Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes - Classification attributes for the Software Technologies Inventory
Software Technologies Inventory and Attributes
Chapter 11. Classification attributes for the Software Technologies Inventory
Executive Summary: Chapter Overview
IF4ITThe Bottom Line
Core Concepts
| Concept | Definition & Strategic Role |
|---|---|
| Governed Category Set | The category and subcategory values are drawn from the governed taxonomy defined elsewhere in this document, so classification stays consistent as the inventory grows. |
| Licensing Model | Whether a technology is commercial, open source, or internally developed determines which obligations apply and which governance path the record follows. |
| Criticality Tier | How much depends on a technology, which sets the priority order for patching, remediation, and end-of-support response when resources are finite. |
Quick Q&A
Question: Why are licensing model and criticality classification attributes rather than categories?
Read More Below
Classification attributes capture what kind of thing each software technology is, and the properties by which the portfolio is filtered, grouped, and prioritized.
| Attribute Name | Maturity | Description and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Software Technology Category | Crawl | Description — The top-level classification of the technology by the kind of thing it is. Benefit(s) — Makes the portfolio navigable and lets governance be applied by class rather than one technology at a time. Source — Manual. Examples — Data Software, Security Software, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Software Notes — Values are drawn from the governed category set defined elsewhere in this document. Enterprises extend that set to their own landscape. |
| Software Technology Subcategory | Walk | Description — The specific classification beneath the category, naming the particular kind of technology. Benefit(s) — Enables the questions that matter operationally: how many relational database technologies are in use, how many message brokers do the same job. Source — Manual. Examples — Relational Database Software, Message Queue and Streaming Software Notes — Values are drawn from the same governed category set. |
| Licensing Model | Crawl | Description — How the technology is licensed in principle: commercial, open source, or internally developed. Benefit(s) — Determines which obligations apply — commercial entitlement compliance, open source license obligations, or neither — and routes the record to the right governance path. Source — Manual. Examples — Commercial, Open Source, Internally Developed Notes — This is the model, not the specific licence. Terms and entitlements are governed in the Contractual and Legal category and in the software licence and subscription inventories. |
| Deployment Model | Walk | Description — How the technology is deployed and consumed: installed on enterprise infrastructure, consumed as a managed cloud service, or a hybrid of both. Benefit(s) — Determines who patches it, who is accountable for availability, and which risks the enterprise retains versus transfers. Source — Manual. Examples — Self-Hosted, Managed Cloud Service, Hybrid Notes — Where the same technology is deployed both ways, record the predominant model and note the exception. |
| Criticality Tier | Walk | Description — How much depends on this technology, expressed on the enterprise's criticality scale. Benefit(s) — Sets the priority order for patching, remediation, and end-of-support response when resources are finite. Source — Manual or Derived. Examples — Tier 1 — Critical, Tier 3 — Standard Notes — At Run maturity this can be derived from the criticality of the dependent applications rather than assessed independently. |
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