What is Service Mapping and Service Mapping Servicenow

Introduction to ServiceNow

ServiceNow is a popular cloud-based data management platform. It is also considered as an ITSM application in most large enterprises. The main purpose of using ServiceNow platform is to automate the information technology business management, service-oriented tasks, useful business activities, and various processes. ServiceNow tool is designed with ITIL guidelines to offer various benefits to business organizations. ServiceNow is an American software company located in Santa Clara, California and its main function is to manage digital workflow for various business operations. 

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Benefits of ServiceNow

The following are the few benefits of ServiceNow:

• Helps to maintain visibility across information technology operations.
• Monitor and manage the information technology performance.
• Increases user satisfaction and also reduces the information technology cost.
• Reduces the downtimes and associated operational costs.
• Improving and extending IT services to increase productivity.
• Merging the information technology and corporate strategies to bring more value to the business operations. 

Service Mapping in ServiceNow

In this section, we are going to explain service mapping. Now consider your organization, there are few applications available such as business enterprise email system,Microsoft application exchange, enterprise web application, MS share point, data storage, information security, ERP SAP applications, Service proxy, Networking, and many more. These application services will make use of some devices, servers, hardware, software applications, and licenses. The major functionality of using service mapping is to discover all the application services in your organization. Service mapping also helps to build the comprehensive mapping to all the devices, networking services, application configuration, servers, and profile management in the application services. So that we can proudly say that service mapping depends on a connection between software devices and service applications. The service mapping in ServiceNow will be stored in the CMDB table (cmdb_ci_service_discovered).

We can make use of service mapping in the CMDB table only to activate and set up the application. If you want to discover application services, devices, mapping relies on, and CMDB services, and mid server management. In general, service mapping uses the discovered results and MID level servers to establish communications between various CIs in organizations. Here CMDB service is used to create a mapping in service maps and CI in the business service.

To create a mapping in your organization, need to follow the navigation;

If you are using a personal instance developer -> need to type the service mapping -> that is available on the left side of the filter navigator. The screenshot is as follows;

Service mapping set up in ServiceNow is considered to be an important job. To configure the Service mapping you need to install more components and activate the ServiceNow mapping.

Types of Service Mapping

There are two types of service mapping available. They are:

1. Pattern based discovery

2. Traffic based discovery.

Let me explain them one by one;

1. Pattern based discovery:

Patterns are mainly used to identify various software applications, properties of the devices, and establish connections between the applications. For instance; consider a web application pattern and which is used to find the web device applications. Here CMDB service mapping uses the patterns to identify and map in CMDB.

In few cases, some applications will not identify applications using patterns, and then service mapping uses the traffic based discovery service mapping.

 2. Traffic based discovery:

This is an alternate type of data discovery used in Service mapping.To perform this type of traffic based discovery mapping users need to establish traffic- based connections between applications and several network statistics. In general, traffic based discovery is used at an initial stage of the ServiceNow and this creates the inclusive service map.

Service Mapping Life Cycle

Below are the key stages of the service mapping life cycle:

1. Start:

This is a kind of readiness assessment.

Features included are:

  a. MID server installation.

  b. Credential identification.

  c. Entry point identification.

  d. Environment identification.

2. MAP:

This is service discovery.

  a. Helps to import CSV file and load balancer discovery.

  b. Manual entry point addition.

  c. Helps to initiate the service map discovery.

3. Fix:

This is an error handling stage where you need to fix the bugs or issues.

 Features included are:

  a. Bulk error handling

  b. Involved in single map refinement.

4. Review:

In this stage of service mapping, ServiceNow administrators need to review and refine the data patterns.

Features included are:

  a. Send it to the SME team for review.

  b. interactions with the SME team.

  c. Receive feedback from SME.

  d. Finally, need to refine the map.

5. Approve:

This is the final stage of the service mapping life cycle, where the ServiceNow administrator activates the service.

  a. Approval of service by the application owner.

  b. Deploy to production.

  c. Activation of the service to the dashboard.

Conclusion:

I hope the above information related to ServiceNow mapping will help you to understand the core concepts of ServiceNow. As we know that ServiceNow is very flexible to use and helps the team to achieve their desired goals related to problem management. With the help of ServiceNow, users are free to choose their comfortable support interfaces. ServiceNow mapping offers the information to the team to diagnose and manage issues while removing/adding dependencies on Microsoft spreadsheet or email. With the help of the ServiceNow mapping blog, ServiceNow administrators can learn more about data discovery, patterns, and data reconciliations.

Author Bio:  I am Boga Mounika, Working as a content writer in HKR Trainings. Having good experience in handling technical content writing and aspires to learn new things to grow professionally. I am expertise in delivering content on the market demanding technologies like AlterYX Training, PTC Windchill Course, Arcsight Training, and Looker Training, etc.