ServiceNow Vancouver: what's new? (part 1 - SAM)

The ServiceNow Vancouver release, which was rolled out in Q3 of 2023, again brings in a lot of new features when it comes to IT Asset Management (ITAM). In this blog, ....

.... we will focus on Software Asset Management. Other parts of this blog series focus on HAM, Cloud Insights and Discovery. 

Software Asset Management

The ServiceNow Vancouver release brings useful additions to ServiceNow Software Asset Management (SAM). We will highlight some of the most noteworthy changes, such as the Overlapping usage view and the Microsoft SQL Server License Management Guided Setup in the Software Asset Workspace. Furthermore, we’ll touch upon features such as the Success Guides for Microsoft 365 and IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), optimisation of Microsoft 365 subscription costs, and flexibility in the reclamation process.

Overlapping usage view

Get insights into how your organization uses SaaS and Single sign-on (SSO) applications by using the Overlapping usage view in the Software Asset Workspace​.

In the Overlapping usage view the spend on your applications will be grouped into categories based on the main function of the software application. For example, video conferencing, project management, and email marketing. You can view and compare details such as spend, usage, total number of subscriptions, and reclamation candidates within an application category.

You can take action against any redundant software you discover. You can discontinue software, reduce software usage, migrate users to approved software, or take other actions using the ‘Create demand’ feature to rationalize software applications.

Guided setup for SQL Server Licensing

To configure SQL Server licensing and organise the configuration activities into various categories, the Guided Setup provides a step-by-step guidance for completing tasks and help you configure Microsoft SQL Server on your ServiceNow instance.

Adobe Subscriptions Optimization​

This feature will help you to save on your Adobe subscription costs by optimizing your Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions. SAM can reclaim Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps.

For example, when less than three Adobe products are actively used, SAM can provide recommendations to assign only the single App or an individual product.

Microsoft 365 subscription costs Optimization​

Based on the usage and recommendation type, you can optimize subscription costs by viewing the recommendations for subscriptions, and achieve potential savings. This includes optimization for Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), and Windows.

You can remove dual licenses, evaluate usage, and downgrade subscriptions to a lower plan for Microsoft 365, and consolidate individual Microsoft 365 app subscriptions into one Microsoft 365 plan.

Entitlement Enhancements

You can copy allocations from a source entitlement to a target entitlement, in order to renew expired entitlements or add a new maintenance. Furthermore, you can copy allocations while creating entitlements that require the same allocations used in another entitlement. User allocations can be copied to entitlements that support user allocations. Similarly, device allocations can be copied to entitlements that support device allocations. If the selected user or device is already allocated in the target entitlement, the quantity of that allocation is incremented.

By creating consumption rules you can limit consumption of entitlements to specific set of entities during the reconciliation process. If a consumption rule isn't defined for an entitlement and when the reconciliation process runs, any entity can use that entitlement regardless of who owns it. Rules can be created for Company, Department, Region, Cost center, and Country. It supports parent-child hierarchy. After you create consumption rules in the License operations view, you must link a consumption rule to one or more entitlements in the ‘Entitlement Consumption Rules’ related list on the entitlement page. A single consumption rule can be used across multiple entitlements, which helps in reuse of consumption rules.

Consumption rules allow you to define license pools for entities. A license pool is a reservation of rights for a group entity defined on a consumption rule. License pools are specific to an entity per entitlement. If no license pool is defined, the entity can consume rights, but none will be set aside as a guarantee.   

Enhanced Reclamation​ Management

In this release, there is greater flexibility to create reclamation rules. 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.

This condition builder is useful to limit removal candidates, and expanded capabilities to identify software with no usage.

Access the Success guides for Microsoft 365 and IBM ILMT through a Value builder task

From the Success Portal view in the Software Asset Workspace, you can access the success guides for Microsoft 365 and IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) as part of a Value builder task. This is useful to easily find information about the tasks involved in various feature set-ups and integrations.

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.

Manage Microsoft Windows Server license compliance in virtual environments

You can use the Per Core (with CAL) license metric to track and manage the Microsoft Windows Server licenses in your virtual environments or for any of your physical or virtual core-based licenses. 

License individual VMs by using active Software Assurance (SA) or Microsoft software subscription licenses​.

Track and manage the Microsoft Windows Server licenses in your virtual environments. Stay up to date with the new Microsoft licensing requirements​.