Azure cloud metrics

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Azure cloud metrics

    Azure cloud metrics in ServiceNow are collected from Azure virtual machines (VMs) and Azure storage account policies to monitor the performance of your Azure resources. To start collecting these metrics, you select the desired metrics to add to the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and configure the system accordingly. This enables you to track data such as the number of bytes sent and received by Azure resources.

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    Using Azure policies

    You can leverage either preconfigured or custom Azure policies to collect metrics. When using preconfigured policies, key steps include:

    • Preparing an instance with an active MID Server and metric base.
    • Installing the Agent Client Collector Framework and Agent Client Collector Monitoring.
    • Running Discovery on your Azure cloud account to populate the CMDB with configuration items (CIs) for monitoring.
    • Configuring a proxy agent and assigning credentials to enable the agent to access Azure policies and monitor cloud-based CIs.

    Preconfigured policies available in the base system cover key Azure services such as Load Balancers, Network Gateways, Redis Cache, Storage Accounts, and Virtual Machines. Each policy facilitates metric collection specific to these services, helping you effectively monitor them.

    Specifying CIs for metric collection

    For effective metric collection, you must specify which CIs to monitor within your policies. Typically, these CIs are populated into the CMDB through Discovery, which identifies applications and devices in your environment.

    To enable monitoring of CIs via policies, you need to:

    • Configure the Azure Metrics Collector check within the policy.
    • Set credentials to allow the Azure Metrics Collector to retrieve metrics through the Agent Client Collector.
    • Generate a JSON file listing the Azure resources to monitor.
    • Generate a JSON file listing the specific metrics to retrieve from those resources.

    These configurations ensure precise and efficient collection of Azure metrics, supporting proactive performance monitoring and management of your Azure environment within ServiceNow.

    Azure cloud metrics are gathered from Azure virtual machines (VMs) and Azure storage account policies. Collecting the cloud metrics enables you to monitor the performance of your Azure resources.

    Azure cloud metrics collection - Overview

    To begin collecting Azure cloud metrics, you must select the metrics that you want to add to the CMDB and set the relevant system configurations. For example, you can monitor the number of bytes sent and received from Azure resources. For details, see Agent Client Collector for Visibility Content reference.

    Using Azure policies

    You can use preconfigured Azure policies for metric collection, or you can create your own Azure policies.

    When using a preconfigured policy, you do the following tasks:
    • Prepare an instance with an active MID Server and metric base.
    • Install Agent Client Collector Framework and Agent Client Collector Monitoring.
    • Run Discovery on the Azure cloud account to populate the CMDB with the configuration items (CIs) to be monitored.
    • Configure a proxy agent and assign credentials to the policy. Proxy agents monitor CIs for agents that are in the cloud. Credentials enable the agent to access the Azure policy.
    The policies available with the base system for you to activate and configure are described in the following table.
    Table 1. Azure policies available with base system
    Policy name Description Link to supported metrics
    Azure Load Balancer metrics Collects the metrics for the Azure load balancers. Supported metrics for Microsoft Load Balancers
    Azure Gateway metrics Collects the metrics for the Azure network gateway. Supported metrics for Microsoft Network Gateways
    Azure Redis Cache metrics Collects the metrics for the Azure Redis cache. Supported metrics for Microsoft Redis cache
    Azure Storage Account metrics Collects the metrics for the Azure storage accounts. Supported metrics for Microsoft storage accounts
    Azure Virtual Machine (VM) metrics Collects the metrics for the VMs, which help you monitor Azure VMs. Supported metrics for Microsoft virtual machines

    Specifying the CIs for metric collection

    When creating policies, you must include the CIs that you want to collect the metrics for in the CMDB. The CIs are typically populated during Discovery, which finds applications and devices on your network and updates the CMDB accordingly.

    When creating a policy, you must decide which CIs you want the policy to monitor. To enable monitoring CIs, you do the following tasks:
    1. Configure the Azure Metrics Collector check in the policy.
    2. Set the credentials for the Azure Metrics Collector check to enable retrieving metrics from Azure to the Agent Client Collector agent.
    3. Generate a .json file that specifies the list of resources to be monitored.
    4. Generate a .json file that specifies the list of metrics to be retrieved from monitored resources.
    For details on the Azure policies, see Create Azure policies for metric collection.

    For details on the Azure Metrics Batch API, see the Metrics Batch API page.