Do you know which laptops and phones you have?
And who is using them?

A CMDB (Configuration Management Database) is a central register of every IT device in your organisation: who has what, how old it is, what status it has and when it should be replaced. The difference with a loose register is that a good CMDB stays alive: changes are tracked automatically by the processes that run around it. Without a CMDB you make decisions on gut feeling instead of data.

Most organisations manage their CMDB separately from the processes around it. A laptop gets issued, but nobody updates the register. An employee leaves, but the device stays on their name. That is not a discipline problem, it is a design problem. As long as CMDB maintenance depends on manual entry, your data will always lag behind reality. The fix is a CMDB that is updated automatically from the processes themselves: ordering, delivery, repair, return.

A spreadsheet is a snapshot that goes stale the moment you save it. Nobody enjoys updating it, and after a few months nobody trusts the data any more. A CMDB connected to your lifecycle processes is updated automatically on every order, repair, return or replacement. No manual work, always current.

Look at three things: completeness (are all devices in there?), accuracy (do the owners and statuses match reality?) and coverage (are warranties and lifecycle dates filled in?). If you cannot see within ten seconds which devices a random employee has and how old they are, there is work to do. Device policy makes this measurable: you define rules and see immediately what percentage of your fleet complies.

More than you think. Devices that go missing or get forgotten cost money directly. During audits or an ISO 27001 trajectory you cannot demonstrate where every device is and whether data was wiped securely. You buy too much or too late because you have no visibility on replacement. And with CSRD reporting on the way, you need Scope 3 data that only a current CMDB can provide.

For CSRD Scope 3 reporting you need to demonstrate the impact of your IT equipment: how many devices you have, how long they last, what happens at the end of the lifecycle. A current CMDB is the basis for that calculation. Without solid data you cannot report, let alone steer towards more sustainable choices like longer use or certified redeployment.

ServiceNow and Topdesk are ITSM tools: strong on incident management and service processes. But the CMDB module inside them is rarely well maintained, because there is no direct link to the physical processes: delivery, repair, return, replacement. That is exactly the gap a lifecycle CMDB fills. It can run alongside your ITSM tooling, or be integrated with it so you get the best of both worlds.

That is actually a good starting point. You do not need everything in order before you can begin. With CMDB Compleet we map your devices in three steps. First we combine data from sources you already have: Active Directory, HR systems, MDM, procurement data. Then we survey employees we do not have complete information on. And if needed, we do a physical inspection on site for devices without an owner. From that moment the processes inside the platform keep your CMDB current automatically, so you never end up in the same situation again. More on CMDB Compleet

By not treating it separately from the processes. If ordering, delivery, repair and return all run through the same platform, every change is processed automatically in the CMDB. Nobody has to update rows by hand. The CMDB is not a separate system to maintain, it is the result of your daily work processes.

Yes. The platform works standalone, without integrations. Connections to Entra ID, HR systems or your ITSM tool are optional and can be added step by step later. You do not have to configure everything at once to get value out of an accurate CMDB.

Afterservice works through your IT vendor. They deploy the platform as part of their service, in their own branding. Do you not know Afterservice through your vendor yet? Get in touch and we will figure out together how we can help. Starting is fast: there is no lengthy implementation trajectory.