Authorized SAM Provider (ASP) integrations for IBM

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Authorized SAM Provider (ASP) integrations for IBM

    The Authorized SAM Provider (ASP) integrations for IBM enable ServiceNow customers to track and manage IBM licenses across VMware vSphere, IBM LPAR infrastructures, and supported public cloud environments without relying on IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory. These integrations connect the Software Asset Management (SAM) publisher pack for IBM with authorized providers participating in the IBM Client Value Acceleration (CVA) Program, which replaced the previous IBM Authorized SAM Provider (IASP) Program as of January 1, 2025.

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    This integration simplifies IBM license usage reporting and compliance through a centralized catalog of IBM software information that discovery tools use to identify installed software and facilitate accurate license classification and bundling.

    Key Features

    • Supported Providers: Anglepoint (via Anglepoint Elevate platform), Deloitte, EY, and KPMG.
    • Software Requirements: Installation of the IBM License Compliance for Software Asset Management application is mandatory; Anglepoint integration requires an additional application from the ServiceNow Store.
    • Discovery and Catalog Management: Retrieve and upload IBM software discovery catalogs from the ASP to enable ServiceNow Discovery to identify IBM software installations accurately.
    • License Metrics: Use PVU (Processor Value Unit), RVU (Resource Value Unit), and VPC (Virtual Processor Core) metrics to reconcile software usage and optimize licensing costs.
    • Cloud Environment Support: Integration supports license tracking in AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform with configuration of their respective auto-update services for CMDB synchronization.
    • Virtualization Support: Compatible with VMware vSphere and IBM LPAR infrastructures.
    • IBM Cloud Paks Licensing: Supports licensing rules for IBM Cloud Paks when integrated with authorized SAM providers.
    • License Reconciliation: Automated weekly or on-demand reconciliation keeps IBM license positions accurate without manual calculation.
    • Domain Separation: Supports enabling reconciliation for specific domains when domain separation is used.
    • Data Integration with Anglepoint: Allows connection to Anglepoint Elevate platform for licensing data transfer, including viewing peak usage, device breakdowns, and product classifications.
    • Deduplication: Supports deduplication of IBM software installations discovered through multiple sources, aiding transitions between authorized provider integrations and ILMT or BigFix Inventory.
    • Host Metadata Verification: Improves license calculation accuracy by verifying and updating physical host metadata where IBM software is installed.

    Prerequisites and Setup

    • Complete CVA Program participation prerequisites.
    • Install the IBM License Compliance for Software Asset Management application from the ServiceNow Store.
    • Enable the relevant Software Asset Management property for IBM license compliance.
    • Activate Discovery and File-based Discovery plugins, and install Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application.
    • If using domain separation, activate the Domain Support plugin.
    • Download and upload the IBM software discovery catalog from the authorized SAM provider.
    • Configure cloud provider services (AWS Config, Azure Alert, or Google Cloud Logging) for automatic CMDB updates if managing public cloud licenses.
    • For Anglepoint integrations, install Anglepoint’s IBM Licensing application and set up the Anglepoint Elevate platform.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamlined license management and compliance reporting for IBM software without complex tool integrations.
    • Accurate tracking of IBM license usage across physical, virtualized, and cloud environments.
    • Automated reconciliation reduces manual effort and improves license cost optimization.
    • Enhanced visibility into license consumption, including detailed usage metrics and classifications.
    • Flexibility to manage IBM licenses in multi-domain or segregated environments.

    You can track and manage IBM licenses in both VMware vSphere environments and IBM LPAR infrastructures by integrating the Software Asset Management publisher pack for IBM with Software Asset Management providers that are authorized to participate in the IBM Client Value Acceleration (CVA) Program. With these integrations, you can track and manage IBM licensing directly without having to integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory.

    The CVA Program is an invitation-only license verification program that allows clients who contract with Authorized SAM Providers (ASPs) to report on their IBM license usage independently. For more information on the CVA Program, see CVA Program Verification.

    Important:
    As of January 1, 2025, IBM has withdrawn its IBM Authorized SAM Provider (IASP) Program and replaced it with the CVA Program. If you are an existing IASP Program user, contact your IBM representative to upgrade to the new CVA agreement and migrate to the CVA Program.
    The IBM publisher pack supports integrations with the following ASPs:
    • Anglepoint (through the Anglepoint Elevate platform)
    • Deloitte
    • EY
    • KPMG

    To integrate with an ASP, you must request and install the IBM License Compliance for Software Asset Management application from the ServiceNow® Store. This application provides the core functionality and license metrics that are required for tracking and managing IBM licensing directly. If you are integrating with Anglepoint, you must also request and install Anglepoint's IBM Licensing for Software Asset Management application from the ServiceNow® Store. This application enables you to store IBM software information from Anglepoint.

    After you install the necessary applications, you must retrieve the IBM software discovery catalog from the ASP that you are integrating with. This catalog, which is maintained separately by each ASP, is a centralized repository of IBM software information that discovery tools, such as the ServiceNow® Discovery application, can use to identify the IBM software that is discovered in your environment. After you retrieve the catalog, you must upload it to your ServiceNow instance.

    On successful upload, you can use the ServiceNow Discovery application to run a discovery for your IBM software. The Discovery application uses the uploaded catalog to identify any IBM software that is discovered in your environment. It then sends this data to the ASP for comprehensive software classification and bundling.

    After your discovered IBM software is properly classified and bundled, the ASP sends this data back to your ServiceNow® instance. The Software Asset Management application can then use the processor value unit (PVU), resource value unit (RVU), and virtual processor core (VPC) license metrics to reconcile this data so that you can track your IBM software usage and optimize your licensing costs. For more information on the PVU and RVU license metrics, see IBM processor value unit (PVU) and resource value unit (RVU) licenses. For more information on the VPC license metric, see IBM virtual processor core (VPC) licenses.

    Prerequisites

    Before you can integrate the IBM publisher pack with an ASP, you must complete the following prerequisites:
    If you are integrating the IBM publisher pack with Anglepoint, you must also complete these additional prerequisites: