The ServiceNow® Software Asset Management application systematically tracks, evaluates, and manages cost, utilization, compliance, and optimization for software and SaaS applications. The Software Asset Management application was enhanced and updated in the Vancouver release.

Software Asset Management highlights for the Vancouver release

  • Get insights into how your organization uses your SaaS and Single sign-on (SSO) applications by using the Overlapping usage view in the Software Asset Workspace. Learn how your organization can use application rationalization to discover the usage of applications and compare the usage of applications within a category.
  • Plan how to implement and configure Microsoft SQL Server by using the Microsoft SQL Server License Management Guided Setup in Software Asset Workspace.
  • Access the success guides for Microsoft 365 and IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) as part of a Value builder task from the Success Portal view in the Software Asset Workspace. These success guides provide you with information about Microsoft 365 licensing, saving opportunities, and how to connect your IBM servers and Now Platform through the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or IBM BigFix Inventory integration.
  • Optimize your Microsoft 365 (Office 365, Enterprise Mobility+Security (EMS), and Windows) subscription costs by viewing the recommendations for subscriptions and potential savings that are based on your usage and recommendation type.
  • Gain more control and flexibility in the reclamation process. You can identify specific versions or editions of products, use the new condition builder to limit removal candidates, and expanded capabilities to identify software with no usage.

See Software Asset Management for more information.

Important: Software Asset Management SaaS License Management, Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services, and IBM License Compliance for Software Asset Management are available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes.

Important information for upgrading Software Asset Management to Vancouver

For information about upgrading from the Software Asset Management Foundation plugin (com.snc.sams), see Revert Software Asset Management customizations.

On upgrading to Vancouver, the Version and Edition fields in discovery map (DMAP) definitions support the new is_empty value. If the Edition field for an existing Microsoft SQL Server component DMAP definition was previously set to is_anything, it is automatically updated with the new is_empty value following content update.

