--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-service-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Service Management ft:clusterId : - itsm bundleId : - itsm workflow : - Technology --- # DEX Architecture # DEX Architecture {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated October 8, 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 DEX Architecture The Digital End-User Experience (DEX) architecture in ServiceNow Australia release is designed as a cloud-native solution that connects end-user devices directly to your ServiceNow instance without requiring a MID Server. It leverages multitenant ServiceNow shared services to authenticate agents, buffer messages, process data streams, and securely manage communication and policies between endpoint agents and the ServiceNow platform. Show full answer Show less ## Key Components and Features * **Agent Client Collector (ACC):** Installed on endpoint devices like laptops or VDIs, ACC collects device-level performance and operational metrics, allows configuration of metric collection frequency, and supports execution of remedial actions such as cache clearing and application restarts. * **Browser Extension:** Tracks application and network performance metrics, including page load times and network jitter, communicating these through the ServiceNow shared services. * **DEX Desktop Assistant:** Integrates ServiceNow functionality into employee workflows, enabling monitoring of local applications, handling requests, receiving push notifications, and performing network tests. * **Bi-directional Secure Communication:** ACC registers with the ServiceNow instance using certificates and establishes a secure gRPC connection with mutual TLS to enable encrypted data exchange and policy updates. * **ServiceNow Shared Services:** Includes Hermes Messaging Service and Stream Connect to isolate organizational data securely and manage data flows to the ServiceNow instance. ## Security and Data Handling * **Security Measures:** Include an allowlist to restrict executable commands, certificate signing of plugins to ensure data integrity, role-based access control for actions, and audit logging of remedial action executions. * **Data Isolation:** Ensured by using client certificates containing organization instance information, supported by elliptic curve cryptography (ECDSA with NIST P-256 curve) and mTLS-secured channels. * **Data Access and Governance:** Collected data is accessible only to users with appropriate DEX roles, adhering to standard ServiceNow data governance practices without requiring special handling. * **Data Retention:** Raw device metrics are retained in the ServiceNow instance for up to seven days; aggregated metrics for longer periods to support trend analysis. Hermes Messaging Service retains data for 36 hours by default, with no other shared services storing metrics in transit. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers With DEX architecture, customers can efficiently monitor and remediate end-user device and application performance through a secure, cloud-native framework that minimizes infrastructure overhead by eliminating the need for MID Servers. The architecture enhances visibility into digital experience metrics and supports proactive actions to improve service delivery. Security and data isolation features ensure customer data integrity and privacy across multitenant environments, while role-based controls and audit capabilities provide governance and compliance support. Digital End-User Experience (DEX) architecture describes the cloud-native services, endpoint agents, and data flows that connect end-user devices to your ServiceNow instance. DEX uses a set of new multitenant, cloud-native services called ServiceNow shared services. In this architecture, DEX endpoint agents can communicate with the ServiceNow shared services without a MID Server. ServiceNow shared services provide authentication to DEX agents and enable message buffering and stateful stream processing of data sent to your ServiceNow instance and a time series datastore. ServiceNow shared services also enable a secure way to send policy updates and on-demand execution of checks on the DEX agents. ServiceNow shared services enable secure bi-directional communication between your ServiceNow instance and the DEX endpoint agents. Figure 1. DEX architectural diagram ## Binaries installed on endpoints {#dex-architecture__section_hjt_3sg_3fc} * Agent Client Collector (ACC): Deployed onto the end-user device endpoints such as a laptop or Virtual Desktop infrastructure (VDI) to collect various device level performance and operational metrics. ACC enables you to do the following: * Configure a policy frequency to control what metrics are collected and the frequency of collection. To learn more about the metrics collected by DEX, see [View collected metrics with Metrics analyzer](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/XMkI53qHSutlAU~IewyUuA "Use the Metrics analyzer to view metrics collected for a given device or application during a specific time."). * Run remedial actions on the endpoint, such as clearing cache and restarting an application. {#dex-architecture__ul_vf4_lsg_3fc} * Browser extension: Helps track application performance and network metrics like page load time and network jitter. The communication between the browser extension and ACC, as well as the device and application metrics, are routed via the ServiceNow shared services. For more information, see [Enable DEX browser extension](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/gInyzpRs4jIn~~IxAoU_ew "Activate the DEX Chrome or Edge Extension on your system to collect different operational or performance-based metrics for the web applications."). * DEX Desktop Assistant: Enables employees to incorporate ServiceNow functionality into their daily workflow, providing access to monitoring local applications, requests, and push notifications and to performing network tests. {#dex-architecture__ul_jqy_tsn_3fc} ## Agent