Software Asset Management Guided Experiences

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Software Asset Management Guided Experiences

    The Software Asset Management (SAM) Guided Experiences application offers structured, step-by-step guidance to help ServiceNow customers efficiently manage their daily software asset tasks. It uses playbooks to break down workflows into manageable lanes and tasks, providing clear progress tracking and an activity log for data entered. This approach simplifies complex processes such as entitlement creation, enabling users to complete tasks systematically and review their inputs before finalizing.

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    Key Features

    • Playbook Structure: Workflows are divided into lanes, each containing tasks with status indicators and checkboxes for task completion tracking. Users can save progress and resume later.
    • Activity Log: A dedicated panel logs all data entered during task completion for transparency and review.
    • Entitlement Setup: A guided playbook walks users through the entire entitlement creation process from start to finish.
    • Guided Setup for Product Configurations: Predefined sequences guide configuration of Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Windows Server licenses within the ServiceNow instance.
    • Easy Access and Installation: The SAM Guided Experiences app is available via the ServiceNow Store and installs with demo data and necessary plugins to facilitate quick onboarding.

    Practical Use and Benefits

    • Enables ServiceNow users to systematically manage software entitlements, reducing errors and improving compliance.
    • Facilitates configuration of key software products such as Microsoft SQL Server and Windows Server through guided task sequences, ensuring correct setup.
    • Provides visibility into task progress and data inputs via status indicators and activity logs, aiding audit readiness and process transparency.
    • Allows users to pause and resume workflows at any point, offering flexibility in managing complex software asset tasks.

    The Software Asset Management Guided Experiences application provides step-by-step guidance for completing tasks in your daily software management activities.

    Playbook overview

    A playbook takes a workflow and breaks it into multiple lanes. Each lane includes:
    • A list of tasks that you must perform.
    • Status indicators that display the current state of each task.
    • Check boxes that indicate where you are in the workflow.

    As you mark a task complete in a lane, you move to the next task. You can save a task at any time and return to the playbook later and time. After you complete all the tasks in a lane, you can move to the next lane. As you keep completing tasks and lanes, the status keeps getting reflected in the left-hand panel. An activity log on the playbook shows all the data that you’ve entered for each task. After you complete all the tasks, you’re asked to review the details you entered in all the lanes. You can choose to edit any field or select Finish to complete the process of creating the entitlement.

    A playbook is divided into three parts:
    • lanes on the left-hand side.
    • work area in the center.
    • activity log on the right-hand side.
    Figure 1. Playbook layout
    playbook

    Using playbook to set up entitlements

    You can use the guided walk-through playbook for setting up entitlements. The guided walk-through playbook takes you step by step through each stage of the entitlement creation process, from initiation to completion.

    To access the Software Asset Management playbook, you need to install it from the ServiceNow Store and then access the playbook from the landing page on the Software Asset Workspace.

    Using Guided Setup to implement Microsoft SQL Server

    Microsoft SQL Server License Management Guided Setup provides a sequence of tasks that help you configure Microsoft SQL Server on your ServiceNow instance. To open Microsoft SQL Server License Management guided setup, navigate to Software Asset Workspace > Success portal > Product Setups. For more information, see Software asset overview.

    For more information about using the Guided Setup interface, see Using guided setup.

    Using Guided Setup to implement Microsoft Windows Server

    Microsoft Windows Server Guided Setup provides a sequence of tasks that help you to configure Microsoft Windows Server on your ServiceNow instance. To access Microsoft Windows Server Guided Setup, navigate to Software Asset Workspace > Success portal > Product Setups.

    For more information about using the Guided Setup interface, see Using guided setup.