Lifecycle Catalog

Lifecycle Catalog provides provider lifecycle information for IT Components, enabling users to understand technology obsolescence risks and organize the tech landscape better.

Overview

Lifecycle Catalog is a Knowledge-as-a-Service offering that provides users with comprehensive information about IT component lifecycles, support policies, version details, vendor details, and more. This information is automatically synced and updated on relevant IT Component Fact Sheets when they are linked to the catalog. The information in the catalog is maintained and regularly updated by a dedicated research team of LeanIX.

The lifecycle information and automatic updates offer you clear insights and help you assess technology obsolescence risks effectively. This enables informed decisions regarding risk management, upgrades, and advancements. The Lifecycle Catalog also helps you organize and understand your technology landscape better by providing details on providers and associated tech categories of the IT component.

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Note

The Lifecycle Catalog is exclusively available as part of the LeanIX Technology Risk and Compliance product. To learn more, see Technology Risk and Compliance.

However, you can still access information from Lifecycle Catalog to a limited extent without having Technology Risk and Compliance product. For more information, see Aligned SaaS and Lifecycle Catalog Items.

Key Features

  • Comprehensive list of attributes: The catalog includes detailed information about IT components, covering the following aspects:
    • Name: Name of the IT component.
    • Version: Specific version of the IT component.
    • Version Group: To group consecutive versions for easier management and reference.
    • Provider: Manufacturer/seller of the component.
    • Lifecycle: Lifecycle states of the IT component. For details, see the section Lifecycle States of IT Component.
    • Tech Category: To group IT components according to Technology Business Management (TBM) standards.
    • URLs: To verify the authenticity of the lifecycle.
    • Support Type: Indicates whether the provider offers free or paid support and whether it is community-based or enterprise-level.
    • Active Support: Flag denoting whether the product has active support from the provider.
    • Support Policies: Support policies of the provider and support schedules.
    • As of Date: Indicates the date when the data was last updated by LeanIX.
    • Description: A brief description of the product.
    • Websites: Links to product & provider websites.
  • Standardized Information: Standardized Information in the Lifecycle Catalog ensures consistent naming for IT components such as Provider Name, Product Name, Edition, and Versions. This ensures consistency and simplifies documenting IT components.
  • Automatic update of information: Once the IT Component Fact Sheets are linked to the catalog, the information from the catalog is automatically synced and updated whenever there is a change in the catalog's data.

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    Dates are provided whenever they are available on the provider's website.

  • Creation of Provider Fact Sheets: When an IT Component is linked to a catalog item, the associated Provider Fact Sheets are also automatically created if they don't already exist. This simplifies managing provider dependency and spending.
  • Request for missing information: You can request missing information or request to add a missing catalog item that you need for any IT Component.
  • Adoption of TBM taxonomy: Lifecycle Catalog gives you the option to use TBM taxonomy for organizing IT components by Tech Categories. When you have adopted the TBM taxonomy for Tech Category Fact Sheets, linking an IT Component Fact Sheet to the Lifecycle catalog automatically assigns the tech category to the IT Component and also establishes a relation with the associated Tech Category Fact Sheet. This allows for a clearer understanding of the technology landscape, aiding in better organization and analysis of IT components. To learn how to adopt the TBM taxonomy in LeanIX, see Tech Category Catalog.

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Note

You can adopt TBM taxonomy at any point in time, and upon adoption, tech categories are automatically assigned to IT Component Fact Sheets that are linked to the Lifecycle Catalog. For instruction on configuration, see Lifecycle Catalog Configuration.

Lifecycle States of IT Components

The Lifecycle states provided by the Lifecycle Catalog refer to provider dates and it includes:

  • Plan: The IT component has been announced by the provider.
  • Phase in: The IT component is in beta or early access.
  • Active: The IT component is generally available.
  • Phase out:
    • The product version is no longer actively supported. It may receive passive support or only security updates, or the version is in the sunset phase.
    • The date the provider announces that a version will become outdated
  • End of life: The component has reached the end of its life cycle and is no longer supported by the provider.

Lifecycle Catalog Configuration

Users with Admin rights can provision and then configure the Lifecycle Catalog to choose the fields and relations of the IT Component Fact Sheet they want to synchronize from the catalog.

To configure Lifecycle Catalog syncing, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Administration > Reference Catalogs.
  2. Under the Lifecycle Catalog tab, choose the fields you would like to Sync from the Lifecycle Catalog.
  3. Choose whether to include Provider and Tech Category relations in the IT Component Fact Sheets by selecting the appropriate checkboxes.
  4. Choose whether to adopt the TBM framework for the Tech Category by selecting the appropriate checkboxes. Opting for this option results in the creation of Tech Category Fact Sheets and the classification of IT Components by Tech categories through the establishment of relations between the Fact Sheets.
  5. Click Save at the bottom right corner.
Provisioning and Configuring Lifecycle Catalog

Provisioning and Configuring Lifecycle Catalog

Linking IT Component to Catalog Item

When an IT Component Fact Sheet is linked to a Lifecycle Catalog item, all relevant information from the catalog is automatically synced and updated on the Fact Sheet regularly.

There are three ways to link the IT Component to the Lifecycle Catalog:

  • Bulk linking IT Component Fact Sheets from the inventory.
  • Linking individual IT Component Fact Sheets from the Fact Sheet page.
  • Linking an IT Component Fact Sheet during Fact Sheet creation.

In the Last Update tab of the Fact Sheet, you can check any updates made to the linked Fact Sheet as a result of syncing. Updates done are attributed to the System user ‘reference data’.

Checking Updates in the Last Update section of the Fact Sheet

Checking Updates in the Last Update section of the Fact Sheet

Bulk Linking IT Component Fact Sheets From the Inventory

Bulk linking IT Component Fact Sheets from the inventory is a simpler and faster way of linking Fact Sheets to the catalog items. It allows you to review, link, unlink, or ignore recommendations conveniently in one location.

To link multiple IT Components at once, do the following:

  1. In the inventory, use filters to narrow down IT Components as per your needs.
  2. On the right side pane, click Lifecycle Catalog to open the Lifecycle Catalog linking page.
  3. IT Component Fact Sheets are organized into different tabs based on whether they are still unlinked, ignored, or linked. In the Unlinked tab, select the IT Component Fact Sheets that need to be linked, and click Link.

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Note

The displayed list of IT Components is based on the filters you applied in the Inventory.

Bulk Linking IT Component Fact Sheets

Bulk Linking IT Component Fact Sheets

In the Confidence column on the right, intelligent recommendation tells you the match level between the IT Component and the catalog item. If you want to focus on IT Components with very high or high confidence matches, you can use the Confidence Level filter at the top left.

On expanding each row, you get an overview of your IT Component Fact Sheet and details of corresponding catalog recommendations. Click on the search field to see alternate recommendations and to search for a specific item to link.

You can link, preview, or ignore individual Fact Sheets in each row. You can also report missing data so the research team at LeanIX can enrich it.

Expanding a Row To Search and Link Alternate Recommendation, Preview, Ignore and Report Missing Data

Expanding a Row To Search and Link Alternate Recommendation, Preview, Ignore and Report Missing Data

Ignoring IT Component Fact Sheets

You can ignore an IT Component Fact Sheet if you don't want to link it to the catalog item. Select Ignore from the menu in the top right corner of the relevant row to ignore the IT Component.

Reasons to ignore include:

  • It is a proprietary product, and you do not expect the catalog to have information about it.
  • You want to overwrite the information in the linked Fact Sheet. As ignoring a linked Fact Sheet effectively unlinks the Fact Sheet and stops the updates from the catalog.

Ignored Fact Sheets are then listed in the Ignored tab. On expanding each row, you get an overview of your IT Component Fact Sheet. You can relink them to catalog items if needed.

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Note

Ignoring a linked Fact Sheet halts updates from the Lifecycle Catalog.

Changing the Link to a Different Item

You can change the link between an IT Component Fact Sheet and the linked catalog item to a different item if there is a more appropriate one or if it was inadvertently linked to the current item.

