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Why do IT shops have so many SCM tools?

By Jennifer deJong

July 1, 2008 — According to Forrester Research, four factors help to answer that question:

Mainframe and midrange developers are accustomed to different SCM tools. When a shop develops across z/OS, OS/400 and distributed operating systems, such as Windows and Unix, SCM heterogeneity is a fact of life. SCM tools that support all of those platforms exist, but the reality is that the best mainframe tools run only on the mainframe. Even toolmakers, such as CA, IBM and Serena that offer hosted and distributed SCM tools, promote products with different code bases for each platform.

SCM requirements vary by project size and type of application. Development teams gravitate toward an SCM tool for a variety of reasons—from geographical distribution to style of development to cultural affinity.

IT inherits SCM tools through acquisitions. Companies that make multiple acquisitions inevitably end up with pockets of competing SCM tools. In the post-purchase phases, integrating key business applications always takes precedence over consolidating SCM efforts. After all, if a development team is productive with its existing SCM tool, why risk throwing a wrench into the gears of a well-oiled machine?

Open-source projects use open-source SCM tools. Developers who commit code are required to use open-source SCM offerings, such as CVS and Subversion. It’s not an issue for those merely consuming code, but if they want to contribute to a project, they definitely will use open-source tools.

Source: Adapted from “Standardized Software Change And Configuration Management: Achievable Goal Or Wishful Thinking?” by Jeffrey S. Hammond. Forrester Research, October 2007.

Related Search Term(s): SCM

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