CMDB Outside ServiceNow

[Yudhir1]

Dear All,

Want your suggetions and expert comments on the below Scenario:

My Tech Stack has a CMDB as a part of another applicaion and my organization does not want a duplicate CMDB inside ServiceNow.

1. Is it possible to successfully run ServiceNow ITSM without a Local ServiceNow CMDB

2. Use of APIs to fetch the real Time CI Data for ITSM Processes (Impacted CI, Impacted Services etc.) for a CMDB located outside ServiceNow

3. Is this a Standard / Best Practice 

4. Pros and Cons of CMDB Outside ServiceNow

5. Would there be an impact on the performance of ServiceNow instance

6. Would there be an impact on cost / licenses due to Transactions to fetch real Time CI Data for ITSM Processes for a CMDB located outside ServiceNow

Your comments are appricated.

Regards

Yudi

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Yudhir1 

Greetings!!

I am a Business process consultant and share my view from that side only. Managing CMDB is already a significant task, and maintaining two CMDBs may not be the best decision. Synchronizing them would require considerable effort. Since you are using ServiceNow, it would be more effective to gradually migrate and consolidate your CMDB within ServiceNow in a phased, step-by-step approach.

1. Is it possible to successfully run ServiceNow ITSM without a Local ServiceNow CMDB

Atul: Yes  SN has it's own CMDB , so you can run

2. Use of APIs to fetch the real Time CI Data for ITSM Processes (Impacted CI, Impacted Services etc.) for a CMDB located outside ServiceNow

Atul: Yes, you can do but it it is too much, lot  of discussion and testing needed.

3. Is this a Standard / Best Practice 

Atul: Keep 1 CMDB best practice and recommended.

4. Pros and Cons of CMDB Outside ServiceNow

Atul: Integration efforts, data management, No control of SN , No way to see any dependency map.

5. Would there be an impact on the performance of ServiceNow instance

Atul: Number of API Call, dependency on external system , mainly issue from operation side, I dont think any thing in performance it has impact

6. Would there be an impact on cost / licenses due to Transactions to fetch real Time CI Data for ITSM Processes for a CMDB located outside ServiceNow

Atul: I think yes, but for this reach out to your SN account manager.

[Wilwod]

Hi,

 You can run ITSM without a local CMDB, but you will never unlock its full potential if you do. How will you record what CIs cause the most incidents? + more? You would only be hindering your ITSM processes. 

For the rest: 

What is the third party? 

Have you checked if there is a Service Graph Connector or similar in the ServiceNow Store for this third party? - It could be simple to configure this to populate the SN CMDB as a copy, to then use in the ITSM process in SN.

This wouldn't be best practice, as you are paying for a CMDB in SN and external

Pros are that its all in the same place, makes things like automation/orchestrations would be better.

Minimal performance if imports are run nightly. 

CMDB is licensed down to the number of CIs against certain Classes. Speak to your Accounts team to understand that better. 

Essentially, you are paying for two CMDBs.