Change Management/Change Control: Ensures standardized methods are used for all changes. A change is an event that results in a new status of one or more configuration items (CIs), and which is approved by management, is cost-effective, enhances business process changes (fixes) – all with a minimum risk to IT infrastructure.
Change Management Goals:
- Minimal disruption of services
- Reduction in back-out activities
- Economic use of resources involved in the change
Change Management Types:
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Service Asset and Configuration Management - Maintaining information about configuration items required to deliver an IT service. Processes include:
- Identification
- Planning
- Change Control
- Change Management
- Release Management
- Maintenance
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Release and deployment management - Distribution of software and hardware, including license controls across the entire IT infrastructure and protection of the live environment and its services through the use of formal procedures and checks.
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Goals of release management include:
- Planning the rollout of software
- Designing and implementing procedures for the distribution and installation of changes to IT systems
- Effectively communicating and managing expectations of the customer during the planning and rollout of new releases
- Controlling the distribution and installation of changes to IT system.
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Release categories include:
- Major software releases and major hardware upgrades, normally containing large amounts of new functionality, some of which may make intervening fixes to problems redundant. A major upgrade or release usually supersedes all preceding minor upgrades, releases and emergency fixes.
- Minor software releases and hardware upgrades, normally containing small enhancements and fixes, some of which may have already been issued as emergency fixes. A minor upgrade or release usually supersedes all preceding emergency fixes.
- Emergency software and hardware fixes, normally containing the corrections to a small number of known problems.
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Types of release units:
- Delta release - a release of only that part of the software which has been changed. For example, security patches.
- Full release - the entire software program is deployed—for example, a new version of an existing application.
- Packaged release - a combination of many changes—for example, an operating system image which also contains specific applications.
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Types of Changes
- Standard Change
- Normal Change
- Urgent/Emergency Change