What CI type should be used for SaaS\Cloud applications where you have no visibility?

[mark_oldroyd]

I was wondering if there was a correct CI type to use when referencing infrastructure for application services that are SaaS\Cloud applications where you have no visibility into the actual infrastructure.

For example, I would have an application service for my Service Now Prod but what infrastructure CI type would it depend on or be hosted on to represent the Service Now cloud?

[mark_oldroyd]

Hi Stuart,

You're right that I need to look at the Product Model aspect, which I haven't done yet.

Especially given it looks like the next version of CSDM is leaning toward the whole Digital Product idea potentially amalgamating Business Application and Business\Technical Service.

Thanks,

Mark

[Robert80 · Accepted solution]

If I understand correctly, you are asking for a way to reference the cloud infrastructure without knowing the specific CIs within that environment. Strictly speaking, you should create an application service to represent the solution and stop there but I think you'd like to see a dependency so that you could, for example, identify the impact of a scheduled outage by your provider.

I don't think cmdb_ci_environment is quite the way to go because it's designed for concepts like "Production", "Development", "QA", etc. Rather, you could create a service offering that represents the underlying 'environment' and, using service builder, navigate to the "Operations" tab of your SaaS offering and add the other offering as an "Offering I depend on".

Alternatively, you could create a CI using the 'Cloud Host' class to represent your hosting environment and use the Runs On relationship between the Application (part of your application service) and that Cloud Host.

[mark_oldroyd]

Hi Robert,

Yes you understood perfectly. Indeed the impact of an outage is one reason it might be useful. I was also thinking in terms of anyone new\unfamiliar with our systems could at least see visually if they were looking at a map.

I'll certainly be looking to use Models and offerings too, but as some information for those is held in records it won't always translate to a purely pictorial perspective.

Cloud Host looks a good suggestion, thank you.

Thanks,

Mark

[jaguthrie]

Did this method work for you?  I am running into the same situation where we have a larger process supported by both On-prem applications and SaaS.  Trying to find a good way to represent and present information regarding SaaS applications the same as On-prem apps are.  Just having a blank map makes someone think that the information is missing and not 'that is how that particular CI is managed by ServiceNow'.