Configure Cloud Cost Management for Google Cloud

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configure Cloud Cost Management for Google Cloud

    The Cloud Cost Management application for Google Cloud, available on the ServiceNow Store, helps customers manage and optimize their cloud spending. It requires sysadmin role permissions within ServiceNow and Google Cloud administrator permissions. The application is not supported on mobile devices, and minor discrepancies in billing values may occur due to currency conversion or rounding.

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    Key setup activities include installing the app and supporting plugins, assigning appropriate roles, configuring secure access to Google Cloud accounts, scheduling discovery and billing data downloads, and enabling cost-saving features.

    Key Setup Steps

    • Get and activate the app: Download Cloud Cost Management and supporting plugins from the ServiceNow Store. Some plugins may require approval from your ServiceNow representative.
    • Assign roles: Assign Cloud Cost Management roles to users and groups based on their responsibilities to control access and activities.
    • Set up Google Cloud access: Create and securely store Google Cloud credentials and service accounts to enable Discovery to access your cloud resources and billing data.
    • Configure MID Servers: Set up MID Servers on your network or cloud to facilitate secure communication between ServiceNow and Google Cloud provider accounts.
    • Discover cloud resources: Schedule the Discovery process to keep your CMDB updated with current cloud resource information.
    • Manage billing data downloads: Schedule jobs that download billing and price sheet data, which are essential for generating reports and cost-saving recommendations.

    Key Features and Cost Optimization

    • Rightsizing: Analyzes resource usage and recommends resizing over-provisioned or underused resources, supported by confidence ratings and predicted savings.
    • Unused Machines: Identifies resources that are not being used and recommends actions such as powering off or terminating them to reduce waste.
    • Business Hours: Applies policies to start and stop resources based on a defined schedule, reducing costs by running resources only during necessary hours.
    • Unassigned Resources: Detects resources not associated with change groups and helps assign them appropriately to ensure proper governance during lifecycle activities like patching and upgrades.

    The Cloud Cost Management application is available on the ServiceNow Store.

    General requirements and limitations

    • Cloud Cost Management isn't supported on mobile devices.
    • Values in reports might vary slightly from provider billing values due to currency conversion or rounding.

    Requirements and limitations for Google Cloud

    You must have Google Cloud administrator permissions to work in the Google Cloud Console

    Download and activate Cloud Cost Management

    Role required: sys_admin

    Step Description Action

    Get the app.

    Get the Cloud Cost Management app from the ServiceNow Store.

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to get the Cloud Cost Management app and supporting apps.

    Activate all supporting plugins and applications.

    Activate the plugins listed on the ServiceNow Store page for Cloud Cost Management. You might need to request some of the plugins from your ServiceNow representative.

    		 For instructions, see:

    Overview: Setting up Cloud Cost Management

    Here's an overview of your set up process. Detailed instructions appear in the table that follows.

    Setup process for the Cloud Cost Management app

    Navigate to Workspaces > Cloud Cost Management Workspace > Admin. The Admin page enables you to set up a provider and preferences.

    Admin page of the Cloud Cost Management Workspace

    After you set up a provider and assign the insights_owner role, the page displays additional setup activities.

    Note:
    The Configure and Run Discovery card appears only if you use the Discovery application to discover cloud resources.

    Tasks: Setting up Cloud Cost Management

    Step Description Action

    Assign roles to Cloud Cost Management users and groups.

    		 You assign Cloud Cost Management roles to user groups and to individual users based on user activities and responsibilities. Cloud Cost Management roles

    Set up access to Google Cloud.

    To securely access data on your provider account, the Discovery process must present appropriate credentials. To make the credentials available to Discovery, you first create Google Cloud credentials in the Google Cloud portal. You then securely store the credentials in a service account in your instance.

    		 Set up access to Google Cloud billing and usage data

    Configuring MID Servers to access CI data on provider accounts for Cloud Cost Management.

    		 To ensure secure and reliable communications, the Discovery process communicates with your cloud provider accounts and cloud resources through one or more MID Servers. You can set up the MID Servers on your network or in one of your cloud networks. Configuring access to CI data on your Google Cloud account

    Discover your cloud resources.

    		 You schedule the Discovery process to ensure that the CMDB data on resources remains current. Discovering your cloud resources for use

    Schedule and manage the jobs that download billing data for Cloud Cost Management.

    		 Billing Download jobs download, organize, and store billing data for your payer account on the schedule that you specify. The system analyzes the data to generate reports and to make recommendations for changes in your cloud operations that can lead to cost savings. Schedule and manage the jobs that download Google Cloud billing data

    Schedule and manage the Cloud Cost Management jobs that download price sheets.

    		 A Price Sheet Download job downloads and stores price sheet data. The Rightsizing and Unused resources processes use price sheet data when generating recommendations. Schedule and manage the Cloud Cost Management jobs that download Google Cloud price sheets
    Configure the Cloud Cost Management features:
    • Rightsizing
    • Unused Machines
    • Business Hours
    • Unassigned Resources
    • The feature analyzes resource usage to recommend better sizes for resources that are wasting money by being over-provisioned or underused. A confidence rating and predicted savings support each recommendation. You schedule Rightsizing jobs to resize the resources you specify.
    • The Unused Machines feature analyzes usage data to identify resources that are wasting money because they are not used. You schedule Unused Machines jobs to power-off or terminate the resources that you specify.
    • A Business Hours job applies policies to identify resources that are running when they should be powered off, reports them, and can start and stop them on a schedule that you specify. Running only during specified business hours can significantly reduce your cloud spend.
    • Unassigned Resources policies help you to identify the resources that are not associated with a change group and to assign them appropriately. When a resource is assigned to the correct group, the resource can be appropriately governed even as it goes through stages such as patching, upgrading, and reconfiguring.