Instrument 5: Uniform and accurate encompassing of the IT ­systems (NG-CMDB). Expanded configuration management and the uniform encompassing of important configuration elements accelerate the optimization of the existing infrastructure and application landscape. A „Next Generation Configuration ­Database“ (NG-CMDB) can be utilized in combination with the centralized demand management and standardized monitoring described above. A system of this type saves supplementary parameters such as the point in time of the next planned release update, frequency and type of application enhancements which are carried out, availability requirements, residual costs calculated precisely to the day, operating contribution, and other known inventory parameters. It should be possible to expand flexibly as necessary the structure and quantity of the stored data and to evaluate them in terms of goals (configur­able). At the same time, quality assurance of the database should be established by the responsible people and processes. Only the interaction of an incentive system for system operators of automated data capture guarantees the capture of reliable data which can be used repeatedly in scenarios for the consolidation and ­conversion of an application landscape.

Instrument 6: Incentive system for architecture changes. The broad range and number of applications in large IT organizations can lead to a decoupling of the superordinate strategy and further development of the legacy applications. The people responsible for the system concentrate on dealing with the daily chaos. It is more important to them to secure the operation of an application than to pursue the structured optimization of the application. An incentive system oriented to uniform, goal-oriented development can counteract this undesirable development. If the people in charge of applications have an inner urge to drive forward options for the realization of the new virtualization or for the evaluation of the expansion to an SOA structure, the sustainable structural change and the cross-over consolidations will become possible.    

Instrument 7: Description of detailed and standardized operating processes (mode of operation). Consolidation is aided by ­regulation on the basis of standards which have been defined internally. But IT standards are generally described solely from the perspective of available technologies. Another important component is the standard description of the operating process or „mode of ­operation“. These processes are the link that actually make IT performance available to a business process. The standard mode of operations (SMoO) describes all of the components involved in making IT services available to end users reliably and repeatedly in consistent quality and large numbers of units. The SMoO is the means of giving due consideration to effective and balanced cost and quality requirements and thus represents a basis for consolidation efforts.