---
sourceDocument: Australia Enterprise Architecture
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-portfolio-management

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    - australia

ft:locale :

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ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Enterprise Architecture

ft:clusterId :

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bundleId :

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workflow :

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---

# Enterprise Architecture and CSDM use case

# Enterprise Architecture
use
case {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read
Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Enterprise Architecture use case

Enterprise Architecture enables you to define a unified, version-independent representation of all business applications, technologies, and data to support planning, governance, and reporting activities.
This capability is critical for rationalizing business applications, which helps reduce costs, plan technology transformations, and manage major organizational changes such as mergers or divestitures.
Show full answer Show less  
Starting with the Xanadu release, Enterprise Architecture features---including data certification, application assessments, and total cost of ownership (TCO)---are accessed through the Enterprise Architecture Workspace, not legacy Application Portfolio Management (APM) pages.

## Key Features

* **Application Life Cycle Management:** Register, update, and decommission business applications and related services using logical life cycle states consistent with the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) framework.
* **Portfolio Assessments:** Evaluate business applications based on metrics and impact analysis.
* **Roadmap Planning:** Facilitate creation of ideas, demands, and projects to support application rationalization and transformation.
* **Data Certification:** Ensure accuracy and trustworthiness of application-related data.
* **Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):** Calculate costs using the Financial Management module to support funding and budgeting decisions.
* **Management of Related Entities:** Handle information objects and business capabilities associated with applications.

## Key Outcomes

By implementing this use case, ServiceNow customers gain a consistent and structured approach to modeling business applications and linking critical data needed for governance and risk management. This enables automation of technology risk scoring, cost analysis, and comprehensive portfolio insights.

## Technology Lifecycle Management (TLM) Use Case

TLM leverages the CSDM framework to assess risks associated with software and hardware that are approaching or past their End-of-Life (EOL) dates. Using detailed lifecycle data, it calculates risk scores at multiple levels---hardware/software product models, application services, and business applications---to provide a hierarchical risk overview.

Risk calculations consider vendor and internal lifecycle phases, such as Early Adopter, Mainstream, or Obsolete, and reflect varying levels of vendor support. The lifecycle data can be entered manually, imported, or sourced from Software Asset Management (SAM) or Hardware Asset Management (HAM) licenses.

## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

* Consistent data structure simplifies lifecycle and risk management across applications and technologies.
* Improved visibility into technology risks related to EOL products supports proactive risk mitigation.
* Integration with IT Operations Management (ITOM), Service Portfolio Management, and IT Asset Management extends the value of lifecycle and risk data.
* Supports informed decision-making for funding, roadmap planning, and technology rationalization efforts.  
Enterprise Architecture lets you define a single, version-agnostic entity that represents all instances, technologies, and data used for planning and reporting.  
Important:  
Starting with the Xanadu release, most Enterprise Architecture (formerly Application Portfolio Management) capabilities are available through the Enterprise Architecture Workspace.

Features such as data certification, application assessments, and total cost of ownership (TCO) are now accessed and managed from the Enterprise Architecture Workspace, not from the legacy APM pages. To learn more about Enterprise Architecture Workspace, see [Enterprise Architecture Workspace](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/1KfJyrnGagOWkYrcqEnnyg "The Enterprise Architecture Workspace (EA Workspace) is part of the Enterprise Architecture application. It provides an interactive interface for enterprise architects to manage tasks, gain insights, and monitor portfolio health.").

## Enterprise Architecture use case {#apm-use-case-example__section_mh2_kgm_fvb}

You can use a business application for planning and governance activities, such as funding, road mapping, and risk reporting. Rationalizing business applications is a continuous process, and is critically important to reducing
costs and planning technology transformations. Rationalizing business applications is also critical for completing mergers, divestitures, or other broad-impact business-led changes.

## Key features of the Enterprise Architecture use case {#apm-use-case-example__section_jfz_3vd_smb}

The CMDB, when used by the CSDM framework, provides value to Enterprise Architecture in the following ways:  
* Application life cycle management. This includes:
  * Registering a new business application (included in the base system).
  * Updating a business application
  * Decommissioning a business application, including all the related application services and infrastructure. Because application services are logical in nature, they should use the Logical life cycle states. Application services follow the same life cycle guidance as any other logical CI.{#apm-use-case-example__ph-appsvc-logical-lifecycle}
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* Business application portfolio assessments based on metrics or related impacts.
* Roadmap planning and creating new ideas, demands and projects.
* Data certification process
* Total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations (using the Financial Management module)
* Manage the following related entities:
  * Information objects table \[cmdb_ci_information_object\]
  * Business capabilities table \[cmdb_ci_business_capability\]
  {#apm-use-case-example__ul_vp2_1sc_smb}
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## Results of the Enterprise Architecture use case {#apm-use-case-example__section_dhk_rvd_smb}

With this use case, CSDM provides Enterprise Architecture a consistent way to model business applications and relate critical data. The use case ensures that the application services (instances) are defined as required for automating the
technology risk scores, costs, and other metrics used for analysis.

## TLM use case {#apm-use-case-example__section_ydx_m2x_rmb}

TLM gives you a better understanding of the risks associated with using software and hardware that is at the end-of-life (EOL) date. You can use the details provided by the CSDM framework to determine the risk of using software and hardware that is at EOL. Each product life cycle EOL date is calculated, then combined following the CSDM framework to provide a score at the Business Application level.

## Results of the TPM use case {#apm-use-case-example__section_i5f_xyd_smb}

The CSDM framework provides a consistent data structure. This consistent data structure makes it easier for you to manage the life cycles of your technology and analyze the combined technology risks.

Because of the way the CSDM framework is structured, you can leverage many products from ITOM, Service Management (Service Portfolio Management), and IT Application Management (ITAM).

The risks of using EOL technologies are calculated based on the life cycle of each software and hardware product model identified in the CMDB.

You can enter the life-cycle data manually, import it from an external source, or use the data provided with your Software Asset Management Professional or Hardware Asset Management license.  
The risks are calculated and displayed in a hierarchy. Business application is at the top level, SDLC Components are under the business application, then Application Services indicate each deployment (instance), and software and product models are at the lowest level. Risks are calculated in the order shown below, and are based on the time span between the current date and the EOL date.  
Note:  
Configuring SDLC component is optional. Even without SDLC component configuration, you can connect business applications with the application services directly.  
1. Hardware and software product model --- Displays the current life-cycle phases, sources, and indicates the specific models at-risk
2. Application Service level --- Displays the combined risk status of all underlying hardware and software product models used in the Application Service (Instance).
3. SDLC Component --- Displays the SDLC components along with the associated application services and business applications
4. Business application level --- Combines all the underlying Application Service (Instances) to determine the overall risk rating at a portfolio level.
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The following information is used to determine the EOL impact to business applications and their installed application services (instances):

* The business applications used in your organization are all linked to one or more application services. Each of the application services run on one or more technologies or software models. The name of the Application
  Service Software model table is \[sn_apm_tpm_service_software_model\].

* The software model has a sequence of life-cycle stages. The life-cycle stages range from the installation date to the retirement date.Some business organizations set an internal date based on the life-cycle phase of
  the software models. These software model phases can be Early Adopter, Mainstream, Declining use, and Retired.

  Similarly, the software vendors might also set a date for the software based on the vendor life-cycle phases, such as Pre-release, General Availability, End of Life, and Obsolete. Vendor support might vary depending on
  the phase of the technology. For example, when the software model reaches the Obsolete phase, the vendor might stop supporting the technology.

  The Software Model Life cycle table is named \[sam_sw_model_lifecycle\].
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