ServiceNow Discovery Reviews

We used the product to manage our desktop assets. We were expanding it to use the rest of the technology assets. The technology assets would be populated from Tanium. It is an incredibly valuable tool for what we need.

The service management and operations management modules are valuable.

The product could improve some of the visualization and architecture setups.

My previous organization used the solution.

I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

I rate the product’s scalability a ten out of ten. When I left the organization, 75 people were using the solution.

The initial setup was relatively straightforward but required the organization to have its policies and core processes defined. For building it out, ServiceNow gave us a basic set of processes that we can employ. However, these processes, like any SaaS tool, rarely work out of the box and require modification in order to work for an organization’s culture and practices. I knew that, so I designed those myself. We were ahead of the game, but it would have been much more difficult if we had just assumed and tried to enable their out-of-the-box solution. It required internal work.

The initial deployment took less than five months. We used a hybrid method to implement the solution. We used a third party, and internally my NOC manager became my architect. He was also the one that became a developer of the system.

If the solution is deployed properly, it is highly valuable. If the product is not deployed properly, it can be very expensive.

We used ITSM and portions of ITOM. ITSM is for incident, problem, change, and knowledge management. We also built asset management modules. Specifically, we built that module for all the desktop services I was responsible for. We were building it out to support all of the IT technology assets. We also built a custom security solution within the system. We're also building our compliance and integrating it with our internal HR solution.

My goal was to move the organization from a lot of individual solutions for each business unit to one enterprise-level solution that managed issues, problems, and changes across the entire enterprise. We wanted the product from an infrastructure perspective and integrated it with HR and security. We hadn't yet integrated it with the application stacks up to the point that I had left. However, we established enterprise-level dashboards from the executive level down to the front lines to manage tickets related to issues and problems. We wanted to leverage data to analyze the biggest challenges we had and the improvements that we were making.

ServiceNow is an incredible tool if managed right. The value of the tool as long as it's utilized properly is incredible. It provides a one-stop shop for a lot of things. We used all the elements of ITSM. We worked through most of the issues, like process changes and stuff like that. We deployed and modified it. The teams I worked with were incredibly responsive. People investing in the product must map their processes and understand their data flows. It's incredibly important. The more the internal policy process and data flows are defined, the better and the easier the deployment is.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

You can use it for network resources, servers, databases, and network gear. I've also used it in the past for asset management to discover desktop equipment, laptops, and peripherals.

It's pretty robust, and it's agentless for the most part. So, you don't need to deploy agents, which makes it a lot easier to stand up.

It's an expensive platform. In terms of features, it's pretty functional. You could always tweak it, but I don't have any problem with it. I don't find it to be at a disadvantage compared to something like SCCM, Intune, or any other tool that can do discoveries.

It is very stable. We have no problems with managing it and it being available for us.

It definitely seems very scalable. With it being agentless, you can set it up for IP ranges, and it'll go do what it needs to do. You don't have to implement it with agents to keep monitoring.

We have about 75 people who use this solution.

It was pretty straightforward.

It costs a lot. It is probably close to over a hundred thousand. It's an expensive platform, but you can't compare ServiceNow's Discovery functionality to other discovery tools. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison of ServiceNow to a configuration management tool to an asset management tool because it does those things, but it's not those things.

If it's too expensive, there are definitely a lot of alternatives out there that can do discovery just as well, especially if they have published APIs. I'm not wedded to ServiceNow's Discovery tool. You can get the same functionality from other applications like Device42 or SCCM. There are a lot of other options that are very cost-effective that can do exactly the same thing.

It's not perfect. I would rate it an eight out of ten. I have definitely seen other tools do a lot more, but they're more focused on other things.

We use the solution for configuration management.

Compared to other solutions, it is easy to implement.

The solution can prioritize the discovery of IP ranges. The product automatically places all Discovery CIs into the correct class within the CMDB.

Pricing could be improved to better accommodate various customer needs and business models. It ultimately depends on the specific requirements and budget constraints of each customer.

I have been using ServiceNow Discovery for eight months.

Compared to other solutions, the support is good. It's very fast and comprehensive. We have great integrated support from our community.

Positive

The initial setup is very simple and takes eight hours max to complete. It is a subscription module.

The solution is expensive.

