The Number One Way to Quickly Realize Your ROI with ServiceNow Software Asset Management (SAM Pro)

Implementing Software Asset Management Professional in ServiceNow can significantly optimize software budgets and help organizations better manage software usage, licensing, and spending. With SAM Professional, businesses can gain deeper insights into their software environment and maximize savings. One of the most effective ways to quickly realize your return on investment (ROI) is by leveraging SaaS integrations.

Even if you don't have an automated discovery tool in place, integrating your Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications can still help you reduce unnecessary software spend. SaaS integrations allow you to gain visibility into your software portfolio without the need for manual intervention or constant toggling between various publisher portals.

Below, we dive into how SaaS integrations in ServiceNow SAM Professional can help your organization quickly achieve ROI:

Direct Integrations: Your Best Bet for Detailed Management

Direct integrations between ServiceNow and your SaaS publishers are the most comprehensive and effective method for managing software assets.

• Automated Software Product Models:
  Direct integrations can automatically create Software Product Models within ServiceNow, based on the data from the software publisher’s portal. This ensures that your inventory is always up to date with the most accurate licensing and usage data, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.
• Active User Subscription Imports:
  Direct integrations can also pull in all active user subscriptions, providing a detailed view of who is using what software. This visibility is critical for understanding license utilization and identifying opportunities for cost savings.

Why It Works: Direct integrations minimize the manual effort required to track your software assets. With automatic updates and no need for constant checks in publisher portals, you can be sure that your software asset management data is accurate and comprehensive.

Single Sign-On (SSO) Integrations: Simplifying User Access and Data Sync

ServiceNow allows you to connect your Azure or Okta Single Sign-On (SSO) applications, creating an efficient way to track the software your organization is using. By integrating with your identity management systems, ServiceNow can automatically sync the users and applications within your environment.

Key Benefits of SSO Integrations:

• Automatic SSO Application List Import:
  The integration automatically imports a list of all available SSO applications that are connected to your environment, making it easy to identify and track the SaaS software your organization uses.
• Directory Syncing:
  ServiceNow will also automatically import users and groups from your directory (e.g., Active Directory). This ensures that all users who have access to a specific SaaS application are tracked correctly.

Important Note on SSO:

While SSO integrations simplify the management of user access and SaaS software, ensure you only connect applications that do not already have a direct SaaS integration. Doing so will prevent duplicate user subscriptions from being created in ServiceNow, which could lead to inaccurate data and unnecessary licensing costs.

Custom Integrations: Flexibility for SaaS Products not available out of the box

Not all SaaS providers offer pre-built integrations with ServiceNow. For those that don’t, you can create custom integrations. If the software vendor provides an open API, you can build an integration to pull in relevant software data and user information.

Tip:
When setting up custom integrations, ensure that software entitlements (i.e., licenses) are manually created in ServiceNow. This can be done using the entitlements import template in ServiceNow, which offers robust error handling for a smooth, user-friendly experience.

Managing Entitlements and Reclamation: Unlocking Cost Savings

Once your integrations are set up and your software data is flowing into ServiceNow, the next step is ensuring that you are optimizing your software licenses.

• Allocate Users to Software:
  You can easily allocate users who are entitled to specific software products from the Software Asset Workspace. The ‘Allocate All’ button streamlines this process, saving you time.
• Reclamation Rules:
  SaaS integrations automatically generate Reclamation Rules, which can help you identify unused or underutilized software licenses. These rules should be updated to reflect your organization's usage policies, enabling proactive license reclamation.
• Cost Savings and Compliance:
  When the Reconciliation process runs, ServiceNow provides remediation options, such as identifying software products that are over-licensed, underused, or non-compliant. Remediation options help software asset managers take action to:
  • Downgrade software licenses where possible to reduce costs.
  • Reclaim unused licenses and reallocate them where needed, reducing unnecessary spend.

Why It Works:
By implementing these reclamation and cost-saving strategies, ServiceNow SAM ensures that you are always optimizing your software spend, reducing waste, and ensuring compliance.

Final Thoughts: Quickly Realizing ROI with SaaS Integrations

SaaS integrations are a game-changer when it comes to quickly realizing ROI in ServiceNow Software Asset Management Professional. By leveraging direct integrations, SSO connections, and custom integrations, organizations can gain accurate and up-to-date insights into their software usage and licensing. With the ability to automatically allocate users, track entitlements, and manage reclamation rules, businesses can easily optimize their software licensing, reduce costs, and ensure compliance.

As a result, ServiceNow SAM Professional can offer significant savings and operational efficiency, helping organizations make smarter, data-driven decisions about their software portfolios and ultimately achieve a quicker return on investment.