Migration from ACC Mid to Dex ACC-Mid-less

[Christopher Ell]

Migration from ACC Mid to Dex ACC-Mid-less 

Objective

This document is intended to guide customers through the migration from an existing ACC-V Mid Server-based monitoring setup to a Mid-less architecture for monitoring end-user devices using DEX. It will address the use case where a customer is currently using the ACC-V Mid version on end-user devices and intends to migrate to DEX. The goal is to enable the collection of end-user device metrics using a Mid-less DEX solution.

Solution	End user device monitoring
Existing	ACC-V with Mid
Future	DEX ACC-V Mid-less

Pre-requisites

Before planning migration end end-user device monitoring from mid-based ACC-V to mid-less, make sure following prerequisites are met 

• Running ACC-V Mid version on end points (VDI, end user devices)
• Verify DEX system requirements are fulfilled as defined in ServiceNow documentation.
• DEX licensing is to be in place as defined in this document.

General Questions

What is the purpose of migrating from a Mid-based ACC agent to a Mid-less ACC agent?

• If you're currently using ACC-V to discover end-user devices, transitioning to DEX offers significant advantages, including:
• DEX offers a fully Mid-less architecture for monitoring end-user devices, aimed at enhancing user experience across both devices and applications.
• DEX enables targeted use case delivery, surfacing a wide range of scenarios tailored to specific personas, as outlined in this document.

How do I decide which ACC version is best suited for my organization’s use cases?

• ServiceNow agent client collector comes with various flavors of ACC-V (Mid or Mid-less). Choosing the right version depends on what device you want to monitor.
• If your use case is related to end-user device monitoring, the best solution for you is ITSM DEX ACC-V (Mid-Less). However, if your need is to collect infrastructure metrics from servers, ITOM ACC-V is best. 

What are some examples use cases that DEX ACC supports?

Few Use cases are listed below:

Persona	Goal	Use case
Service Desk	Ticket Reduction & Improved Productivity	Contextual incident insights reduce ticket noise and accelerate resolution
Digital workplace / End user computing	Proactive and Preventative. High Visibility	End-to-end visibility into device health and experience enables proactive issue prevention
Application Owners	Drive usage and ROI	improve app performance and adoption with real-time insights and fewer support issues.
Employees	Higher productivity and NPS	Empower employees with real-time guidance and self-healing tools that minimize disruptions
Asset Management & Security	Optimized Asset spend & risk management	Real-time app and asset intelligence reduces waste, uncovers shadow IT, and improves compliance

What if I want to do software metering with the help of ACC?

Software metering is fully supported via DEX along with SAM subscription.

I am an existing ServiceNow customer using ITOM ACC with Mid Server to discover end user devices, can I use my existing ACC Mid-server setup for end user experience via DEX?

• DEX is a Mid-less solution, so your existing Mid-based solution will not work to collect end-user experience.  
• The best approach is to migrate the existing mid-based ACC configurations to mid-less ACC so that you can use the same agent client collector to collect metrics from end-user devices.  

What do I need to do to adopt DEX if I am using ITOM mid server-based ACC to discover end user devices?

• Fulfil DEX licensing requirements as mentioned in this document under licensing section.
• Install DEX Plugins on your Servicenow instance.
• Adopt mid-less architecture to support DEX ACC, Follow this document to learn how to configure mid-less ACC.

What plugin do I need to install to convert an existing mid-based ACC to mid-less?

Below is a list of key plugins that should be installed on your ServiceNow instance to support DEX functionality. However, always refer to the official ServiceNow documentation for the most up-to-date and comprehensive list of DEX-related plugins.

• DEX Application and Device Health
• DEX Content Playbook
• DEX Desktop Assistant
• Agent Client Collector for Investigation
• Investigation framework

Currently, I am using ACC-F client Ver 3.0.0., Is this ACC version compatible with DEX?

• ServiceNow always recommends using the latest version of Agent version; however, you are covered by the N-2 Versioning policy to support customers running.

What is the timeline for migrating from ITOM Mid-based ACC to ITSM DEX?

• Timelines depend on various factors, like level of customization, target use cases, number of end-user devices, dependencies on existing Mid server etc. 
• Typically, we have seen customers adopting DEX in 2 Weeks on a non-Prod instance.

What configurations do I need to do in acc.yml to use mid-less ACC?

