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Packer VS ServiceNow Software Asset Management

Compare Packer VS ServiceNow Software Asset Management and see what are their differences

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Packer logo Packer

Packer is an open-source software for creating identical machine images from a single source configuration.

ServiceNow Software Asset Management logo ServiceNow Software Asset Management

Software can represent more than 20% of IT budgets and managing it can be complicated.
  • Packer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15
  • ServiceNow Software Asset Management Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-04

Packer features and specs

  • Multi-Provider Support
    Packer supports a wide variety of providers such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VMware, and more. This allows for flexibility and the ability to create machine images across different environments.
  • Automation
    Packer automates the creation of machine images, eliminating the need for manual image configuration and reducing the potential for human error.
  • Script Reusability
    Packer allows for the reuse of scripts and configuration files, enabling a consistent and repeatable process for image creation.
  • Parallel Builds
    Packer can build multiple images in parallel, which can significantly speed up the provisioning process.
  • Idempotency
    Packer ensures that the output machine image is always an identical result given the same input configuration, reducing the risk of inconsistencies.

Possible disadvantages of Packer

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The variety of features and flexibility that Packer offers can make it complex and challenging to learn, especially for beginners.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    Packer's debugging tools are not as mature or as integrated as those found in some other DevOps tools, making troubleshooting more difficult.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Complex configurations with multiple builders and provisioners can become hard to manage and maintain, leading to potential errors.
  • No State Management
    Unlike Terraform, Packer does not manage state, which means users need to handle state management separately if required.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Packer often relies on external scripts and tools for provisioning, which can introduce additional dependencies and complexities.

ServiceNow Software Asset Management features and specs

  • Integration Capabilities
    ServiceNow Software Asset Management integrates well with other ServiceNow modules and external systems, providing a seamless workflow across IT and business processes.
  • Centralized Visibility
    It offers a centralized dashboard to track, manage, and optimize software usage and compliance across the entire organization, assisting in making informed decisions.
  • Automated Processes
    The software automates many tasks such as license tracking, renewal alerts, and audit preparation, reducing manual workload and increasing efficiency.
  • Compliance Management
    It helps ensure compliance with software licensing agreements and provides insights into potential non-compliance risks, thus avoiding fines and penalties.
  • Cost Optimization
    ServiceNow's SAM identifies underused applications and redundant licenses, providing opportunities to optimize costs by reallocating resources or terminating unnecessary contracts.

Possible disadvantages of ServiceNow Software Asset Management

  • Complexity and Learning Curve
    New users may find the software complex, and its full potential often requires significant training and expertise to leverage all of its capabilities efficiently.
  • High Implementation Costs
    Initial setup and integration can be expensive, especially for small businesses, which may find it challenging to justify the costs compared to the benefits.
  • Customization Limitations
    While ServiceNow offers a range of features, some users may encounter limitations in customizing the software to specific needs without additional development resources.
  • Dependence on ServiceNow Ecosystem
    Organizations heavily invested in the ServiceNow ecosystem may find it challenging to integrate with non-ServiceNow products, potentially limiting flexibility.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users may experience performance issues, particularly in large deployments with extensive data, which can affect usability and response times.

Analysis of Packer

Overall verdict

  • Packer is a valuable tool for organizations looking to streamline their image building process and maintain consistency across different environments. Its flexibility and wide range of features make it a strong asset in infrastructure automation and DevOps pipelines.

Why this product is good

  • Packer is considered a good tool because it automates the creation of machine images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. This efficiency reduces errors and speeds up the deployment process. Packer is highly versatile and integrates well with various configuration management tools, broadening its applicability across different environments. It also supports multiple cloud providers, making it a great choice for multi-cloud strategies.

Recommended for

  • DevOps teams
  • Cloud infrastructure engineers
  • Organizations using multi-cloud strategies
  • Teams seeking automated and consistent image building processes
  • Developers looking to integrate infrastructure as code practices

Packer videos

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ServiceNow Software Asset Management videos

ServiceNow Software Asset Management

More videos:

  • Review - Software Asset Management | SAM Pro | ServiceNow Software Asset Management | SAMP in ServiceNow - 2

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Packer and ServiceNow Software Asset Management)
DevOps Tools
100 100%
0% 0
SaaS Management
0 0%
100% 100
Continuous Integration And Delivery
IT Asset Management
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Packer and ServiceNow Software Asset Management

Packer Reviews

Introduction to Top Open Source Virtualization Tools
Packer is notably light, high performing, and operates on every major operating system. It assembles and configures all the necessary components for a virtual machine then creates images that run on multiple platforms. Packer doesn’t replace configuration management tools like Puppet or Chef; as a matter of fact, when creating images, Packer can utilize tools like Puppet or...

ServiceNow Software Asset Management Reviews

20 Best IT Asset Management Software in 2023: ITAM Tools and Solutions
ServiceNow Asset Management provides core asset management capabilities to manage your infrastructure, operations, and field services. It can track the financial, contractual, and inventory details of hardware devices and non-IT assets throughout their lifecycle. It is a robust tool that can help enterprises reduce software complexities, improve compliance, cut costs, and...
Source: infraon.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Packer seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 9 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Packer mentions (9)

  • Failed to connect to the host via SSH on Ubuntu 22.04
    If you have just upgraded to Ubuntu 22.04, and you suddenly experience either errors when trying to ssh into hosts, or when running ansible or again when running the ansible provisioner building a packer image, this is probably going to be useful for you. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Create a minimalist OS using Docker Containers and Hashicorp Packer
    I am already using Hashicorp Packer at work and for personal projects and I wanted to test This idea out by wrapping it a single Packer Template file. This reduces the level of maintaining a lot of small scripts, Dockerfiles and configurations and the user can simply trigger a couple of Commands to get a minimalist OS at the end of the process. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • After self-hosting my email for twenty-three years I have thrown in the towel. The oligopoly has won.
    And while it is a slight increase in complexity, it can be an overall net gain in functionality, configurability and reliability. Much like Packer is far more reliable and practical than manually making VM images sitting in front of a terminal, even though making the initial configuration takes some time. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Customized Ubuntu Images using Packer + QEMU + Cloud-Init & UEFI bootloading
    Hashicorp Packer provides a nice wrapper / abstraction over the QEMU in order to boot the image and use it to set it up on first-boot. Instead of writing really long commands in order to boot up the image using QEMU, Packer provided a nice Configuration Template in a more Readable fashion. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • The journey of sharing a wired USB printer over the network
    Packer seemed like the perfect tool for the job. I have never used it before and wanted to get familiar with the tool. It doesn't come with ARM support out of the box, but there are two community projects to fill that niche. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
View more

ServiceNow Software Asset Management mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ServiceNow Software Asset Management yet. Tracking of ServiceNow Software Asset Management recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Packer and ServiceNow Software Asset Management, you can also consider the following products

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

SnowSoftware - Snow Software are suppliers of Software Asset Management products and help optimizing licensing & minimizing compliance risk.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

Torii - SaaS Management Software.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

SoftwareKey Licensing System - SoftwareKey System is a set of software development tools that help programmers implement copy protection, license activation and management, metering, eCommerce, and business automation.