Patent ID: 8548916

Claim:
A method, comprising: requesting, by a configuration information collection system, a password corresponding to a first configuration item of a plurality of configuration items from an identity (ID) management system based on an indication to detect information for the first configuration item; receiving, at the configuration information collection system, an encrypted password from the ID management system for the first configuration item in response to the request for the password corresponding to the first configuration item; transmitting, by the configuration information collection system, the encrypted password to a decryption system; receiving, at the configuration information collection system, a decrypted password from the decryption system; storing, at the configuration information collection system, the decrypted password; transmitting, by the configuration information collection system, the decrypted password to the first configuration item for the information; receiving, at the configuration information collection system, the infoimation from the first configuration item; removing, from the configuration information collection system, the decrypted password in response to receiving the information from the first configuration item; determining, by the configuration information collection system, whether the information from the first configuration item relates to a new configuration item or to an existing configuration item by comparing at least a portion of the information from the first configuration item and data in a configuration management database; and initiating modification of the configuration management database with the information from the first configuration item according to the determination.