I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

ServiceNow Discovery enables us to efficiently implement and discover all our assets within the organization. It's agility and ability to provide comprehensive information with correct CI relations and ServiceNow Service Catalog offerings. Compared to other solutions, it's easier to comprehend the entire structure.

It retrieves accurate information from the CIs within the company, establishing correct relationships with users, owners, and other processes such as incident and change management. It also improves the relationship between the CMDB and all the infrastructure components.

There are some specific challenges, such as discovering VIPs or Citrix machines, these issues are manageable. ServiceNow offers integration with third-party products through REST APIs and predefined connectors, facilitating seamless interoperability.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Discovery is predominantly used for predictive monitoring and auto self-healing to reduce manual work and automate remediation of IT incidents, problems, and changes. 

Discovery is foundational for knowing your infrastructure and application components and is key to building a foundation for achieving a target state.

The most important feature of ServiceNow Discovery is the Identification and Reconciliation Engine (IRE) rules. It makes sure of unique identification for each component, like an application or a database, and uploads it to the CMDB. This engine prevents duplicates or errors when importing data into the CMDB, which is a critical feature. So, it is a pretty fantastic feature. 

Discovery, while a bit pricey, integrates well with other tools and offers a centralized discovery solution. These aspects could be enhanced in the new release.

Currently, pricing is based on the number of nodes. Like whether you have under 50, under 100, or under 200 nodes. And if you're a gold or platinum partner, the prices vary depending on your relationship with ServiceNow. So, if they can offer very competitive pricing for customers, the use will probably increase. The adoption of Discovery by clients will increase.  

For better adoption, offering competitive pricing for customers would be beneficial.

I have been using this solution for three years now. 

We do a lot of discovery, discovering on-prem and cloud services into the CMDB, not just that, but server storage and other infrastructure and application components as well. We do a lot of work on the discovery side.

The stability is pretty solid because the CMDB is the foundation for IT service management and to work on all the upcoming technologies, including predictive healing and self-healing automation. So, it's pretty solid that way.

Overall, I would rate the stability a nine out of ten. 

The scalability of the discovery solution is solid. ServiceNow has had Discovery for a long time, so I'd rate it a nine out of ten.

Our clients are mostly enterprises for ServiceNow Discovery

I've raised some questions, and customer service and support were pretty prompt in responding to that.

Positive

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. The mid-server installation and user credentials are key, but it can take time to resolve duplicates and errors.

I would rate my experience with the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. 

We are mostly on the functional side, but I have architects and technical engineers for hands-on installation and everything else. Mostly, I'm part of the solutions, working with customers to tailor solutions to their needs.

The deployment process varies based on size and the number of configuration items. But with initial mid-server installation and user ID credentials, you can start in less than two weeks.

This is expensive, but it meets our needs, so some other clients, they would just go for Discovery because they have different expectations. Whether they want to go for IT service management or not, clients really want to know what they are using, because it impacts the billing directly. So they don't want to overcount the servers that they use, so, I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive. 

The licensing costs basically vary because if you are in an MSP model, then the prices are different. And if you're going for a separate purchase because what we technically do is we go through a reseller, and then we get the prices. So the prices are based on that. 

Discovery is definitely necessary. When it comes to discarding a few things that are not part of the network or when you're bringing in an application, 

Application is a logical thing because it's not a physical component. So I think you gotta pay more attention when you're bringing in all your application assets into the CMDB because everything has to be together for the other services to work.

So pay attention because the application is outside of Discovery, but how you do it is definitely necessary. So, trying to come up with creative means to bring your application assets and make sure it works into the CMDB would be the first option.

Overall, I would rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

I believe the tool itself isn't solely about identifying assets, as many tools can perform IP-based and port-based discovery. That's not the most challenging aspect; it's a well-established practice. The real value lies in how it integrates into a system that everyone can utilize, and it does so rapidly. I've been using it for quite some time, and it's not just about the tools; it's about the people, organizational processes, and how they contribute to the success of these tools.

ServiceNow's Discovery feature is quite significant because it allows for service mapping and integrates with VIN management. It involves adding a business context to servers, routers, switches, and data centers. This means understanding not only what's installed on these systems and how they function together but also recognizing their significance in terms of business applications from the business's perspective and how they impact business processes and capabilities. So when we delve into these aspects and connect them to the essential components, it can help you engage in more meaningful discussions to enhance capacity management practices. In essence, it contributes to the overall IT portfolio, almost functioning as a business platform. This platform is accessible to users who leverage the data to initiate incidents, implement changes, and resolve problems. Consequently, consolidating all configuration items or assets into a unified platform makes sense, especially considering you already have Discovery in place. If the cost is reasonable, the other two components might not provide much value, except for their user-friendliness, which is often less important to leaders compared to the desired outcomes.

