Managing IT assets and resources in ServiceNow involves leveraging its IT Asset Management (ITAM) capabilities to effectively track, monitor, and optimize IT assets throughout their lifecycle. Here are the key steps involved in managing IT assets and resources in ServiceNow:
1. Asset Discovery and Inventory:
– Utilize ServiceNow Discovery or other discovery tools to automatically identify and populate the CMDB with IT assets.
– Configure discovery schedules and probes to regularly scan the network and collect information about hardware, software, and network assets.
– Maintain an accurate and up-to-date inventory of IT assets, including detailed information such as asset type, owner, location, status, relationships, and configurations.
2. Asset Lifecycle Management:
– Establish processes for managing assets throughout their lifecycle, including procurement, deployment, maintenance, and retirement/disposal.
– Define workflows to track and manage asset requests, approvals, and provisioning.
– Configure automated workflows for asset retirement, including decommissioning, data sanitization, and disposal processes.
3. Asset Tracking and Visibility:
– Utilize asset tags or barcodes to uniquely identify and track physical assets.
– Leverage ServiceNow’s mobile capabilities to perform physical audits and track asset movements.
– Utilize asset scanning features to easily update asset information and maintain accurate records.
4. Software Asset Management:
– Utilize ServiceNow’s Software Asset Management (SAM) capabilities to manage software licenses, entitlements, and usage.
– Track software installations, license compliance, and software usage to optimize license utilization.
– Implement software recognition and normalization processes to accurately identify installed software.
5. Contract and Vendor Management:
– Maintain a repository of contracts and vendor information within ServiceNow.
– Track contract details, renewal dates, and service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure compliance and manage vendor relationships.
– Leverage vendor performance metrics and reports to evaluate and optimize vendor relationships.
6. Asset Maintenance and Service Requests:
– Enable users to request asset maintenance or service through the Service Catalog.
– Configure workflows to route requests to the appropriate support teams or vendors for resolution.
– Track and manage maintenance activities, including scheduled maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.
7. Reporting and Analytics:
– Utilize ServiceNow’s reporting and analytics capabilities to gain insights into asset utilization, compliance, and cost optimization.
– Generate reports and dashboards to visualize asset data, track performance, and identify areas for improvement.
8. Integration and Automation:
– Integrate ServiceNow with other systems such as procurement systems, software license management tools, and financial systems to streamline asset management processes and data exchange.
– Leverage automation capabilities to automatically update asset information, trigger workflows, and streamline asset-related tasks.
By effectively managing IT assets and resources in ServiceNow, organizations can gain better visibility into their asset inventory, optimize asset utilization, ensure compliance, and reduce costs. ServiceNow’s ITAM capabilities provide a centralized platform to streamline asset management processes and improve overall IT asset governance.