registration highlights {#dex-architecture__section_fbs_czl_fxb} * After the installation, ACC is registered on your organization's ServiceNow instance and the required certificates are downloaded from the instance. All the communication between ACC and your instance happens over secured HTTPS. * After the ACC registration, a connection with the ServiceNow shared services is established. The agent is authenticated with the shared services via the downloaded certificates. * ACC opens a bi-directional communication with the ServiceNow shared services using Remote Procedure Call (gRPC) connection. gRPC connection is a secure and encrypted channel to send and receive data from the endpoints. The channel is secured via mutual Transport Layer Security (mTLS). * ACC sends various devices and application performance metrics to the shared services. * The instance also pushes data, such as DEX policies, to the agent via this bi-directional channel. * The ServiceNow shared services use the ServiceNow Hermes Messaging Service and Stream Connect to isolate your organization's data. For more information, see [Hermes](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=hermes-messaging-service&version=australia&pubname=australia-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US) and [Stream Connect](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=stream-connect-quick-start&version=australia&pubname=australia-integrate-applications&ft:locale=en-US). * Raw metrics collected from endpoints are processed further using the shared services and eventually pushed to your ServiceNow instance. * Some of the configuration device metrics and agent heartbeats are directly pushed to the ServiceNow instance. The operation is performed over a secured HTTPS channel via a REST endpoint. {#dex-architecture__ul_etg_tvg_3fc} ## Data security {#dex-architecture__section_kgg_wzg_3fc} Various security measures help verify that scripts run securely. * Allowlist: File shipped along with the agent verifying that no command other than the ones in the allowlists can be executed.For more information on the list, see [Generate an Agent Client Collector allow list](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=acc-generate-allow-list&version=australia&pubname=australia-it-operations-management&ft:locale=en-US). * Plugins certificate signing: The scripts are packaged in plugins which are deployed to the endpoint. To verify data integrity, the plugins can be signed by a certificate so that there are no malicious plugins deployed.For more information on certificate signing, see [Secure a custom plugin with a certificate](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=acc-self-sign-certificate&version=australia&pubname=australia-it-operations-management&ft:locale=en-US). * Role-based access: All actions are available to only specific roles and user criteria within ServiceNow. For example, advanced actions can be assigned to the DEX engineer role and basic actions to the Service Desk. For more information, see [Configure the Remedial Actions Framework](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mOq5HZyJcV4PtQORZwkazw "Configure the Remedial Actions Framework to add a new remedial action or modify an existing one."). * Audit: All action runs are audited in the Remedial Action Executions table (ssn_reacf_remedial_action_execution).For information about emergency plans (such as notification and restore the service), see [DEX subscription](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8zdzHr6hVx5R4DZVwNhSOg "Digital End-User Experience (DEX) license counting provides the Subscription Unit (SU) consumption counting computers where any of the DEX features (Desktop Assistant, Application and Device Health, and DEX Content Playbook) are active."). {#dex-architecture__ul_jvm_15n_3fc} ## Data isolation {#dex-architecture__section_sym_zxg_3fc} Your data is stored in a separate topic when the Hermes Messaging Service and Stream Connect persist in the file system while data is sent and received. The agent client certificate issued by your ServiceNow instance holds the instance name for your organization. After the agent is authenticated, the instance name from the agent certificate is used to keep data isolated within a shared services cluster. mTLS is used for a secure communication between the agent and server components. The agent authenticates itself using a client certificate with the following parameters: * Public Key Algorithm: id-ecPublicKey (ECDSA) * Key Size: 256-bit * Elliptic Curve: NIST Curve P-256 {#dex-architecture__ul_p3p_pbh_3fc} Elliptic curve cryptography provides strong encryption and efficient key exchange. Agent assets and plugins (like DEX) that are downloaded from your ServiceNow instance through the shared services are signed by ServiceNow or the asset owners during their release. Signing verifies the authentication and integrity of the agent asset or plugin. ## Data access {#dex-architecture__section_xrc_3zg_3fc} All collected data is transformed and presented on your ServiceNow instance. Any data collected in the context of DEX is visible to users only with appropriate DEX roles. For more information about the DEX roles, see [Installed with DEX](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/glC1xESxsZ4hagcNeeR2ig "Several types of components are installed with activation of the DEX application [sn_dex] plugin, including user roles and tables."). When following the standard ServiceNow practices on data governance, no special handling is required for DEX. ## Data retention {#dex-architecture__section_rk2_1zg_3fc} All the raw metrics collected from devices are stored in the ServiceNow instance for a maximum of seven days. Aggregated metrics are stored for a longer duration based on the type of aggregation. Aggregation metrics are used to show trend lines for various metrics. Hermes Messaging Service stores data for 36 hours by default. No other ServiceNow shared services store any metric data in transit.