EMS – Discovery / Configuration Management Analyst
At Southern Company, our core objective is to ensure a safe and reliable computing environment for the consumers of our services, both internally and externally. Our complex environment generates a constant stream of challenges which require continual innovation with an evolving set of technologies. Keeping the network safe and reliable ensures that our users stay connected with our applications, products, and services.
This role is within the Southern Company Transmission - Energy Management System (EMS) organization. This position is part of a team responsible for assisting the EMS Compliance and Quality Assurance Manager with the execution of maintaining EMS in a constant “audit ready” state, provide data-driven metrics to support and enhance EMS department business processes and objectives.
This Discovery/Configuration Management Analyst role will contribute and influence through active participation in the configuration management of both developmental and operational systems. You will work collaboratively with a team to create and maintain configuration baselines for various stages, including development, testing, and production. In addition, the successful candidate will partner with SMEs to recommend and utilize automated configuration management tools to implement and enforce configuration policies and procedures.
You will have the opportunity to support the ITSM solution in the Operations Technology (OT) environment. The desired candidate will ensure continued growth of the BMC Discovery implementation using available tools to ensure successful Discovery scans and CMDB population while expanding the scope of what can be discovered.
Your combined role entails managing and optimizing both the Discovery process and the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), by overseeing and configuring the Discovery process to identify and map IT assets and services accurately and efficiently as well as ensuring the CMDB is well-maintained, accurate, and up to date by validating and managing the data obtained from the Discovery process and other sources. Also, reconciliation processes for the flow through and accuracy of all detail related to Configuration Items, Service Mappings, and Application Services, along with other ITSM process integrations as part of overall CMDB, Service Management, and Asset Management.
This position will be responsible for:
- Analyze, design, and implement discovery tooling technologies across a broad spectrum of modern hardware and software IT assets.
- Define monitoring and operational automation to control and manage discovery coverage, quality of discovered attributes and reconciliation of data.
- Interact with stakeholders and customers to collect and analyze data and discovery requirements.
- Design and implement discovery tool and data integrations with configuration management tool and other related inventory/system of record in the ITSM ecosystem.
- Supporting the tracking and publishing of relevant metrics.
- Support development of workflow, data forms, reconciliation, and normalization jobs, and discover patterns required to implement and maintain a fully populated and functioning configuration management system and ITSM Administration
- Stay up to date with industry trends and technologies, exploring opportunities to enhance the functionality and capabilities of ITSM.
- Assist with the development of a robust ITIL CMDB strategy.
- Ability to assist in implementing hardware and software version control processes, policies, and procedures.
- Familiarity with ITIL frameworks and certification (ITIL Foundation certification is a plus). knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) processes and best practices.
- Ability to influence decision making and work effort outside of formal reporting relationships.
- Superior communication skills, both verbal and written, to engage, build credibility, and maintain strong relationships with peers and business partners.
- Proven proficiency as a liaison between technical and non-technical resources for tactical and strategic perspectives.
- Strong critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills with aptitude.
- Ability to manage multiple, high, & competing priorities in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment.
Requirements: (Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills)
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in: Technology, Security, Audit, or related discipline is strongly desired.
- Job Experience
- Technical knowledge and understanding of web application coding and using one or more of the following: TPL Scripting, Windows Batch/VBS/ PowerShell, NSH or UNIX shell scripting previous system administration or design experience with Microsoft SQL, SQL queries, joins and lookups is mandatory.
- Knowledge of ITSM products (BMC Remedy Atrium, Service Now, or CMDB, Common Data Model (CDM), Product Catalog Configuration, Normalization and reconciliation job development, and discovery integrations.
- Experience working with ITSM Software platform, including customization, configuration, and administration is strongly preferred.
- Proficiency in using industry-standard configuration management tools.
- Experience with modern ITSM implementations and discovery integrations.
- Experience with integrating data from other systems with change management tool.
- Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Limited travel to Birmingham, AL and Atlanta, GA office locations. The position currently requires 3 days per week in the office.