Configuration
Configuration management today is complicated, particularly in the desktop environment. Many desktop products now hold basic configuration information, yet the desktop environment is still out of control. It seems that the more controls there are in place, the less actual control there is. Part of the problem may be that configuration management systems are trying to be "all things to all purposes". CrossView maintains configuration on hardware, software (both third party and internal), and services, and takes the view that all financial and purchasing information logically belongs elsewhere. CrossView holds data like "where the item is located, who services it, when is service due, when can it be serviced, what other items are connected to it, or to what is it connected". (This information can be collected and maintained from appropriate sources.)
CrossView's interest in the item is based in the fact that the item exists to provide a service and that to provide that service, it needs itself to be maintained at the highest level. All the information required to drill down from the service to the item and fix it in the shortest possible time is available. From CrossView's perspective, the item is collected into resources, which are collected into service agreements. If the item is affected, the ability of the organization to meet the service agreement is affected.