I find it valuable to enhance IP address management. I've been in this field since around 2011, and my experience since then has revolved around automation, deployment, distribution, and comprehensive inventory management, all crucial for deploying various components, including patches. When we talk about patch management or vulnerability management, it's more complex than just applying patches; sometimes, you need to undergo significant upgrades or phase out old components for new ones, and this can turn into a substantial project, explaining why vulnerabilities persist.

Now, the role of ServiceNow Discovery and security operations, or at one point, looking at vulnerability management in ServiceNow Discovery, is crucial. It allows you to identify vulnerabilities on assets and, with the addition of discovery, service mapping, and event management, you gain a business context for these vulnerabilities. It's not merely about knowing they exist on a server; it's about understanding which services are responsible for critical business processes or transactions, like payroll. This knowledge changes the approach and execution of vulnerability remediation.

I have been using ServiceNow Discovery since the last couple years.

Based on my recent experiences, tech support has been somewhat challenging. It often feels like I need to take the lead and put in a lot of effort to resolve a case. There's quite a bit of groundwork and hand-holding involved.

Neutral

I've had experience with SCCM and Altiris in the past, which were agent-based tools. However, I haven't evaluated or explored ServiceNow Discovery yet. In terms of setup, it seems quite similar to me. The core focus is on managing these aspects effectively. Tenable does a similar job, but it lacks the ability to retrieve information on installed applications and application dependency mapping, which ServiceNow Discovery can provide.

I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten. 

Our company uses the solution's to discover infrastructures. The ServiceNow instance is in the cloud and the Discovery servers are on-premises. 

We have five licensed configuration management practitioners and 3,000 end users. 

Cloud Discovery is valuable because it finds global, public cloud infrastructures and updates the integration management database, service catalogs, and asset management details. 

The store is a key differentiator because it offers many compatible third-party and OEM plugins for cloud integrations like AWS, Azure, Adobe, and Microsoft. For example, there are service providers for license and asset management, there is a mid-service for Quantum Discovery, and there are plugins from AWS for service or asset management and CMDB integrations. 

The solution too high priced. 

I have been using the solution for seven years. 

The solution is stable but some work is required. 

Only IP-based assets are discoverable. It takes time to get the related OIDs for newer models and patches do not come easily. Sometimes, we have to do research and discovery from the OEM's website to understand and manually create the required OIDs so the solution can identify the actual assets. 

Our main challenges are with network devices for Meraki and proper discovery for storage or backup solutions. 

The solution is very scalable. 

Technical support is always helpful. 

The setup is a bit complex. 

We implemented in-house which can be done if you have administrator or architect-level knowledge. 

Our implementation took ninety days. We went from on-premises Windows and Linux to Windows desktop laptops, to AWS, to Azure. The last step was SaaS integrations for applications like 365, Adobe Cloud, and Creative Cloud. 

The solution is very expensive. Our use is somewhere close to 50GB per user each month. 

We evaluated Manage Engine's ServiceDesk Plus, Jira Service Management, and Remedy. At the end of the day, the solution was the best fit during that time for our organizational strategy. 

Right now, we are looking for an alternate because the solution is very expensive. 

I recommend the solution and rate it an eight out of ten. 

We use it to gather information from cloud environments such as Azure and GCP. The aim is to conduct scans for various assets, including laptops, desktops, servers, and software. This process extends to retrieving details from the client's database within their cloud infrastructure.

We have several integrations established to receive CI data from various sources. We synchronize this data uniformly. Discovery feature plays a crucial role in consolidating this information into a single repository.

One highly valuable aspect is the use of service accounts, which automates the process of identifying underlying nodes and associated assets. With this feature, there's no need to manually input all IPs or details; instead, it seamlessly navigates from node to node, capturing the relevant assets and relationships automatically.

The current limitation in out-of-the-box features, particularly for fields in tables like servers or laptops, necessitates time-consuming customization through pattern matching involving coding. A more beneficial approach would be to have additional features in the default configuration for easily adding different sets of fields. The manual pattern-matching process is not only time-consuming but also presents challenges during system upgrades, demanding revisits to ensure compatibility.

