Handheld CIs, hardware assets, and model categories

[Alan Akins]

I've done a little searching but haven't really found proper guidance here. This might be more of an asset or CMDB question, as it's related to both.

After installing HAM, extended classes, etc., and there still is no mapping of any asset Model Category to a CI class for phones, mobile devices, etc. CI records created by Intune, Workspace One, Jamf, etc., all go into the Handheld Computing Devices CI Class. However, unlike computers (laptops, desktops), there is no way to have an asset record automatically created because the HHCD class is not mapped to any Model Category.

I know the only way to make a mapping is to create a new model category, because it isn't possible to edit an existing one. So the OOTB mobile-related model categories do me no good it appears. Does someone have insight as to why ServiceNow doesn't have this mapping already included/created? Are there any elegant solutions which don't require me to create a custom model category?

[Alan Akins]

I have not found a solution, especially in terms of understanding whether this is an OOTB configuration that @spgarg04 showed. I have yet to see an instance of SN pre-configured baseline where there is a model category linked to the HHCD CI class table.

[achin_chawla · Accepted solution]

Here's a breakdown of the situation and potential solutions:

1. Out-of-the-Box (OOTB) Mapping:

ServiceNow does not currently provide OOTB mappings for the "Handheld Computing Devices" CI class to asset model categories like phones or mobile devices. The reason could be that the use cases for mobile devices can vary greatly across organizations, and ServiceNow aims to keep the platform flexible for customization rather than prescriptive in these scenarios.

2. Why OOTB Model Categories for Mobile Devices Don’t Work:

The existing OOTB model categories are not linked to the "Handheld Computing Devices" CI class. This is likely because these CI classes are often populated by integrations (e.g., Intune, Workspace One, or Jamf) and are not always managed directly within the CMDB by default.

3. Elegant Solutions Without Creating Custom Model Categories:

Unfortunately, as of now, creating a new model category and mapping it to the HHCD CI class is the best way forward if you want automatic asset record creation. However, if you'd prefer not to create new categories, consider the following approaches:

Business Rule or Script Include: Create a custom business rule or script to map incoming CIs from Intune/Workspace One/Jamf to an appropriate asset model category based on your organization's requirements.

Table Inheritance: If you expect a significant amount of customization, consider extending the model category table (cmdb_model_category) to include a new subcategory specifically for handheld devices. This avoids editing OOTB configurations directly.

Dynamic Category Assignment: Use a data lookup rule to assign categories dynamically based on specific attributes (like manufacturer, model, or CI class).

4. Long-Term Recommendation:

If this is a frequent use case for your organization, it's worth creating a custom model category and documenting this in your CMDB governance policies. While it adds a step upfront, it simplifies ongoing management and ensures consistency.

[Alan Akins]

Thank you @Achin for the most comprehensive response. It does still give me pause/concern because having HAM installed, Mobile Phone is a resource category, but if our Phones are also part of the CMDB, we would require CI-Asset linking and therefore we could not use the Mobile Phone model category because it already exists with no linked CI tables.

OOTB, the SN Service Graph connectors use HHCD class for phones. Unless there is a customization forcing this in our env which I am unaware of.

[Nate Ubolsing]

I have the same issue and wondering where you are with this now. 

So Intune integration is bringing in phones and tablets and populate in handheld computing device CI class. 

Now in the HW model table. our phone and tablet models have model category as mobile device

looking at mobile device category, CI class = Communication Hardware [cmdb_ci_comm_hardware]

So if I use transform map to create CIs in SN, they will go to Communication Hardware [cmdb_ci_comm_hardware], not handheld computing device CI...

Good thing about that is they do get counted against ITAM CI Usage as the metric looks at End User Computes Resource Category

How do you resolve this issue of having CIs in 2 different classes? Should I just create CIs in handheld computing device and not have asset records created?