CMDB terms: a glossary for keeping the asset record accurate

SHORT ANSWER

34 terms buyers meet when fixing a CMDB, from configuration item to write-back, each in one to three sentences. Where a term is a vendor's product feature, the vendor's page is linked.

By The Record Desk · CMDB Alternatives Compare · Published 2026-10-11

Adapter

In Axonius, a connector to one data source, such as an EDR console, directory or cloud account. Axonius lists more than 1,200.

Source: Axonius platform

Agentless discovery

Finding and profiling devices over the network without installing software on them. runZero, Lansweeper, Armis, Device42, Freshservice and ServiceNow Discovery all document agentless discovery.

Asset

Something the organization owns or pays for, such as a laptop, license or subscription. Not every asset is a configuration item.

Asset lifecycle

The stages from request and purchase through deployment, use, refresh and disposal. Lifecycle tools such as Oomnitza automate the hand-offs between stages.

CAASM

An analyst category name for tools that connect to the security and IT systems an organization runs, consolidate their asset data into one view and show where coverage is missing.

CI class

A type of configuration item in a CMDB, such as computer or virtual machine, each with its own table and fields. ServiceNow tables such as cmdb_ci_computer and cmdb_ci_vm hold these classes.

Source: Axonius docs: ServiceNow adapter

CMDB

Configuration management database: the system of record for configuration items and their relationships, used by incident, change and request workflows.

CMDB Reconciliation Workspace

An Axonius feature announced on 22 July 2026 that compares a CMDB such as ServiceNow against correlated adapter data and flags missing assets and mismatched fields.

Source: Axonius blog: Asset Cloud enhanced with AI-ready data foundation

Configuration item (CI)

Anything IT must control to deliver a service: a server, application, network device, cloud resource or the link between them.

Correlation

Working out that records from different sources describe the same asset, then combining them into one record.

Coverage

The share of real assets in a class that appear in the record, measured against a trusted outside list.

Data point

The unit JupiterOne prices on. Its pricing page says pricing depends on the number of data points and the subscription length.

Source: JupiterOne pricing

Deduplication

Removing duplicate records that describe the same asset. Lansweeper documents deduplication on MAC address, serial number and hostname.

Dependency mapping

Recording which systems rely on which others, so a change or outage can be traced to the services it affects. Device42 centers its product on it.

Discovery

Automatically finding assets and their attributes, by scanning, passive monitoring, agents or API connections.

Drift

The growing gap between what the CMDB says and what is true.

Enforcement action

In Axonius, an automated step run on assets that match a query, such as creating or updating a ServiceNow record, alone or in a multi-step sequence with ticket tracking.

Source: Axonius documentation

Event-driven update

A record change triggered by an event from the source, such as a cloud resource being created, rather than by the next scheduled scan. ServiceNow Discovery documents event-driven cloud configuration updates.

Source: ServiceNow Discovery

Field-level precedence

Rules that say which source wins for each field of a record when sources disagree.

Ghost record

A record for an asset that no longer exists, such as a decommissioned server still marked active.

Identity

A human or non-human account, such as a user, service account or API key. Axonius documents discovering both kinds across directories, cloud and SaaS.

Source: Axonius: identities

ITAM

IT asset management: tracking owned hardware and software through their lifecycle, with cost, contracts and licenses.

ITSM

IT service management: the processes for incidents, problems, changes and requests that a CMDB supports.

MCP server

A server that implements the Model Context Protocol so AI assistants can query a product's data. Axonius announced one in early access on 21 July 2026.

Source: Axonius blog: MCP server and AI agent

MDM

Mobile device management: software that enrolls and manages laptops and phones, a common source of serial numbers and assigned users.

Orphaned asset

An asset or account whose owner has left or was never recorded.

OT

Operational technology: systems that control physical processes, such as industrial controllers. Often discovered passively because active scans can disturb them.

Source: NIST SP 800-82 Rev. 4 initial public draft

Passive discovery

Identifying devices by observing network traffic instead of probing them. Armis and Lansweeper document it; runZero uses it for fragile OT networks.

Reconciliation

Comparing records from several sources, matching them and resolving conflicts into one trusted record.

Record age

The time since a source last confirmed a record. A rising median signals a broken connector or stopped discovery.

Service Graph Connector

A certified ServiceNow connector that brings data from another product into the CMDB.

Source: ServiceNow CMDB

Shadow IT

Technology used without the IT team's knowledge, such as a SaaS app bought on a card. Network discovery rarely sees it; identity and SSO data often does.

Source: Axonius: SaaS applications

System of record

The one place an organization treats as authoritative for a kind of data. For configuration items that is usually the CMDB.

Write-back

Sending corrected or new records from another tool into the CMDB, by creating, updating or retiring records.