CMDB - CI vs Service and Service Offering

[Tommaso2]

Hi all,

I wonder if it is correct that Service, Service offering and CI have to be managed as a pyramid.

For example, during incident management in service operation workspace, I found that first of all Service has to be selected, then the related Service offering and finally you can select the impacted CI.

To sum up, the CI is the result of the combination between Service and Service offering. Is my comprehension correct?

Another doubt: which is the difference between Service and CI?

Thank you!

[kaushal_snow · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tommaso2 ,

The relationships between Service, Service Offering, and Configuration Item are hierarchical but not strictly linear. Typically, a Service represents a high level business capability, such as Email Service, and can have multiple Service Offerings that define specific aspects or delivery methods of that service, like Corporate Email or External Email........Each Service Offering can then be associated with one or more CIs, which are the actual components (hardware, software, or services) that deliver the functionality, such as an Exchange Server or an email client application.

This hierarchy allows for a structured representation where a CI supports a Service Offering, which in turn supports a broader Service. However, it's important to note that while this hierarchical model is common, the exact relationships can vary based on organizational needs and configurations. In some cases, CIs might be linked directly to Services or Service Offerings without a strict parent child relationship. Therefore, while the pyramid model you mentioned is a useful guideline, the actual implementation can be more flexible depending on how your organization structures its services and CIs. ....

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