IT Infrastructure Documentation System with Completeness Indexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current IT infrastructure documentation is often incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated, lacking comprehensive coverage and cross-referencing capabilities, which hinders efficient diagnosis, troubleshooting, and decision-making processes.
Innovation Solution
A system that combines automated and guided manual documentation in a structured format, allowing for cross-referencing and analysis of IT assets, including templates for data input, completeness indexing, and integration with external operations management systems to facilitate risk and cost estimation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated documentation systems are used to create IT infrastructure documentation, then the speed and consistency of documentation creation is improved, but the documentation remains incomplete because these systems usually focus on one aspect only
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional documentation system that consolidates multiple documentation aspects (network topology, device configurations, asset inventories, dependency relationships) into a single integrated platform. This universal system allows users to access and update all types of IT infrastructure documentation through one interface, eliminating the need for separate specialized tools while maintaining comprehensive coverage of all documentation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges automated documentation generation with manual editing capabilities and cross-referencing functionality into a unified system. By combining these previously separate functions, the system achieves both the speed of automated creation and the completeness of manual supplementation, allowing documentation to be both efficiently generated and comprehensively maintained.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate documentation systems are used to cover different aspects of IT infrastructure, then each aspect can be documented in detail, but the overall documentation becomes fragmented and difficult to cross-reference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple separate documentation systems into a single integrated platform that maintains detailed documentation for each IT infrastructure aspect while enabling seamless cross-referencing. The unified system uses a common data model and centralized storage to link network topology, device configurations, and asset information, eliminating fragmentation while preserving detailed accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized documentation repository and standardized data model as an intermediary layer between different documentation aspects. This mediator enables efficient cross-referencing and integration of detailed documentation from multiple sources without requiring complex point-to-point connections between separate systems.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive IT infrastructure documentation is maintained manually, then complete coverage can be achieved, but the documentation becomes outdated quickly and is difficult to keep accurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor IT infrastructure changes and trigger documentation updates. The system detects modifications in network topology, device configurations, and asset information, then automatically updates the documentation to reflect current states, ensuring accuracy without requiring constant manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary automated documentation generation based on pre-collected infrastructure data, creating baseline documentation before manual review or updates are needed. This preliminary action reduces the time and effort required for subsequent updates by having accurate baseline information already in place.
4Reliability
If detailed IT infrastructure documentation is created, then better diagnostic and analysis capabilities are achieved, but the time and resources required to create and maintain the documentation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the documentation system to automatically generate, update, and maintain itself by pulling data directly from IT infrastructure devices and systems. The self-service capability eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces maintenance overhead, allowing detailed documentation to be maintained with minimal human intervention while preserving high diagnostic accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual documentation creation and maintenance processes with automated electronic systems that directly extract and update documentation from IT infrastructure sources. This substitution of mechanical manual processes with automated electronic data collection and processing significantly reduces the time and resources required while maintaining comprehensive detail.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of the present disclosure facilitate managing information technology (IT) infrastructure. The system can include a server configured to retrieve data records for first and second IT assets, each asset comprising at least one of a computing device, a software application, an end user, a business unit, a piece of networking hardware, or an agreement for an IT service. The server can select a template comprising a relationship between the first and second data records. The system can include a link generator configured to generate a different relationship, absent from the template, between the first and second data records. The system can include a search engine configured to identify third and fourth IT assets that satisfy the second relationship, determine an indices of completeness for the third and fourth IT assets, and rank the third and fourth IT assets based on the indices to generate an ordered list.