Configuring Cloud Cost Management

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring Cloud Cost Management

    Configuring Cloud Cost Management in ServiceNow enables you to gain comprehensive visibility into your total cloud consumption, reduce costs, and optimize the operations of your cloud platforms. This process involves installing necessary applications, assigning roles, setting up data discovery and access, and configuring key features to manage cloud resources effectively.

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    Configuration Steps

    • Install Cloud Cost Management: Obtain and install the Cloud Cost Management application from the ServiceNow Store to start managing cloud costs.
    • Install Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack (Optional): Available from version 8.1 onwards, this optional application enhances infrastructure capabilities but cannot be deactivated once enabled.
    • Assign Roles: Assign appropriate Cloud Cost Management roles to user groups and individuals based on their responsibilities to control access and activities within the application.
    • Install and Configure MID Servers: MID Servers facilitate data transfer between the Discovery application and cloud platforms. They must be installed and configured to communicate with AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud accounts.
    • Discover Cloud Resources: Use the Cloud Discovery application or Service Graph Connectors to identify service accounts, credentials, and MID Servers that scan cloud resources.
    • Schedule and Manage Data Jobs: Set up jobs to download billing, usage, and price sheet data from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud to ensure accurate cost tracking.
    • Configure Cloud Cost Management Features: Enable features such as rightsizing, reservation or saving plans, unused resource identification, business hours settings, and managing unassigned resources to optimize cloud usage and costs.

    Using Cloud Cost Management

    Once configured, Cloud Cost Management provides actionable insights into your cloud consumption, helps reduce unnecessary expenses, and supports efficient cloud operations management. This empowers your organization to make informed decisions about cloud resource allocation and cost optimization.

    Plan and configure Cloud Cost Management to gain visibility into your total cloud consumption, reduce costs, and optimize the operations of your cloud platforms.

    Configuration overview

    Here's an overview of the process for configuring Cloud Cost Management.

    Table 1. Configure Cloud Cost Management
    Step Action Resource

    Install Cloud Cost Management

    		 Get the Cloud Cost Management application from the ServiceNow Store. Install Cloud Cost Management

    Install Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack

    		 Get the Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack application from the ServiceNow Store.
    Important:
    The Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack application is available with Cloud Cost Management version 8.1 and later. Installing the Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack application is optional. However, if you have activated this application, you can't deactivate it later.
    		 Install Cloud Cost Management Infra Stack

    Assign roles

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

    Install MID Servers

    		 Install the MID Servers to enable the movement of data between the Discovery application and your cloud platform. Installing the MID Server

    Configure MID Servers

    		 Configure the MID Servers for enabling the Discovery application to communicate with your cloud provider accounts.

    Discover your cloud resources

    		 Discover the service accounts, the credentials for accessing the accounts, and the MID Servers that scan the resources using one of the mentioned approaches.

    Schedule and manage jobs to download billing data for Cloud Cost Management

    		 Provide the Cloud Cost Management application access to the billing and usage data of the used cloud platforms.

    Schedule and manage jobs to download price sheets for Cloud Cost Management

    		 Enable Cloud Cost Management to download and store price sheet data of the used cloud platforms.

    Configure the Cloud Cost Management features

    		 Configure the Cloud Cost Management features to rightsize, identify, assign, manage, and analyze usage data of your cloud resources.

    Use Cloud Cost Management

    		 Gain visibility into your total cloud consumption, reduce costs, and optimize operations of your cloud platforms. Using Cloud Cost Management