WMI allows scripting languages (such as VBScript or PowerShell) to manage Microsoft Windows personal computers and servers, both locally and remotely.
Beyond the scripting needs, most leading management solutions, such as Microsoft Operations Mamager (MOM), System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), Active Directory Services (ADS), HP OpenView (HPOV), and the various offerings of BMC Software and CA, Inc. are WMI-enabled, i.e., capable of consuming and providing WMI information.
WMI is based on an industry standard called Common Information Model (CIM) defined by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).
The CIM class-based schema is defined by a consortium of manufacturers and software developers for the requirements of the industry.
Starting with Windows XP SP2, Microsoft leverages WMI to get status information from antivirus software and firewalls.
The extensions are part of the WDM architecture; however, they have broad utility and can be used with other types of drivers as well (such as SCSI and NDIS).
WMI extensions for WDM offer a set of Windows device driver interfaces for instrumenting data within the driver models native to Windows, so OEMs and IHVs can easily extend the instrumented data set and add value to a hardware/software solution.