Subscriptions for IT Operations Management

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Subscriptions for IT Operations Management

    ServiceNow's IT Operations Management (ITOM) products use a subscription-based licensing model where billing is based on licensable resources categorized by Configuration Item (CI) types. Subscription units measure license usage, with different CI categories consuming varying amounts of subscription units. Your organization's customer contract specifies which CI categories apply and their subscription allocation ratios, which are synchronized with the ServiceNow platform.

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    You can purchase ITOM product subscriptions either individually (a la carte), as bundled packages, or a combination of both to optimize coverage and consumption.

    CI Categories Supported

    • Containers
    • PaaS (Platform as a Service)
    • FaaS (Function as a Service)
    • Servers
    • Unresolved Monitored Objects
    • Unclassed Category
    • End User Devices
    • IoT Devices
    • Customer Premises Devices

    Key ITOM Products and Their Licensing Details

    • ITOM Visibility:
      • Includes Discovery, Service Mapping, Certificate Inventory & Management, Service Graph Connectors, CMDB 360, and Firewall Audits & Reporting.
      • Provides a unified view of IT networks and services.
      • Reports CI counts discovered both horizontally and top-down, including CIs populated by Service Graph Connectors.
      • Offers limited Tag Governance to identify on-premises resource inconsistencies with organizational tag policies.
    • ITOM Discovery:
      • Entry-level package focusing on basic Discovery features and Service Graph Connectors.
      • Measures licensed usage based on discovered and imported CIs.
      • Functions as a subset of ITOM Visibility.
    • ITOM Health:
      • Includes Event Management and Metric Intelligence applications.
      • Helps track and maintain service health by reporting CI counts that generate alerts, events, and metrics.
    • Health Log Analytics:
      • Counts CIs based on log data from licensable resource types.
      • Requires both ITOM Health and Health Log Analytics subscriptions.
    • ITOM Cloud Accelerate:
      • Includes Tag Governance, Cloud Migration Assessment, Cloud Configuration Governance, and Cloud Action Library.
      • Enables CI tag updates in cloud environments and CMDB.
      • Manages CI counts across features by eliminating duplicate counting.
    • ITOM Optimization:
      • Automates cloud workflow management for lifecycle, compliance, and cost visibility.
      • Supports certified and enterprise-compliant cloud deployments.
    • Service Observability:
      • Centralizes data from third-party monitoring tools into actionable dashboards and observability tabs.
      • Enhances performance tracking of business-critical services and accelerates root cause analysis and mean time to resolution (MTTR).

    Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers

    • Review your customer contract to understand applicable CI categories and subscription unit allocations.
    • Choose subscription options (a la carte, bundled, or hybrid) based on your organization's specific ITOM product usage and resource consumption.
    • Understand that some products depend on others (e.g., Health Log Analytics requires ITOM Health) for licensing and functionality.
    • Leverage ITOM Visibility and Discovery to maintain a comprehensive and updated CMDB through automated discovery and third-party data integration.
    • Use ITOM Cloud Accelerate and Optimization for efficient cloud resource governance and lifecycle management.
    • Utilize Service Observability to gain consolidated insights from multiple monitoring tools, improving service reliability and incident response.

    The ServiceNow AI Platform® uses a licensing method where your organization is billed for using the following IT Operations Management products: ServiceNow® ITOM Visibility, ServiceNow® ITOM Discovery, ServiceNow® ITOM Health, ServiceNow® Health Log Analytics, ServiceNow® ITOM Optimization, and ServiceNow® ITOM Cloud Accelerate.

    For licensing purposes, licensable resources are assigned to CI categories. License usage is measured using subscription units, which may cover a different number of resources, depending on the resource CI category. The customer contract for your organization determines the CI categories from the available options, and also the ratios of CI allocation for subscription units in each CI category. Information from the customer contract is synchronized with the ServiceNow platform. The latest version of ServiceNow® ITOM/OT SU Licensing supports the following CI categories:
    • Containers
    • PaaS
    • FaaS
    • Servers
    • Unresolved Monitored Object
    • Unclassed category
    • End User Devices
    • IoT
    • Customer Prem Devices

    You have the option to buy subscriptions for individual ITOM products separately (a la carte) or as part of a bundle with multiple products. You can also purchase both—a bundle subscription that covers most required applications and an a la carte subscription for applications that consume more subscription units. For more information, see ITOM/OT SU Licensing subscription types.

