Exploring Software Asset Management

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring Software Asset Management

    The Software Asset Management (SAM) application in the Yokohama release features an enhanced, user-friendly workspace interface designed to improve the management of software installations. While the classic interface remains available with limited support, customers are encouraged to transition to the new Software Asset Workspace for an optimized experience. Both interfaces retain the core SAM functionality.

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    Activation and Interface Options

    • New Software Asset Workspace: Activating the comprehensive Software Asset Management Professional plugins, including the Software Asset Workspace plugin, enables the new workspace interface and disables access to the classic UI.
    • Classic Interface: Customers wishing to continue with the classic interface must activate the Software Asset Management Professional plugin alone. Transitioning later to the workspace requires activating the Workspace plugin, which then hides classic menus related to moved features.
    • Partial Classic Menus: Certain menus remain in the classic framework even after activating the workspace plugin, supporting ongoing tasks like demand management, license metrics, SAP optimization, and integration profiles.

    Key Features

    • Mobile and Virtual Agent Support: View assigned assets via the Now Mobile app and enable AI-powered Virtual Agent for streamlined software requests, reducing workload on IT fulfillment teams.
    • Software Models and Entitlements: Manage software profiles and purchased rights to support audit reporting and license reconciliation.
    • Discovery and Normalization: Import software entitlements and discover installations using ServiceNow Discovery or Microsoft SCCM, leveraging normalization processes and file signature analysis for accurate identification.
    • License and Lifecycle Management: Track license metrics, downgrade rights, software maintenance, and product life cycles to optimize compliance and cost-efficiency.
    • Reconciliation and Reclamation: Automate license reconciliation across global entities and implement rules to reclaim unused software, supporting efficient license utilization.
    • Integration and Optimization: Integrate Microsoft SCCM usage data, manage allocations, optimize Windows Server cluster licenses, and support hybrid cloud license compliance via BYOL and BYOS models.
    • Executive Insights and Cost Simulation: Use the Asset Management Executive dashboard for KPI visibility and simulate cloud migration costs to inform strategic decisions.
    • Third-party Discovery and Governance Integration: Incorporate external discovery sources and collaborate with Governance, Risk, and Compliance applications for holistic software asset compliance management.
    • Guided Experiences and Onboarding: Utilize step-by-step guided experiences for daily tasks and combine SAM with Application Portfolio Management to streamline technology onboarding.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By adopting the new Software Asset Workspace, customers gain a modern, intuitive interface that simplifies software asset management workflows. Integration with discovery tools and Virtual Agent enhances data accuracy and service responsiveness. Automated reconciliation and reclamation improve license compliance and cost efficiency, while hybrid cloud license support and executive dashboards provide strategic visibility. Remaining classic menus ensure continuity for specialized functions during transition. Overall, the SAM application empowers enterprises to optimize software usage, streamline compliance, and support IT asset governance effectively.

    The Software Asset Management application's user interface is enhanced to make it more user friendly and intuitive, allowing you to better manage your software installations.

    Beginning with the ServiceNow AI Platform Yokohama release, we will 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 ServiceNow AI Platform release, we encourage you to move to the new workspace experience.

    The Software Asset Management application's core functionality remains the same in both the user interfaces.

    Using the Software Asset Workspace

    The Software Asset Management application 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 releases prior to Yokohama, 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 Software Asset Management application.
    Note:
    After the Software Asset Workspace is activated, the menus in the classic Software Asset Management application are hidden for the features that have been moved to the Software Asset Workspace.

    For detailed information on configuring and using the Software Asset workspace, refer to Configuring Software Asset Management and Software Asset Workspace.

    Using the classic Software Asset Management application

    To continue using the classic Software Asset Management application, you need to activate the Software Asset Management Professional (com.sn_samp_master) plugin.

    If you later decide to use the Software Asset Workspace, you need to activate the Software Asset Workspace (com.sn_sam_workspace) plugin.

    For detailed information on configuring and using the classic Software Asset Management application, refer to Configuring Software Asset Management and Using Software Asset Management classic.

    Menus that continue to reside in Software Asset Management classic

    Even after you activate the Software Asset Workspace (com.sn_sam_workspace) plugin, the following menus continue to remain in the classic framework:

    Software Asset Demand:
    • Create New
    • Demands
    • Demand Requirement
    Administration:
    • Custom Products
    • Custom part Numbers
    • Custom License Metrics
    • Software Asset Demand Actions
    • Pattern Normalization Rules
    • Reclamation Rules
    • Job Results
    • Content Service Setup
    • Refresh Processor Definitions
    • Migrate Software Results
    • Properties
    • Revert Customizations
    • Software Model with De-activated Discovery Maps
    SaaS License:
    • Unrecognized Subscription Identifier
    • SSO Integration Profiles
    • Direct Integration Profiles
    SAP Compliance and Optimization:
    • SAP Connections
    • Connection Setup
    • Scheduled Import
    • Transform History