• we recommend using migration commands provided by ServiceNow to migrate existing mid-based ACC to Mid-less DEX ACC. 
• On a high level, you need to modify key parameters in ACC.yml configuration file.
• connect-without-mid: true instance-url: Your Instance URL registration-key: Reg key from your ServiceNow Instance.

As an existing ServiceNow ITOM ACC-V customer, do I need to uninstall the current MID-based ACC from end-user devices and reinstall the DEX ITSM mid-less ACC?

• There’s no need to uninstall the existing ACC from your end user devices. You can continue using it by transitioning to a mid-less setup through a few configuration changes via OOTB migration commands.
• If the ACC version does not follow the magic rule of N-2 versioning, we recommend updating the existing ACC version to the latest.

How does DEX differentiate if device is a Server or end end-user device? 

• Discovery process will differentiate Server VS end user device by analyzing specific hardware, software and OS characteristics. 

What happens to existing ITOM ACC customizations and workflows after migration?

• If there is any customization around your use cases, then we recommend rebuilding those as part of DEX ACC.

To ensure a smooth DEX onboarding experience, we advise starting in a non-production environment. Customizations are not recommended, and initial deployment in a test setup allows for thorough validation before proceeding with an enterprise-wide rollout.

What support is available during the migration process?

Support is available during the migration process through various channels, including:

• ServiceNow's customer support team
• ITSM DEX community forums and user groups
• ServiceNow's knowledge base and documentation
• Third-party migration service providers and consultants

Licensing Questions

How is DEX ACC licensed?

• DEX ACC is part of ITSM family, so we recommend to secure ITSM license (ITSM STD, Pro, Enterprise).
• Customers need to purchase ITSM DEX subscription units (SU), each SU can cover 4 end-user devices. 

If a customer purchases ITOM ACC subscription units, do they still need to license DEX separately, or can they use same SU for end user device monitoring via DEX?

•    Yes, Customer needs to be licensed separately to monitor end-user devices via DEX.

How can I track a subscription unit’s consumption for end-user device monitoring via DEX?

• You can track DEX SU consumption via subscription management dashboard.

What are the costs associated with migrating from ITOM ACC to ITSM DEX?

• The subscription unit (SU) is one of the important components; we recommend having an ITSM subscription along with SU.
• There is no additional cost involved; however, configuration changes may need time from your human resources.

Performance and Limitations Questions

Can I use mid-less and mid-based ACC in same device?

•     No, both the solutions cannot work in parallel, hand in hand.

Is there any limitation I should know when migrating from ITOM Mid-based solution to mid-less?

• after migrating to a mid-less solution, you will not be able to use some of the existing functionality, like
• Pattern-based discovery.

Is there any limitation in data retention policy if we move from ITOM mid-based solution to mid-less?

• DEX is an end-user-focused product, so DEX will follow a retention period as follows:
• 7 days running row metrics.
• 14 days of estate-level view to showcase how devices are consuming resources.
• DEX aggregates data on a Weekly and Monthly basis to showcase DEX score.
• Maintains monthly trend for installed apps. 

Security Questions 

How will ServiceNow DEX ensure data protection since I am not using a mid-based controlled environment?

• Data collected: DEX collects various endpoint and application performance metrics.

Customers have control over what metrics are to be collected and the collection frequency. A complete list of metrics can be seen here. Any PII data is excluded by default.

• PII Exclusion: No Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is collected by default.
• Data in Transit: Encrypted via mTLS.
• Data at Rest:  All collected data is finally stored in the ServiceNow instance and is protected using standard ServiceNow security mechanisms like user roles and ACLs.
• Feel free to explore Security posture document to learn more about DEX security.

How will ServiceNow ensure a layer of security?

• DEX ensure Security at every place, even though it’s a mid-less solution, but no compromise on security.
• Secure Agent Registration- Agent registration is protected using a time-bound registration key that rotates every 90 days. New agents must present a valid key during enrollment.
• Least privilege: The agent runs with elevated privileges appropriate to each OS, Win, MAC.
• Secured by design: All communication with the backend is over mutual TLS (mTLS), with strict certificate validation.
• Controlled role-based access: All sensitive or impactful actions triggered via the agent (e.g., remote scripts, reboots, diagnostics) are gated through ServiceNow-based RBAC.
• Refer Servicenow DEX Architecture to learn more. Read more about DEX Architecture HERE.

Troubleshooting Questions

Existing ACCs still pointing to mid?

•     Verify Key Parameters in ACC.YML file.

Agent client collector still polling ITOM-related checks and Policies?

•     Disable such checks and policies you don’t want ACC to run.