RSSEverything is social now
Even Configuration Management Databases (CMDBs), at least according to vendor Managed Objects. With their unveiling of "myCMDB" at Gartner's IT Infrastructure, Operations & Management Summit, they've become the latest in a series of companies with traditional, conservative roles in IT infrastructure jumping on the jazzy New Age MySpace/Facebook inspired social networking bandwagon.
I'm still on the fence as to the efficacy of adopting this sort of interface strategy for every application under the sun (and I am starting to loathe the inclusion of "My" in front of business applications almost as much as the ridiculous "i"everything you are seeing in the consumer market). On the one hand, as Managed Objects claims, I can see the potential to take a rather hum drum set of tasks (which are nonetheless important) and spice them up by turning them into stuff you do while you're hanging out online with all your cool business friends, potentially getting better conformity in the bargain. But I also see a lot of vendors which are attempting to apply the wrong lessons to their products, like trying to slap design characteristics from a Ferrari onto a Ford truck (although El Caminos are pretty cool).
I haven't actually seen the myCMDB interface in action yet, so I'll reserve judgement on the effectiveness it has in encouraging the updating and utilization of cmdb data. But for crying out loud, someone change the name so it won't embarrass the datacenter staff to use it.
Thanks for taking an interest in Managed Objects’ launch of myCMDB, Scott. Often a new mix of ideas is a challenge to capture in a press release, so should you be personally interested in learning more about myCMDB, as we get closer to the end of our beta process this fall, we’d be happy to offer you access. Alternatively, if you’d like to get some insight on the product sooner rather than later, we’d gladly set up a time to brief you and provide a demo. Feel free to contact me directly.