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:

1. Minimal disruption of services
2. Reduction in back-out activities
3. Economic use of resources involved in the change

Change Management Types:

1. 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

2. 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.

   • 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.

   • 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.

   • 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.

Types of Changes

1. Standard Change
2. Normal Change
3. Urgent/Emergency Change