New in the Vancouver release

Maximize the value of SaaS integrations by identifying feature level usage
Get insights into how your organization uses SaaS and SSO applications by using the Overlapping usage view in the Software Asset Workspace. You can determine if the application has to be downgraded to a lower edition based on usage and you can compare how the applications are used within a category.
Access the success guides for Microsoft 365 and IBM ILMT through a Value builder task
Access the success guides as part of a Value builder task from the Success Portal view in the Software Asset Workspace to improve the time to value for your organization. The instructions in the success guides help you do the following tasks:
  • Track your subscription licenses and proactively identify the saving opportunities for Microsoft 365.
  • Track and license your IBM usage so that you can configure the connection between the Now Platform and IBM ILMT or BigFix inventory.
Manage Microsoft SQL Server licensing through Guided Setup
Get started faster with Microsoft SQL Server licensing by using the Microsoft SQL Server License Management Guided Setup. The Guided Setup provides a prescriptive guidance for the tasks that you must perform to configure SQL Server licensing and organizes the configuration activities into various categories for ease of use.
Optimize your purchased Adobe subscriptions
Save on your Adobe subscription costs by optimizing your Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions. Software Asset Management reclaims Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps and recommends assigning only the Single App or individual product subscriptions when fewer than three Adobe products are actively used.
Optimize your Microsoft 365 subscription costs
Optimize your Microsoft 365 (Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), and Windows) subscription cost by removing dual licenses, evaluating usage, and downgrading subscriptions to a lower plan for Microsoft 365, and consolidating individual Microsoft 365 app subscriptions into one Microsoft 365 plan.
Simplify the credential setup for Adobe integration using OAuth Server-to-Server credentials
Simplify your credential setup process by integrating your Adobe Cloud services with a ServiceNow instance using OAuth credentials. Adobe is migrating from a Service Account (JWT) credential to an OAuth Server-to-Server credential. For more information, see the Adobe Migration guide.
Gain more control and flexibility on license consumption
Enhance your consumption rules by defining license pools for global entities. Consumption rules also support parent child hierarchy for groups.
Enhance reclamation management to address non-compliance
Create reclamation rules with greater flexibility. For example, you can apply conditions to a reclamation rule such as VIP exclusion, disable a reclamation rule, or report on potential savings for suite components. You can also specify the version or edition of reclaimed products to add more granularity.
Increase your visibility on the product life cycle report
Increase your visibility into the current and upcoming life cycle phase for your software deployments by using the enhanced life cycle report. With this report, you can also export the list of software installations.
Streamline entitlement management for greater adoption and ease of use
Copy and transfer your user or device allocations on entitlements during upgrade, step-up, or maintenance renewals. Use the enhanced export and import allocation capability to manage the allocations on your entitlements. Use the enhanced import capability to import the custom columns, the cost per pack for your core-based licenses, and the link imported entitlements to specific the software models.
Discover and reconcile Microsoft SQL Server component editions
Optimize the license consumption of your Microsoft SQL Server components by the component editions that you discover in your deployment. The Software Asset Management application uses this discovery data to create software installation records for each of your components and then reconciles each component to the correct edition.
Manage Microsoft Windows Server license compliance in virtual environments
Use the Per core (with CAL) license metric to track and manage the Microsoft Windows Server licenses in your virtual environments. With this license metric, you can license the individual virtual machines (VMs) by using active Software Assurance (SA) or Microsoft software subscription licenses. If you’re licensing a Microsoft cluster that contains both the physical hosts and VMs, you can use cost-based licensing optimizations to determine if it’s more cost-effective to license the physical hosts only, VMs only, or a combination of both physical hosts and VMs.
Import custom SAP price lists from your SAP system
Import the custom SAP price lists from your SAP system so that you can accurately track and reconcile your SAP licenses based on your negotiated contracts. You can also specify which SAP named user types are supported by each price list so that you can better manage optimizations for your SAP licenses.
Integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory using v2 APIs
Use version 2 of the ILMT and BigFix Inventory integration APIs to create a secure connection between your IBM servers and the Now Platform®. This connection enables you to import software installation data into your ServiceNow instance so that you can track and optimize your IBM licenses. With version 2 of these APIs, you can use the ILMT or BigFix Inventory integration to track and optimize the full capacity and sub-capacity processor value unit (PVU), resource value unit (RVU), and virtual processor core (VPC) licenses.

Deprecations

Starting with the Software Asset Management - SaaS License Management 12.0.6 version, Cisco Webex Meetings integration is no longer deployed or enhanced. Instead, use the Cisco Webex integration profile to integrate with Webex Meetings and other Webex applications.

Activation information

Software Asset Management is available with activation of the new Activate all Software Asset Management Professional plugins including Software Asset Workspace (com.sn_samp_master_ws). Activating this plugin automatically activates the Activate all Software Asset Management Professional plugin (com.sn_samp_master) and the Software Asset Workspace plugin (com.sn_sam_workspace). After the new plugin is activated, you can't access the classic user interface. For details, see Request Software Asset Management .

In the Now Platform Vancouver release, we provide limited support for the Software Asset Management classic user interface. While it will remain active in your instance, including when you upgrade to a new Now Platform release, we encourage you to move to the new workspace experience.

For releases prior to Utah, if you activated the older Software Asset Management Professional plugin (com.sn_samp_master), the Software Asset Workspace is available with activation of the Software Asset Workspace plugin (com.sn_sam_workspace). After the Workspace plugin is activated, you can't revert to the classic user interface. For details, see Request Software Asset Management .

To activate the Next Experience, make sure that the glide.ui.polaris.experience system property in your instance is set to true.

Install Software Asset Management SaaS License Management by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

Install Data Collection for Oracle Global Licensing and Advisory Services by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

Install IBM License Compliance for Software Asset Management by requesting it from the ServiceNow Store. Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

Accessibility information

Dark theme
Enable a dark theme or mode for the Value builder tasks in the Success portal view of the Software Asset Workspace. This option is commonly used to alleviate eye strain and improve readability.

Related ServiceNow applications and features

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Enterprise Asset Management
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