In the CMDB, 500 computers are listed, but 300 are working in the office: Detective ITMen-Ventura is on the case of the missing IT assets

Detective Story of Integration

Prologue: How it all started

The story of how one of our partners, IT Expert Group, the developer of the ITSM box product on the BPMSoft platform, was approached by a retail network with 200 missing computers in their CMDB, and how we found them through integration.

For those discovering something new: CMDB is a Configuration Management Database of IT assets. The CMDB stores data about the entire IT infrastructure: servers, computers, software, network devices, licenses, their locations, and interconnections with each other.

In their CMDB, there were 500 computers, but in reality, there were only 300 in the offices. Where did the remaining 200 go?

The departments diligently entered data on each configuration item, whether it was a computer, server, or scanner in the accounting department. To put it simply, a configuration item (CI) is any "gear" in the IT assets of a company: from hardware to software, with a clear role and place in the system.

The accounting system worked like clockwork, and the reports were generated flawlessly. Probably, every admin working in a corporation has faced this: the database shows one picture of the world, and reality is completely different.

The company didn’t ask to implement a new system — they just wanted to understand where the computers had thrown a secret party, and make sure the incident wouldn’t happen again. So, our colleagues from IT Expert came to us, we started the integration, and the detective investigation began.

Meet: ITMan-Ventura

“ITMan-Ventura” is our system for collecting and controlling data on IT infrastructure.

Characteristic features of the IT detective:

Speaks to IT assets like they are pets.

Can scan networks for hours, mimicking the behavior of system processes.

Wears T-shirts with animal prints (favorite one: with the penguin Tux).

We sent ITMan-Ventura to scout the company’s IT infrastructure. He was supposed to study where the equipment had literally "moved," find it, and restore harmony within the IT department.

First witness statements

The crime scene was confusing:

• CMDB: “The system lists 500 computers.”

• Physical inspection: “There are 300 computers in the offices.”

• IT departments: “Someone stole the equipment, and in bulk.”

• Purchases: “You guys are killing us, we already bought +50 computers last week.”

Investigation underway

It was clear that we needed a technology that works like a detective agency — scans the entire IT infrastructure at the present time, aggregates, identifies, and cleans data. It doesn’t confuse one asset with another, removes duplicates, and constantly tracks movements, changes, and asset replacements.

The solution was found in the integration of ITSM box with the ITMan inventory module.

Methods of Detective Work

ITMan-Ventura used an arsenal of data collection methods to cover everything:

1. Data collection through the agent network

An agent was installed on each IT asset to automatically collect information about device configurations, installed software, and user-device associations.

2. Network reconnaissance (agentless)

When it was necessary to find the “missing ones”, remote collection was used via WinRM, WMI, SSH, SNMP, ARP scanning to discover hidden devices, and LLDP to identify network equipment.

3. Custom sensors

For flexible data gathering from otherwise unreachable places, ITMan-Ventura used special custom sensors. They allowed the system to be tailored for any non-standard inventory needs.

Through the object constructor and sensor editor he “dragged in” any information: from a rare basement server to an old scanner only the accountants remembered. The system easily adapted to new conditions without vendor involvement.

4. API integrations

Data was also collected from VMware, cloud platforms, Active Directory, databases, and then forwarded into ITSM box.

Filtering and processing of evidence

Next, everything collected had to pass through a special data processing filter:

1. Normalization. Brings different formats to a single standard: “COMP-001”, “192.168.1.100”, and “Ivanov’s Computer” become one record.

2. Identification. Sets parameters for merging data from multiple sources into one asset card. One computer — one record, instead of four duplicates.

3. Enrichment. Expands inventory data by using a software library containing over 45,000 programs. For each found program, data about manufacturer, purpose, license type (commercial, free), version, and usage category are automatically added.

4. Typing. Determines equipment type automatically based on characteristics: “This is a Dell Latitude laptop, not just a device.”
   

Solution architecture: data flow without magic

So the entire process with integration looked like this:

Stage 1: ITMan-Ventura scans the entire infrastructure every 24 hours.
Stage 2: Collects data, normalizes it, detects changes, and removes duplicates.
Stage 3: API sends only the changes (delta) to ITSM box in real time.
Stage 4: ITSM box regularly updates the client’s CMDB.

Case solved: ghostly duplicates

After several days of investigation, ITMan-Ventura uncovered the main mystery. The reason for the IT ghosts was disparate records of the same computers. Physically, there could be one device, but in the system it was duplicated under different names due to integration of info from various monitoring systems, virtualization, and inaccurate manual entry.

Result: one computer equals four records in CMDB—that’s where the ghosts came from.

Detective work results

A month after implementing the solutions ITMan plus ITSM box delivered the following results:

Before integration	After integration
CMDB says: 500 computers in the system In reality: 300 computers in the office plus 200 ghosts somewhere else	✅ The division actually has 300 computers, and this can be proven: all are strictly accounted for in the system. ✅ Detailed information on each configuration item: exact location, installed software checked for prohibited programs, change history, real license usage status

Delayed “surprises”

This story shows how well the partnership approach worked. Integration isn’t just about “connecting APIs”, it’s about creating a comprehensive solution that functions turnkey.

Six months passed since integration. CMDB shows the real picture, and IT project planning is now based on facts. IT asset data automatically turns into management decisions, and ghosts have vanished from CMDB forever.

What else interesting was discovered?

25% of licenses turned out to be ghosts

ITMen-Venture started tracking real software usage. Turned out a quarter of expensive licenses had gone unused for months. This made it possible to adjust license procurement plans.

Zombie server

Found a Windows Server 2012 that hadn’t been updated or monitored for three years. That plugged a potential security hole.

RAM inequality

Turns out 40% of computers use only a third of installed memory, while 20% run at full capacity. Memory was reallocated instead of buying new machines.

Epilogue or main takeaways:

• Create a unified base of reliable IT asset data — so CMDB contains current “clean” information for efficient business process management.

• Don’t forget a sense of humor, even when doing routine CMDB work.

Have you ever dealt with missing or duplicated IT assets in CMDB? Share your stories in the comments.