Migration from ACC Mid to Dex ACC-Mid-less

Christopher Ell · Wednesday

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.