Best practices for deploying a CMDB in large-scale environments

We describe best practices for deploying a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that we have developed during several recent client engagements. Given the complexity and novelty of CMDB solutions that deal with discovering, storing and tracking actual Configuration Items (CIs), many enterprises rely on service delivery organizations - such as IBM Global Technology Services - to perform the configuration and roll-out of the system into production. This can be either done on the customer premises (within the scope of a so-called project-based service engagement), or by subscribing to a managed service, and thus leveraging the IT service management environment that the service provider has already set up.