Elevate your data platform strategy with ITOM Content Services

[Sree32]

A well-maintained data platform for IT  (a.k.a. Configuration Management Database) serves as the backbone of your enterprise service management processes, enabling organizations to achieve greater efficiency, agility, and reliability in your operations. Visibility to deployed applications (running software) and service context awareness assist ITOps and CloudOps to drive effective change/incident management, software asset management, security, and Risk workflows.

How ITOM Content Services can help to improve visibility to Running Applications

“Application” CIs defined in the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) are the foundational bedrock for recording a running software in your data platform. Discovery can detect running process estate in cmdb_running_process table. For example - sqlserver.exe is detected, MS SQL Server application CI is created with the process classifiers shipped with the ITOM offering. Application CIs curated by the data platform play a critical role in impact assessments, CI binding with monitoring alerts, change impact blast radius assessments, and security workflows.

 

ServiceNow ITOM Content Service offers value-added services to your Discovery implementation, by enriching unclassified process fingerprints to normalized publisher and product taxonomy from the Software Asset management content library.  ServiceNow performs clustering analysis on your discovered running process table and creates summarized records in  cmdb_process_groups tables. Discovery Administrators can curate process fingerprints or OPT-IN to share un-classified summarized process fingerprints in the cmdb_process_groups table to ITOM Content services. You can also create installed software data from the discovered running process estate. 

Download Discovery Admin Workspace from store.servicenow.com

Discovery Admin Workspace --> Content 360

 

Opt-In to Content Services

Process classifiers will be shipped to your instances every week. 

 

 Referenece -  KB1584650

These enhancements reflect a focus on improving discovery content coverage and driving critical outcomes for your business. Stay tuned for some exciting news and features coming into the knowledge 2024.

[pratik0306]

One small query.

So will this be more helpful when SAM is also implemented or just standalone discovery/service mapping also it would provide insights?

[Alvaro Paronuzz]

I have the same question posted by @pratik0306 

[Christopher Ow3]

We are going down the same journey and would love to know the same please

[Sree32]

No dependency on Software Asset Management. Standalone Discovery customers can use ITOM Content Services and benefit from application fingerprinting.

[p_tishberg]

I'll take an assumption leap.

What I believe the questions are asking is:

IF I HAVE SAMPro already, will the application fingerprinting that you are describing here help in any way (what way specified, please) assist asset managers/developers to correctly identify software by application pattern to increase discovery of software products?

Am I on the spot here with what people are asking about?

[Sree32]

@p_tishberg 

Yes. Installed software data is the foundation for driving software asset management outcomes. You can detect installed software with below methods :

a) package manager

b) file-based discovery

c) custom patterns.

ITOM content service offers an easy way to detect running software from process fingerprints. 

[Adz1]

@Sree32 

Does the content service also add records to the SNMP System OIDs table to crowdsource them to support discovery?

If not, is it on the roadmap, or are we still in the same place that @doug_schulze described in 2022?

 Solved: Re: SNMP MIB and OID - what are expectations for O... - ServiceNow Community

[Christopher Hub]

Once installed and opted in, is the recommended practice to activate all recommendations?  The resulting set was over 1,000 records, so not likely a good candidate for manual evaluation.

Thank you!

[Charles Keown]

Following up on Christopher Hub's inquiry in July 2024, is there any harm and/or performance strain if we simply enable all of the Content service suggestions?

[Alexander Versh]

@Sree32 and all other brilliant minds,

I cannot find the actual agreement that I supposed to read and accept before I choose to opt-in.

Can someone share a link to it, please?