Licensing framework for Hardware Asset Management solutions

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Licensing framework for Hardware Asset Management solutions

    The Hardware Asset Management (HAM) licensing framework enables ServiceNow customers to efficiently manage subscription units for various HAM solutions activated on their instance. It ensures that any licensable and opted-in hardware resource category is licensed under only one HAM solution, avoiding duplicate licensing and optimizing costs.

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    This framework applies to multiple HAM solutions, including integrations with Zero Touch Mobility and Telecommunications Network Inventory, each supporting specific hardware resource categories.

    Key Features

    • Resource Category Licensing: Each HAM solution supports certain hardware resource categories such as Mobile Devices, Servers, Network Gear, End User Computers, Printers, Monitors, Storage, and Unclassified hardware. You only pay for the resource categories you opt into, based on a defined subscription unit ratio.
    • License Prioritization: Available from HAM version 10.1.0 onward, when multiple HAM solutions are active, licensing priority is set by application cost. For example:
      • Mobile Devices are licensed under the Zero Touch Mobility integration.
      • Telecom Network Inventory, Servers, and Network Gear are licensed under Telecommunications Network Inventory integration.
      • End User Computers are licensed under the core Hardware Asset Management solution.
    • Subscription Unit Ratios: Licensing uses predefined ratios per resource category and solution, such as 10:1 for Mobile Devices under Zero Touch Mobility or 4:1 for End User Computers under HAM.
    • License Tracking: Customers can view subscription details and consumption using the ITAM License Report, facilitating transparent license management.
    • Operational Technology (OT) Hardware Exclusion: OT hardware assets are licensed separately under the OT Asset Management (OTAM) application. When HAM and OTAM solutions coexist, non-OT assets are licensed via HAM categories, while OT assets are licensed exclusively under OTAM categories.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    • When deploying multiple HAM solutions, understand which hardware categories fall under each solution’s licensing to avoid unnecessary costs.
    • Utilize the license prioritization framework to determine how your hardware assets will be licensed automatically, ensuring compliance and cost efficiency.
    • For organizations managing both traditional and operational technology assets, separate licensing under HAM and OTAM ensures clear distinction and proper management.
    • Regularly monitor license usage and subscription units through the ITAM License Report to maintain control over your asset management licensing consumption.

    Manage the subscription units purchased and consumed by your organization for all the Hardware Asset Management solutions with the improved HAM licensing framework. When more than one Hardware Asset Management solution is activated on a ServiceNow instance, any licensable and opted-in resource category is licensed only under one solution.

    The licensed solutions like Hardware Asset Management integration with Zero Touch Mobility and Hardware Asset Management integration with Telecommunications Network Inventory install the Hardware Asset Management on your ServiceNow instance.

    Each Hardware Asset Management solution supports some default resource categories that can avail Hardware Asset Management features and workflows.

    Table 1. Resource categories for Hardware Asset Management solutions
    Application/Solution Supported resource categories
    Hardware Asset Management integration with Zero Touch Mobility Mobile Device
    Hardware Asset Management integration with Telecommunications Network Inventory
    • Telecom Network Inventory
    • Server
    • Network Gear
    Hardware Asset Management
    • End User Computers
    • Mobile Device
    • Server
    • Network Gear
    • Printers
    • Monitors
    • Storage
    • Unclassified hardware

    HAM licensing is based on the subscription unit ratio defined for each resource category. You can opt in and pay for only those resource categories that you want to use. For more information, see Hardware Asset Management licensing.

    License prioritization for Hardware Asset Management solutions

    Important:
    The HAM license prioritization feature is available with Hardware Asset Management version 10.1.0 and later.

    When you activate all the Hardware Asset Management solutions on your ServiceNow instance and opt-in all resource categories, consider the following:

    • A resource category is licensed only under one application based on the application priority that is defined in the HAM licensing framework.
    • The application priority is set based on the licensing cost and is in the following order:
      1. Hardware Asset Management integration with Zero Touch Mobility
      2. Hardware Asset Management integration with Telecommunications Network Inventory
      3. Hardware Asset Management
    • Mobile Device is licensed under Hardware Asset Management integration with Zero Touch Mobility.
    • Telecom Network Inventory, Servers, and Network Gear are licensed under Hardware Asset Management integration with Telecommunications Network Inventory.
    • End User Computers is licensed under Hardware Asset Management.
    Table 2. Licensing model for HAM solutions
    Resource category Subscription Unit Ratio HAM integration with Zero Touch Mobility HAM integration with Telecommunications Network Inventory Hardware Asset Management Licensed under
    Mobile 10:1 Installed Resource category isn't available Installed Zero touch Mobility
    Server 1:1 Resource category isn't available Installed Installed Telecommunications Network Inventory
    Network gear 5:1 Resource category isn't available Installed Installed Telecommunications Network Inventory
    Telecom Network Inventory 1:1 Resource category isn't available Installed Installed Telecommunications Network Inventory
    End User Computers 4:1 Resource category isn't available Resource category isn't available Installed Hardware Asset Management

    You can view the subscription details of your Hardware Asset Management application and solutions using the ITAM License Report. For more details, see View the license report for the Hardware Asset Management application.

    Exclusion of Operational Technology (OT) hardware assets from HAM licensing

    The licensing model of the OT Asset Management (OTAM) application supports a few default hardware resource categories to license OT hardware assets. For more details on OT hardware assets, see OT Asset Workspace. These OTAM hardware resource categories have equivalent HAM licensing resource categories.

    Table 3. Comparison of resource categories
    HAM resource category Equivalent OTAM hardware resource category
    Servers OT Servers
    Network Gear OT Network Gear
    Storage OT Storage
    End User Computers OT End User Computers
    Mobile Devices OT Mobile Devices
    Monitors OT Monitors
    Printers OT Printers
    Unclassified hardware OT Unclassified Hardware

    When you activate all the Hardware Asset Management solutions along with the OT Asset Management application, and opt-in HAM resource categories, consider the following points:

    • Non-OT hardware assets, with the OT entity flag set to false, are licensed only under the resource categories of HAM licensing.
    • OT hardware assets, with the OT entity flag set to true, are licensed only under the hardware resource categories of the OT Asset Management application. For details, see OT Asset Management licensing.
    • HAM workflows support both OT hardware assets and non-OT hardware assets.
    • OT Asset Management workflows support only OT hardware assets.