Understanding the complex connections between various IT components is crucial to the success of your organization—especially considering the rate at which technology assets are added to businesses these days (there were 15.14 billion IoT devices in the world in 2023—a number that is expected to grow to 29.42 by 2030).
It doesn’t matter if you’re in IT operations, IT support troubleshooting technical issues, or a product manager planning for product upgrades, you need to have access to a clear view of your IT environment. You need to understand how each CI connects and communicates, especially when there’s a customer issue that needs to be addressed ASAP.
This is why discovery and dependency mapping (DDM), or automated discovery and dependency mapping (ADDM), is essential for your IT department. You’ll get constant and automatically updated data insights on how each asset within your IT infrastructure is performing and where any outages are. This blog will explore what discovery and dependency mapping is, why it’s important for the success of your business, and provide you with a 6-step process to implement the practice into your business.
How does the new server you’re looking at using impact your current active servers?
If you can’t answer that question, discovery and dependency mapping might be the next item added to your upcoming IT budget.
Discovery and dependency mapping are forms of risk management to help you identify downstream risks associated with your IT infrastructure.
More specifically, discovery is the process of identifying and cataloging all the IT assets and resources within an organization– not just the hardware and software involved. Discovery encompasses servers, network devices, applications, databases, and even virtual machines (that’s right –it includes every IT component the company uses). Whereas dependency mapping establishes the relationships and interactions between these IT assets to answers questions like, "Which servers are critical for this application?", "What network components are necessary for this service to function?", or "What impact will a hardware failure have on our software systems?"
More about how an automated DDM works:
DDM tools scan networks and update CMDBs with new, accurate data from the configuration items in the company’s IT infrastructure—this is especially essential for companies with large data centers as it helps with incident and change management processes (less manual effort from employees). But, it’s not enough to just collect the information about the infrastructure, applications, and services with the business. The service desk needs the entire picture to properly diagnose issues end users are experiencing—the underlying components and their dependencies. And they need it on one platform that can work no matter where the support agent or end user are located (especially important considering the rise of hybrid and remote work).
It also matters because IT departments are under constant pressure from leadership to do more with less—people, budget, and tools—but to also improve their performance and value of support. To better support this initiative and make life more manageable for those in IT, DDM-powered CMDBs help fill this gap of deploying constant changes. Here’s how a DDM will directly improve an IT department:
For IT discovery, the focus is on discovering hardware and software assets (e.g., the relationship between server and software), while service mapping refers to mapping out the relationships between the various assets within the IT infrastructure. Discovery shows you what exists within an envrionoment (high-level overview), whereas service mapping helps you understand how every application service connects and communicates. Application services are groups of connected applications configured to provide a specific service to an end user by operating together. This is typically done using an API that’s connected to a service endpoint and a service origin. An example of an API integration is when a user submits a ticket request on Intercom and the information populates into your Salesforce CRM about their entire client history.
By investing in the right tools and processes, organizations can harness the power of discovery and dependency mapping to navigate the complexities of modern IT environments and deliver top-notch IT service management. The steps below breakdown how to implement DDM into your organization and begin benefiting right away.
In ITSM, efficiency, reliability, and security are paramount to the success of your business. When using discovery and dependency mapping tools, you’ll have access to a holistic view of your IT landscape. Empowering you to make better decisions on your IT services that directly align with your business goals. EasyVista’s newest product update, 2024.1 includes digital accessibility, discovery and dependency mapping (DDM), and enhanced AI capabilities updates.
What is a CMDB?
A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a centralized repository that stores information about the configuration items within an organization's IT infrastructure.
What is an IT service map?
Service mapping is a visual representation of the IT infrastructure of a business that allows you to analyze and monitor the customer experience.
Why do you need to map your IT technical dependencies?
Mapping your technical dependencies with your IT department helps your team understand the projects and technical oversight of the business. Gives insights into where roadblocks may be.
What is application discovery and dependency mapping?
Application Discovery and Dependency Mapping (ADDM) shows the various applications that are running within an IT infrastructure and the dependencies between them (i.e., how they relate and are connect to each other).
What does API mean in mapping?
Application Programming Interface (API) Data Mapping is the process of connecting data structures and information from different software applications to integrate the data and use together.