    ServiceNow® charges for the following IT Operations Management products:
    ITOM Visibility
    The ServiceNow® ITOM Visibility product consists of ServiceNow® Discovery, ServiceNow® Service Mapping, Certificate Inventory and Management, Service Graph Connectors, CMDB 360, and Firewall Audits and Reporting. Discovery and Service Mapping give you a unified, connected view of your entire IT network and the services that it supports.
    In addition, Service Graph Connectors populate the CMDB by bringing in data from third-party monitoring and management systems. CMDB 360 enables you to track how the CMDB contains various discovery sources at the CI attribute level. Use Certificate Inventory and Management to avoid service outages due to expired TLS certificates. Firewall Audits and Reporting helps you to discover and manage your firewall security policies to heighten the security awareness for firewall audits.
    For licensing purposes, ITOM Visibility provides the CI count it discovers, both during horizontal and top-down discovery. It also reports CIs that the Service Graph Connectors populate the CMDB with.
    You can also use limited Tag Governance functionality under the ITOM Visibility subscription. You can identify on-premises resources that are inconsistent and don't comply with the tag policies of your organization.
    ITOM Discovery
    ServiceNow® ITOM Discovery is an entry-level package alternative where customers can build a healthy data platform. This package measures licensed usage of the Discovery feature and Service Graph Connectors. Discovery is a "subset" of ITOM Visibility that is also based on subscription units. ITOM Discovery includes the following basic features: ServiceNow® Discovery, Service Graph Connectors, and CMDB 360. ServiceNow® Discovery finds applications and devices on your network, and then updates the CMDB. Service Graph Connectors supplement the population of the CMDB, while CMDB 360 retains the complete history of discovery sources and proposed values.
    ITOM Discovery provides the count of CIs found by ServiceNow® Discovery and brought in by Service Graph Connectors.
    ITOM Health
    The ServiceNow® ITOM Health product includes the ServiceNow® Event Management and ServiceNow® Metric Intelligence applications, which help you track and maintain the health of services in your organization.
    ITOM Health reports the number of CIs, where it captures alerts, events, and metric data. ITOM Health reports the CI count for all CI categories.
    Health Log Analytics
    Health Log Analytics CI count is based on log data received from licensable resource types. The consumption is reflected in ITOM Health as well as in Health Log Analytics. For that reason, you need the ITOM Health subscription in addition to the Health Log Analytics subscription.
    ITOM Cloud Accelerate

    The ITOM Cloud Accelerate product consists of the following workflow applications: Tag Governance, Cloud Migration Assessment, Cloud Configuration Governance, and Cloud Action Library. In Tag Governance, you can update CI tags in the cloud environment, in addition to updating them in the CMDB.

    For licensing purposes, the ITOM Cloud Accelerate license provides the CI count for CIs managed and monitored by Cloud Migration Assessment, Cloud Configuration Governance, or Cloud Action Library. If different ITOM Cloud Accelerate features report the same CIs as their resources, the CI count is manipulated to remove the duplication.

    ITOM Optimization
    The ServiceNow® ITOM Optimization application provides automation for the cloud workflows used to manage the cloud resources throughout their life cycle. It enables certified and enterprise-compliant cloud deployment, cost visibility, and other cloud management processes.
    Service Observability

    The ITOM Service Observability feature creates actionable dashboards and observability tabs that centralize data from existing third-party monitoring tools. It allows you to track the performance of business-critical services, enables faster root cause analysis, and reduces mean time to resolution (MTTR). Application and platform telemetry insights from multiple observability tools are combined into a centralized workflow.