ServiceNow integration with AWS Discovery use cases and procedure`s

[gautamvarma]

Hi All,

Please share me the use cases for integration ServiceNow with AWS Discovery. share the procedure and pre requirements also.

Thanks and regards,

Ram

[Ravi Gaurav]

Hi @gautamvarma 

Below will help you.....
The Info is from "https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/apn/achieving-business-aware-aws-infrastructure-visibility-with-service..."

Integrating ServiceNow with AWS Discovery is essential for organizations using both platforms to enhance visibility, automation, and control over cloud resources. Below, I’ll cover use cases, prerequisites, and a general procedure to set up the integration.

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Use Cases for ServiceNow and AWS Discovery Integration

1. Asset Management:

   • Automatically discover AWS resources and add them to ServiceNow's Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
   • Track changes and updates to AWS infrastructure in real-time.

2. Cost Management and Optimization:

   • Gain insights into AWS usage and cost data.
   • Integrate AWS Cost and Usage Reports with ServiceNow to enable optimization recommendations.

3. Governance and Compliance:

   • Automatically detect and record compliance issues in the ServiceNow CMDB.
   • Maintain security policies and configuration baselines using ServiceNow and AWS integration.

4. Incident Management:

   • Use ServiceNow to automatically generate incidents when there are anomalies or critical events detected in AWS.
   • Prioritize and resolve incidents faster with a unified view of on-prem and cloud resources.

5. Change Management:

   • Coordinate AWS changes with ServiceNow Change Management processes.
   • Improve visibility and control over infrastructure changes, ensuring cloud resource modifications go through ServiceNow change requests.

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Prerequisites for Integration

1. AWS Permissions:

   • AWS credentials with permissions to access AWS resources and inventory data (for example, an IAM role with AWS ReadOnlyAccess).

2. ServiceNow Licensing:

   • Ensure you have the Discovery or ITOM Visibility licenses in ServiceNow, as they are required for AWS Discovery.

3. API and Service Accounts:

   • Create an AWS Service Account with permissions for ServiceNow integration.
   • Set up necessary API keys, ensuring secure communication between ServiceNow and AWS.

4. Connectivity:

   • ServiceNow should have network access to AWS endpoints (such as through a VPN or proxy if needed).

5. AWS Systems Manager (SSM) Agent (Optional):

   • Install the SSM agent on AWS EC2 instances if deep-level discoveries are needed.

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Procedure for Integration

1. Activate AWS Integration Plugins in ServiceNow:

   • Go to System Applications > All Available Applications > All.
   • Search for the AWS integration plugins like "AWS Cloud Discovery" and install them.

2. Configure AWS Credentials in ServiceNow:

   • Go to Discovery > Cloud Credentials in ServiceNow.
   • Set up an AWS Credential record with access key ID, secret access key, or role-based credentials if using an AWS IAM role.

3. Set Up AWS Discovery Schedule in ServiceNow:

   • Navigate to Discovery > Schedules > AWS Cloud Discovery Schedule.
   • Configure discovery schedules for the frequency and type of resources you want to discover (like EC2, S3, RDS, etc.).

4. Run Discovery:

   • Execute the Discovery schedule to pull AWS resources into ServiceNow.
   • ServiceNow’s Discovery process will use the configured credentials and API permissions to collect and store AWS configuration data in the CMDB.

5. Review and Validate CMDB Data:

   • Check the CMDB to ensure that AWS assets have been populated correctly.
   • Verify the discovered data with AWS resources to ensure the integration is capturing all relevant information.

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Additional Tips

• Automation: Enable alerts or workflows in ServiceNow based on AWS events, which can help trigger notifications, change requests, or incident creation.
• Mapping: Use ServiceNow's dependency mapping to visualize relationships between AWS components (e.g., EC2 instances connected to specific databases or storage).
• Monitoring and Optimization: Leverage AWS Cost Management data for insights into usage, budget planning, and optimizing resources within ServiceNow.