What is an IT HArdware Asset to you?

[Paulo Andrielli]

Hi folks, how are you?

A quick question that came to our mind here in the company......

What is an IT Hardware Asset?

Might be a silly question, but some people are struggling on define what kind of asset needs to be managed in Servicenow.

We have the Model Categories that are linked to "alm_hardware" asset class, but this can be anything (we have air conditioner, keyboard, facilities dictation....), and some of the markets are saying that those are not "real" IT equipment.

Do we have a kind of "universal" list of what should be one IT Hardware Asset to define, and to use as base to avoid any issues in the future? I am planning to use it in a way that for any future audits, we can have a predefined list of what kind of IT Hardware Asset we are managing....

Thanks!

[ifti122 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Paulo Andrielli 

Not a silly question at all!

In ServiceNow, alm_hardware should only contain IT-related equipment things that IT manages, such as:

• Laptops, desktops, and servers
• Network devices (routers, switches, firewalls)
• Printers, storage devices, and corporate mobile devices

Items like air conditioners, furniture, or facilities dictation machines are not IT hardware. They should go under alm_facility (if your company tracks facilities assets), which is used for facilities-managed equipment such as ACs, chairs, or generators.

There isn’t a universal list from ServiceNow, but a good practice is to keep alm_hardware strictly for IT equipment. This helps prevent misclassification and ensures smoother audits.

I’ve shared my explanation above, and here’s a helpful reference that goes into more detail on Facility Assets (alm_facility) in ServiceNow:
https://www.servicenow.com/community/ham-forum/what-are-facility-assets-and-how-to-use-them/m-p/2651...

Thanks & Regards,
Muhammad Iftikhar
If my response helped, please mark it as the accepted solution so others can benefit as well.