Microsoft Azure Cloud The Microsoft Azure Cloud application integrates with Azure to expose virtual machine and managed services management to ServiceNow users. The application enables users to request Azure virtual resources through the service catalog and provides flexible reporting for Azure admins. The Microsoft Azure Cloud application provides the following fundamental services: Lifecycle management for individual VMs Lifecycle management for resource groups Cost and Usage reports of Azure data using ServiceNow report modules Figure 1. Microsoft Azure Cloud Cloud Admin portalCloud admins can use the Cloud Admin portal to view charts and reports on metrics, resource optimization, chargebacks, and requests for virtual assets.Install and configure Microsoft Azure CloudTo prepare ServiceNow Cloud Management to work with Azure, you perform several one-time configuration tasks. The modules that support the tasks appear under Microsoft Azure Cloud > Administration.Configure and run Discovery for your Azure subscriptionIn this procedure, you specify the subscriptions to manage and configure the Discovery schedule for discovering resources in the subscriptions.Define the schedule for downloading billing dataTo obtain the data that appears on billing reports, a job (a scheduled script) downloads the billing data from the provider to the ServiceNow database.Configure default lease settingsProperties specify the default lease period and maximum allowed duration of a virtual server lease for all cloud providers.Define an eviction policy for VM snapshotsTo conserve disk space, you specify an eviction policy -- a script that deletes an existing snapshot when the following situation arises: 1. The count of snapshots equals the specified snapshot Limit setting and 2. A scheduled job attempts to take a new snapshot.Define Azure VM catalog itemsYou create a catalog item based on an image that you have approved for provisioning. You can then add the item to the service catalog to offer the item to cloud users (requesters).Define Azure resource group catalog itemsA resource group is a container that holds related resources for an application. With Azure Resource Manager (ARM), you create a template that defines deployment and configuration for an application. Based on the ARM template, you create a catalog item for the resource group that end users can request.Define a provisioning ruleProvisioning rules auto-configure cloud resources. When a user requests a cloud resource, each provisioning rule (in the specified order) compares the requested resource against the conditions in the rule. If the request meets all conditions, then the system assigns a value to the variables that are specified in the rule.Tags improve reporting for cloud resourcesCloud admins can enrich tracking and billing data for cloud resources by configuring the system to auto-tag resources when they are provisioned. For example, when resources are tagged with a "Cost Center" tag, the reports can present the billing data segregated by cost center. Azure troubleshootingCloud operator tasksBy default, users with the cloud_operator role can perform particular actions on any virtual resource.Request and maintain VMsRequested VMs are subject to normal approvals and some special provisioning tasks. For some providers, you can make a service catalog request to start, stop, terminate, and extend the lease on a VM.Request and maintain Azure resource groupsAs a cloud user, you can request and manage Azure resource groups from the My Virtual Assets portal. For example, you can use the draft deployment feature to make updates, request the termination of a resource group, or change the date that a lease should end.Cloud Management reportsThe ServiceNow Cloud Management application generates reports that you can customize in ways that are not available in the default provider environment. You can filter the data that is displayed in the reports and can associate custom tags with resources. Tags enable you to analyze the data using criteria that you specify.
Microsoft Azure Cloud The Microsoft Azure Cloud application integrates with Azure to expose virtual machine and managed services management to ServiceNow users. The application enables users to request Azure virtual resources through the service catalog and provides flexible reporting for Azure admins. The Microsoft Azure Cloud application provides the following fundamental services: Lifecycle management for individual VMs Lifecycle management for resource groups Cost and Usage reports of Azure data using ServiceNow report modules Figure 1. Microsoft Azure Cloud Cloud Admin portalCloud admins can use the Cloud Admin portal to view charts and reports on metrics, resource optimization, chargebacks, and requests for virtual assets.Install and configure Microsoft Azure CloudTo prepare ServiceNow Cloud Management to work with Azure, you perform several one-time configuration tasks. The modules that support the tasks appear under Microsoft Azure Cloud > Administration.Configure and run Discovery for your Azure subscriptionIn this procedure, you specify the subscriptions to manage and configure the Discovery schedule for discovering resources in the subscriptions.Define the schedule for downloading billing dataTo obtain the data that appears on billing reports, a job (a scheduled script) downloads the billing data from the provider to the ServiceNow database.Configure default lease settingsProperties specify the default lease period and maximum allowed duration of a virtual server lease for all cloud providers.Define an eviction policy for VM snapshotsTo conserve disk space, you specify an eviction policy -- a script that deletes an existing snapshot when the following situation arises: 1. The count of snapshots equals the specified snapshot Limit setting and 2. A scheduled job attempts to take a new snapshot.Define Azure VM catalog itemsYou create a catalog item based on an image that you have approved for provisioning. You can then add the item to the service catalog to offer the item to cloud users (requesters).Define Azure resource group catalog itemsA resource group is a container that holds related resources for an application. With Azure Resource Manager (ARM), you create a template that defines deployment and configuration for an application. Based on the ARM template, you create a catalog item for the resource group that end users can request.Define a provisioning ruleProvisioning rules auto-configure cloud resources. When a user requests a cloud resource, each provisioning rule (in the specified order) compares the requested resource against the conditions in the rule. If the request meets all conditions, then the system assigns a value to the variables that are specified in the rule.Tags improve reporting for cloud resourcesCloud admins can enrich tracking and billing data for cloud resources by configuring the system to auto-tag resources when they are provisioned. For example, when resources are tagged with a "Cost Center" tag, the reports can present the billing data segregated by cost center. Azure troubleshootingCloud operator tasksBy default, users with the cloud_operator role can perform particular actions on any virtual resource.Request and maintain VMsRequested VMs are subject to normal approvals and some special provisioning tasks. For some providers, you can make a service catalog request to start, stop, terminate, and extend the lease on a VM.Request and maintain Azure resource groupsAs a cloud user, you can request and manage Azure resource groups from the My Virtual Assets portal. For example, you can use the draft deployment feature to make updates, request the termination of a resource group, or change the date that a lease should end.Cloud Management reportsThe ServiceNow Cloud Management application generates reports that you can customize in ways that are not available in the default provider environment. You can filter the data that is displayed in the reports and can associate custom tags with resources. Tags enable you to analyze the data using criteria that you specify.