In the Linked tab, you will find the list of linked Fact Sheets. To change the link to the catalog item, do the following:

  1. Click on the IT Component to expand the row.
  2. Click on the search field to see alternate recommendations or to search for a specific item to change to.
  3. Choose the appropriate recommendation you want to change to, and click Change Link.
Changing the Link to a Different Item

Changing the Link to a Different Item

Report Missing Data in Catalog Items

You can request missing information or request to add a missing catalog item that you need for any IT Component. The research team at LeanIX processes these requests and updates the necessary information. When a missing catalog item is requested, the IT component for which the request was raised is automatically linked once the catalog item is created.

To report missing data or request a missing catalog item, do the following:

  1. Select Report Missing Data from the menu in the top right corner of the relevant row. It opens an outlay for you to fill.
  2. Fill in the needed information in the resulting outlay. Add your request in the Request Comments section.
  3. Click Submit Request.

View your raised requests in the Requested tab of the Lifecycle Catalog linking page. Details of the requests, along with their current status, can be viewed here.

The statuses include:

  • Open: The request is received and is being processed.
  • Input Needed: More input is needed to process the request. In such cases, update the request with needed information by responding to the Collection Comment in the Request Description text box
  • Declined: The request raised will not be added to the Catalog. The reasons are mentioned in the Collection Comment.
  • Not Created: An error occurred during the creation of the request. Recreate the request with the necessary information.

From the menu on the right, you have the option to update your requests on your own to provide any additional information needed. Declined Requests can be marked as Ignored, allowing you to link them to a different Lifecycle Catalog Item.

Raised Requests in the Requested Tab

Raised Requests in the Requested Tab

Linking an IT Component Fact Sheet from the Fact Sheet Page

To link IT Component Fact Sheet from the Fact Sheet page, follow these steps:

  1. Open the IT Component Fact Sheet.
  2. On the right side panel, click Lifecycle Catalog. The Lifecycle Catalog page opens with relevant recommendations for that IT Component.
  3. Choose the catalog item to link or search for a specific item to link from the search bar, then click Link.
Linking IT Components From the Fact Sheet

Linking IT Components From the Fact Sheet

Linking IT Component Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

You can link the IT Component Fact Sheet to a catalog item directly from the Fact Sheet creation overlay while creating an IT Component Fact Sheet.

While creating an IT Component Fact Sheet, do the following:

  1. Enter the name of the IT Component in the Fact Sheet creation overlay. As you type the application name, recommendations from the Lifecycle Catalog will appear below the input field
  2. Choose the appropriate catalog item, and click Create & Link.
Linking IT Component Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

Linking IT Component Fact Sheet During Fact Sheet Creation

Linking Multiple IT Components to the Same Item of Lifecycle Catalog

When configuring Lifecycle Catalog settings, selecting the Name and Release field for syncing prevents linking multiple Fact Sheets to the same catalog item. This helps avoid duplicates and name conflicts in workspaces.

However, there are scenarios where linking multiple IT Component Fact Sheets to the same Catalog entry is needed. To address this, you can exclude the synchronization of the Name and Release field in the Lifecycle Catalog settings. This allows you to link multiple Fact Sheets to the same catalog item.

If you prefer to synchronize the Name and Release field and still want to link multiple Fact Sheets, a workaround involves creating an abstract parent Fact Sheet and linking it to the Catalog. Then, model all instances of the same IT Component as child Fact Sheets under this parent instance.

Implications of Meta Model v4 on Lifecycle Catalog

Items in the Lifecycle Catalog have been updated to reflect the new subtypes (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS) introduced with Meta Model V4. As a result, many of the catalog items previously categorized as 'Software,' 'Hardware,' or 'Service' now fall under one of the three 'as a service' types.

Your existing or new Fact Sheets linked to Lifecycle Catalog items will maintain their current subtype classification until the subtypes SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS are introduced in your workspace. Once introduced, the relevant Fact Sheets will automatically transition into the new subtypes whenever a catalog item is refreshed with updates.

To update all Fact Sheets at once after aligning your workspace with Meta Mode v4, you can raise a support ticket at LeanIX Support.