Clarifying OOB CI / Hardware Asset Sync Behavior with Intune Integration Changes

[mfhaciahmetoglu]

Hi Community,

We're working on refining our understanding of how Configuration Items (CIs) and Hardware Assets interact in ServiceNow, especially when data is coming from an external source like Microsoft Intune via Spoke. Our goal is to ensure we follow best practices for managing both the operational (CMDB) and lifecycle (Asset Management) aspects of our hardware.

We understand that OOB, ServiceNow often creates linked CI (cmdb_ci_computer) and Hardware Asset (alm_hardware) records, and certain fields like assigned_to, location, department, and status fields are synchronized via business rules.

However, we're seeking clarity and community experience on how changes originating from Intune typically affect these linked records through the standard OOB mechanisms. Specifically, we're wondering about scenarios like:

• Device Removal/Retirement in Intune:
  • What's the expected OOB behavior? Does the integration typically mark the CI as Retired (or similar)?
  • How does this status change on the CI then impact the linked Hardware Asset's State (e.g., does it automatically change to Retired)?
• Device Reassignment in Intune:
  • If the primary user changes in Intune, we assume the integration updates the CI's assigned_to. Does the OOB sync reliably update the linked Asset's assigned_to field as well?
• Assignee Removal in Intune:
  • Similarly, if a device becomes unassigned in Intune, does the clearing of the CI's assigned_to field reliably sync to clear the Asset's assigned_to field?
• Location & Department Updates:
  • How do you typically handle Location and Department fields? Does your Intune integration populate these on the CI? If so, do you rely on the OOB sync to update the Asset? Or do you find it better practice to manage Location/Department primarily on the Asset record or via other data sources (like HR data)?

We're essentially trying to confirm the expected data flow (Intune -> Integration -> CI -> OOB Sync -> Asset) for these common events and understand any potential pitfalls or best practices the community follows when managing this synchronization.

Any insights, confirmations of OOB behavior, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Firat