Unlocking Value Through High-Fidelity Infrastructure Data
A Tier-1 bank reclaimed infrastructure capacity and cost by validating CMDB data, identifying surplus assets and embedding automated controls to prevent future drift.
Context
In large-scale banking environments, infrastructure estates evolve constantly. Without reliable asset data, even well-intentioned cost and capacity initiatives stall.
The organisation’s Configuration Management Database (CMDB) lacked accuracy and consistency, leaving leadership with limited confidence in what infrastructure actually existed, how it was being used and where cost could be safely removed. As a result, surplus servers remained powered, licensed and cooled, consuming budget and energy without delivering value.
Approach
This engagement focused on restoring trust in infrastructure data and embedding a repeatable validation model to sustain accuracy over time.
Define
The first step was understanding the true quality of existing data.
An assessment of the CMDB revealed discrepancies between registered assets and what was actually present across the network. Ownership information was incomplete, utilisation was unclear and decision-making relied heavily on assumptions rather than evidence.
Establishing a baseline for data integrity was essential before any rationalisation could occur.
Align
With the baseline defined, validation and identification logic were aligned into the operational environment.
A specialised ServiceNow workflow was designed to cross-reference asset data across multiple source systems, turning raw records into verified infrastructure assets. Custom logic was introduced to identify “ghost” machines, systems active on the network but lacking a valid business owner or workload.
This approach allowed surplus infrastructure to be flagged confidently, removing the risk traditionally associated with decommissioning decisions.
Govern
Governance was embedded through automation and operating discipline.
The validation process was integrated into standard operating procedures, ensuring asset data remained accurate as the environment evolved. This prevented the gradual erosion of data quality that often follows one-off clean-up exercises.
Outcome
Infrastructure visibility improved and hidden value was recovered.
The organisation was able to safely decommission surplus hardware, reclaiming significant infrastructure and licensing costs. Improved utilisation data enabled more accurate capacity planning and reduced reliance on speculative procurement.
Beyond financial benefit, the reduction in unnecessary infrastructure contributed to sustainability goals by lowering data centre energy consumption. The CMDB evolved from a low-confidence registry into a trusted decision-support asset, enabling smarter, faster and more responsible infrastructure management.