Keeping ServiceNow Updated with Automated AWS Discovery
Tags: turbot, aws, servicenow, cmdb
Published: 2024-01-24 05:24:14

As AWS builders, we know how fast cloud environments evolve. Resources get added, changed, and removed continuously. If your inventory reporting or cloud discovery is not capturing changes in real-time, before you know it, your CMDB is full of blindspots and outdated data.

Relying on manual cloud discovery and scheduled updates leads to inaccuracy. And when using native tools they often only cover a handful of core AWS services while leaving 100+ for custom development work.

Recently our enterprise customers were expressing these struggles with keeping accurate records of cloud resources in their ServiceNow CMDB. So as part of our last [Launch Week](https://turbot.com/launch-week) we built an [integration](https://turbot.com/guardrails/blog/2023/12/cmdb-sync-guardrails-servicenow-integration) in [Turbot Guardrails](https://turbot.com) in response to help customers capture real-time resource changes from multi-cloud to ServiceNow.

## Automated AWS Discovery with Guardrails

This AWS & ServiceNow integration via Turbot Guardrails provides a real-time automation to discover resources across 100+ AWS services. As your infrastructure changes, Guardrails detects it and handles updating integrated systems like ServiceNow.

It augments native discovery capabilities by:

- Adding more comprehensive AWS resource coverage
- Handling deletions and archiving records
- Flexibly mapping data to different CMDB tables
- Eliminating dependency on legacy scheduled jobs

This means you get complete visibility and accuracy as changes occur without the overhead.

## How to configure automated AWS resource discovery for your ServiceNow CMDB

After you have [integrated](https://turbot.com/guardrails/docs/integrations/servicenow) your ServiceNow instance to Turbot Guardrails; each AWS resource type can be configured to sync to the ServiceNow CMDB. Most often you would set the scope of the policy across many AWS resources from all your AWS accounts. In this example we will show how to enable syncing AWS S3 Buckets.

Simply set the Turbot Guardrails policy to “Enforce: Sync” and apply to all or specific AWS accounts:

![Turbot Guardrails policy to Enforce AWS Syncing to ServiceNow](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/mjy3app8tx12lhd8d9rw.jpg)

For the AWS account we enabled the integration for, the following AWS resources will be in scope for the AWS discovery:

![AWS S3 Buckets Managed by Turbot Guardrails Example](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/7bvi6aa376qqu9tksos3.jpg)

Instantly the AWS resources will be added to the associated ServiceNow CMDB table:

![AWS S3 Buckets Synced to ServiceNow by Turbot Guardrails Example](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kjm1tttv83nvzuzag25b.jpg)

As AWS resources are added, updated, or deleted, Turbot Guardrails handles the configuration drift and keeps ServiceNow CMDB updated.

For example, when an AWS resource changes, Turbot Guardrails captures the configuration drift and updates ServiceNow CMDB:

![AWS Configuration Drift Captured by Turbot Guardrails](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5dd6zpt868cuxnrdh9hh.jpg)

AWS resource deletion can be managed as a complete synchronization where the record in ServiceNow is deleted as well, or archived to retain its record with an archive status.

## Configure AWS Discovery to your CMDB Tables

You can configure the AWS to ServiceNow discovery sync behavior by:

- Scoping to specific AWS services
- Defining archive vs delete flow for resource deletions
- Adding custom CMDB table columns and mappings

This level of control lets you tailor it to your unique [CMDB table definitions](https://turbot.com/guardrails/blog/2024/01/servicenow-aws-discovery#map-aws-resource-details-to-servicenow-cmdb-ci-tables) whether directly to a table or table extension.

## Keep your AWS to ServiceNow Discovery Simple
Managing AWS cloud discovery to ServiceNow does not need to be difficult and time-consuming. Using this [Guardrails integration](https://turbot.com/guardrails/blog/2024/01/servicenow-aws-discovery), you can automate AWS resource discovery across 100+ AWS services and sync to ServiceNow CMDB in just minutes. This can accelerate new integration efforts or augment existing methods with more accuracy and timely updates when changes occur.

Whether you are new to cloud discovery or looking to enhance existing capabilities, try a 14-day free trial by [signing up](https://turbot.com/start) directly with Turbot or through the [AWS Marketplace](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/pp/prodview-xhmht6ul72y2q).