It service management of using heterogeneous, dynamically alterable configuration item lifecycles

Abstract

IT service management requires the management of heterogeneous artifacts such as configuration items with differing lifecycles and complex interrelationships. Lifecycle management in such environments is critical in providing feedback and control between processes and sustaining communication and synchronization between and within processes while maintaining the integrity of the configuration item database (CMDB). We propose a method for managing lifecycles of multiple types, with automated methods for inheritance of lifecycles, authorization of state changes, propagation of state changes through relationships, and dynamic lifecycle updates.