-targeted, top-down vision: ITM Software...
It looks like they are asking the right questions and positioning themselves squarely in this weblog's space. My first question: what is the standards story? They are a member of the DCML consortium; for further observations on this, see:
Data Center Markup Language!
Overlooked: What is the relationship between DCML and the Microsoft SDM?
DMTF Server Management effort
As the reader may gather, I'm not enthusiastic about DCML, especially given that Intel, AMD, HP, IBM, and Dell are participating in the competing DMTF effort, and DCML has no big names at all. (I'm not buying into spin from either DCML or DMTF that there's room for both initiatives. I don't see it; would be interested in being proven wrong.)
The second question for ITM is, what is their ITIL/ITSM story? The ITIL framework and the general ITSM movement are rapidly transforming how IT is run, and any internal IT vendors who don't have a story here are going to find it very difficult to gain traction.
Let's be clear: this is a company with an integrated back-end repository, embodying their "Seven Pillars of IT Knowledge" strategy. While their first module covers Project Portfolio Management (discussion), one assumes that further work will follow that inevitably must drive deeply into the ITSM/metadata space covered here. That integrated back end is a key strength and weakness. As discussed extensively here, metamodeling is a complex and risky endeavor, and there is a myriad of IT tools that probably contain the data ITM is seeking.
Is ITM going to build scanners/adapters? This is not a trivial exercise, and I've long recommended a standard approach; vendors that attempt to do it all on their own risk falling into the same trap as first-generation repositories such as Platinum (now CA Advantage). (See section 7.3 "Implications of OMG standards for repository architecture" in my master's project.)
Critiques aside, this whole space needs more creative, inspired vendors with a vision, and ITM certainly fills that bill. Here's wishing the best to them.
-ctb
