What is a disadvantage of Traffic-based Service Mapping?

Traffic-based Service Mapping primarily focuses on analyzing network traffic to identify and map the services and Configuration Items (CIs) that are involved in delivering those services. While this method is effective in many ways, it can lead to the mapping of redundant Configuration Items. This redundancy occurs because traffic-based mapping may capture instances of the same service or CI multiple times, especially if there are similar network flows or if services are shared across multiple applications or servers.

This can result in an overly complex service map, which hampers clarity and can lead to increased maintenance efforts. Redundant mapping can also affect performance metrics and reporting, making it difficult for IT teams to understand the actual configuration of their services. Thus, the recognition of potentially redundant CIs is a significant disadvantage of relying solely on traffic-based techniques for Service Mapping.

In contrast, the other options, while they may present valid points, do not address the core weakness in terms of redundancy caused by traffic analysis. Each of those options speaks to different aspects of service mapping that may or may not apply to the specific context of traffic analysis, emphasizing why redundant mapping stands out as a primary concern.