Now Assist for Software Asset Management (SAM) AI agent collection to evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 5, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Now Assist for Software Asset Management (SAM) AI agent collection to evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow

    The Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow in ServiceNow's Software Asset Management (SAM) Yokohama release automates the assessment and reclamation of installed or subscription-based software that may be eligible for removal. It analyzes software usage over a defined period to identify genuine removal candidates and recommends reclaiming licenses to optimize costs and reduce compliance risks.

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    This workflow requires an integrated SAM system with AI agents and access to an AI-driven Now Assist panel. AI agents must have visibility into reclamation rules, removal candidates, products, and license metrics to operate effectively.

    How It Works

    • The workflow evaluates software removal candidates by conducting intelligent checks based on product ID, usage data, license metrics, and subscription status.
    • If any validation fails, the Now Assist panel displays an error and halts the process; otherwise, it reports the number of eligible removal candidates.
    • Upon user confirmation, the workflow initiates the reclamation process, changing candidates’ state from Ready to Awaiting User.
    • Post-reclamation, the system updates the removal candidate records with work notes and informs users of successful reclaim actions.

    Access and Initiation

    Users with the samuser or samadmin roles can start the workflow from these locations within ServiceNow:

    • Software Asset Overview Page: Via Activity Center, select suggestions in the Removal Candidates box and open the Now Assist panel to choose Evaluate removal candidates.
    • Publisher Details Page (Publisher or Product Level): Navigate to License Usage > Publishers > Removal Candidates tab and select Evaluate removal candidates. Open the Now Assist panel if needed to initiate.

    AI Agent Role

    The dedicated Software Removal Candidate Evaluation AI agent performs the core assessment by:

    • Identifying users eligible for software removal by analyzing usage within specified timeframes.
    • Excluding VIP users to prevent inappropriate reclamation.
    • Notifying the user about the total eligible removal candidates to ensure informed decision-making.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Reduces manual effort in identifying software eligible for removal, streamlining SAM operations.
    • Minimizes compliance risks by ensuring removals are based on verified usage data and contextual checks.
    • Unlocks measurable license cost savings through efficient reclamation of unused or underused software licenses.

    Use the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow to assess installed or subscription-based software for potential removal by analyzing their usage over a specified period and determining the total number eligible for removal. After user confirmation, the workflow initiates the eligible removal candidate for reclamation.

    Evaluate software removal candidate overview

    Use the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow to identify and evaluate genuine software removal candidates and recommend software installations for reclamation, based on a series of intelligent checks that help ensure sufficient context for safe removal actions.

    Ensure that you have the following prerequisites for running the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow:
    • Your organization has a software asset management system integrated with AI agents.
    • Access an AI-driven now-asset panel.
    • AI agents have access to reclamation rules, removal candidates, products, and license metric results.

    Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow

    By automatically examining and verifying software removal candidates, the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow helps in reducing manual effort, minimizing compliance risk, and unlocking measurable license cost savings.

    Any removal candidates that are in the Ready state can be reclaimed.

    To start the agentic workflow, you must have the sam_user role or the sam_admin role.

    The Evaluate removal candidates agentic workflow can be initiated from the following pages:
    • Software asset overview page
    • Publisher details page; both from the publisher level as well as from the product level.

    Depending on the page you are on, follow the steps mentioned in the following table:

    Table 1. Initiating the Evaluate removal candidates agentic workflow
    Software asset overview page Publisher details page- publisher level Publisher details page- product level
    1. Navigate to the Activity center.
    2. Select suggestions in the Removal candidates box in the Activity center.
    3. Select the sparkle icon on the top-right side of the workspace to open the Now Assist panel.

      If the Now Assist panel is already open, select the hamburger icon.

    4. Select Evaluate removal candidates in the Active section in the Now Assist panel.
    5. Select a product from a list of products that need reclamation rules, to initiate the agentic workflow.
    1. Navigate to License usage > Publishers > Removal candidates tab
    2. Select Evaluate removal candidates.
    3. Select the sparkle icon on the top-right side of the workspace to open the Now Assist panel.

      If the Now Assist panel is already open, select the hamburger icon.

      The chat window shows your products narrowed down to the specific publisher.

    4. Select a product from a list of products that need reclamation rules, to initiate the agentic workflow.
    1. Navigate to License usage > Publishers > Removal candidates tab
    2. Select Evaluate removal candidates.
    3. Select the sparkle icon on the top-right side of the workspace to open the Now Assist panel.

      If the Now Assist panel is already open, select the hamburger icon to initiate the agentic workflow.

    The AI agent initiates a series of checks using multiple criteria, assessing factors such as the product ID, whether it's installed or subscription-based software, and its last usage, among other metrics. If any check fails, the Now Assist panel displays an error message indicating that the workflow can’t continue. If all the checks are successful, a message appears to indicate the number of removal candidates identified for the particular product. You’re then asked if you would like to reclaim the software. If you confirm, the reclamation process gets initiated and the state of the removal candidates changes from Ready to Awaiting User. You can navigate to the Removal candidates tab in the License Usage view to see the removal candidates and their current state. After the process is complete, you’re informed about all the removal candidates that were successfully reclaimed for the specific product.

    Once a removal candidate has been reclaimed by the agentic workflow, the Activity tab in the removal candidate record is updated with relevant work notes.

    AI agents used in the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow

    Table 2. AI agent and its role in the Evaluate software removal candidate agentic workflow
    AI agent AI agent role
    Software removal candidate evaluation AI agent Identifies or proposes users for removal from a software product by assessing their usage within a set time frame and ensuring that the total number of eligible candidates for reclamation is notified to the user, while excluding any VIP users.