I have been working with it for one year.

Following the installation and configuration, we encountered minimal issues, and the system has been operating smoothly since then. I would rate its stability capabilities eight out of ten.

Its scalability for data retrieval is robust, but licensing is based on the number of CIs discovered, not usage duration. For instance, purchasing a thousand licenses for a year means tracking the count of CIs discovered. In a production setting, where the number of CIs may grow, planning is vital. Consideration of the roadmap and expected growth is crucial, as bulk license purchases may lead to unused licenses, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful planning. I would rate it eight out of ten.

They primarily provided out-of-the-box solutions. However, when specific modifications were required, we found limited information or resources on their website. I would rate it six out of ten.

Neutral

The initial setup involved engineering lower environments, acquiring a mid-server, and formulating precise queries to extract necessary data from third-party sources. This included understanding the infrastructure, identifying service accounts, collecting IP information, and checking for firewall configurations. Once these preparatory steps were completed, establishing connectivity became possible, followed by the ongoing configuration of switches and other required elements. After ensuring the data flow in the system environment, a similar process was replicated in the production environment. I would rate it six out of ten.

In the deployment process, encountering challenges arose when determining the appropriate mid-server to use. The standard server couldn't be utilized, leading to the setup of distinct mid-servers for different environments to facilitate the discovery phase. However, the absence of clear rules for configuring user IDs and providing access made this task difficult. The lack of a visual representation or clear documentation compounded the complexity. The system was layered, with folders nested within folders, each requiring specific access. The Proof of Concept and the subsequent deployment phase spanned three months. The deployment was handled in-house by a team of two individuals.

Scaling down other integrations becomes a cost-saving benefit for any company. While our implementation is relatively recent, and there's still much progress ahead, my initial estimate would be a seven out of ten for the effectiveness of ServiceNow Discovery.

The pricing is determined based on the CIs.

The system is quite robust and encompasses a comprehensive set of features. While the initial setup might pose some challenges, once installed and configured correctly, it proves to be a reliable solution for the long term. I would rate it eight out of ten.

ServiceNow Discovery is useful for discovering the servers, like the servers of Windows and Linux, from the client network.

Every single feature in every single version of ServiceNow Discovery has been valuable. The worthiness of a feature depends on our requirements. Every feature is unique, and every feature is important in the solution.

We can push some generative AI content to make ServiceNow Discovery more effective, but it's just a random thought. There are no particular use cases because of which the aforementioned changes need to be incorporated in ServiceNow Discovery. Debugging is a bit tough in ServiceNow Discovery, so debugging should be made very easy. Debugging should be made easy while developing the debugging pattern in ServiceNow Discovery.

I have been using ServiceNow Discovery for five years.

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

It is a scalable tool since it is deployed on the cloud, because of which there are no issues with scalability. The scalability of the product may depend on some subscriptions, which may be a challenge since one will have to invest money. If we remove the financial part, the product's deployment is quite easy.

It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

The technical support of ServiceNow DevOps can be challenging because we need to train the resources. If the resources don't receive the right training, and if one doesn't know what needs to be done during a particular scenario, then it can lead to a disaster for an enterprise. Proper training is required before using technical support since then only we can make sense of the support we expect to receive. We need to define a proper process for technical support, like whether it will be L1, L2, L3, or L4. The process should be very clear, and the right information should be provided to the right stakeholders. ServiceNow need not work on support because it is a tool. In ServiceNow, it's all about defining the process and training technical support, which is quite easy. The nuts and bolts required for technical support are catalogs, service requests, and incidents. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup phase for ServiceNow Discovery was hard because a lot of communication had to be done with different stakeholders to understand their infrastructures and processes, which can take time. As a technical person, the installation of the product is just a matter of a few hours, but before that, we need to do a lot of exercises that are quite challenging. A lot of documentation needs to be done, and then we need to understand the perception of the stakeholder and what their expectations are, which can get challenging.

I rate the setup phase a seven out of ten.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

The deployment process for the product is easy.

One needs to be more proactive and try to understand ServiceNow Discovery's process deeply. ServiceNow offers a similar offering for every client, and they have a similar kind of offer if one wants to install it, but every organization has a different process. There is a need for focus to understand an organization's process and stakeholder requirements, and vision.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.