Network Discovery
Network Discovery keeps your configuration data honest without anyone lifting a finger. Running inside ServiceCore on the same shared data model as the rest of the platform, it scans your network on a schedule, surfaces every device it finds — servers, workstations, switches, routers, printers, IoT endpoints and virtual machines — and reads back their hardware, installed software and configuration attributes. Each finding is normalized into a configuration item and written straight into the CMDB, so the inventory you act on reflects the live environment rather than a spreadsheet someone last touched a quarter ago.
Built for the way network discovery should work
Network Discovery keeps your configuration data honest without anyone lifting a finger. Running inside ServiceCore on the same shared data model as the rest of the platform, it scans your network on a schedule, surfaces every device it finds — servers, workstations, switches, routers, printers, IoT endpoints and virtual machines — and reads back their hardware, installed software and configuration attributes. Each finding is normalized into a configuration item and written straight into the CMDB, so the inventory you act on reflects the live environment rather than a spreadsheet someone last touched a quarter ago.
Beyond cataloguing individual devices, Discovery maps the relationships between them — which application runs on which host, which service depends on which database, how endpoints connect through the network layer. These dependency edges populate the same relationship model that Service Configuration Management uses to draw service maps, so the picture of 'what runs on what' is built from observed reality, not hand-drawn diagrams. Discovery runs continuously: new devices appear in inventory within a discovery cycle, changed attributes are updated in place, and intelligent matching (hostname, MAC and serial precedence) ensures a device that moves or changes IP updates its existing CI instead of spawning a duplicate.
It works the way your network is actually shaped. Agentless methods — Network/IP range, SNMP, WMI/WinRM, SSH and cloud APIs — cover the bulk of the estate without touching endpoints, while a lightweight agent reaches machines that are off-network, roaming or behind restrictive firewalls. Distributed probes scan remote sites and branches over a single outbound connection, so no inbound firewall rules or per-site VPNs are required. Credentials used for scanning are encrypted at rest and never leave the platform, and every access is written to the audit trail.
Because everything lands in one CMDB, the inventory Discovery maintains becomes the trusted reference the rest of ServiceCore reads from. Incident, Problem, Request and Change records attach to the same configuration items Discovery keeps current, so impact analysis and change planning run against an accurate dependency graph. Newly found or anomalous assets can open tickets automatically, license and software data feed Asset Management compliance reporting, and the audit trail underpins the evidence needed for governance — turning the once-dreaded annual physical audit into a continuous, self-maintaining process.
- Automated network scanning
- Device & software discovery
- Relationship discovery
- Continuous inventory updates
- Agentless & agent options
- CMDB population
What you can do with it
Automated network scanning
Scheduled or on-demand scans sweep IP/CIDR ranges across the estate and surface every reachable device with no manual entry.
Device & software discovery
Reads hardware specs, installed software and configuration attributes from servers, endpoints, network gear, printers, IoT and virtual machines.
Relationship discovery
Detects runs-on, hosts and depends-on dependencies between configuration items and writes them into the CMDB's relationship model.
Agentless & agent options
Covers most of the estate over SNMP, WMI/WinRM, SSH and cloud APIs, with a lightweight agent for off-network or firewalled machines.
Distributed probes
Per-site probes scan branches and isolated networks over a single outbound connection, removing the need for inbound firewall rules or VPNs.
Continuous CMDB population
Findings are normalized into configuration items and reconciled by hostname, MAC and serial precedence so each CI updates in place instead of duplicating.
Why teams adopt it
Always-current inventory
The CMDB reflects the live environment after every cycle, so every process downstream reasons from accurate configuration data.
Audits become continuous
Ongoing automated discovery replaces the dreaded annual physical count and keeps compliance evidence ready at any moment.
Reliable impact analysis
Change and Incident teams plan against an observed dependency graph instead of guesswork, cutting unexpected service disruption.
Lower manual overhead
No one re-keys assets or chases stale records, freeing the IT team from inventory housekeeping.
Where it fits
Onboarding a new estate
A first scan across the network builds a populated CMDB in one cycle instead of weeks of manual cataloguing.
Pre-change impact review
Before a change is approved, the dependencies Discovery mapped reveal which services and users the affected CI touches.
Branch and remote sites
Distributed probes inventory each location over an outbound connection, giving head office one consolidated, current view.
License compliance reporting
Discovered software inventory feeds Asset Management so license usage and compliance can be reported without a separate audit.
Common questions
No. Most of the estate is discovered agentlessly using SNMP, WMI/WinRM, SSH and cloud APIs. The lightweight agent is optional and used for machines that are off-network, roaming or behind firewalls that agentless methods cannot reach.
Part of these solutions
Related modules
See Network Discovery in action.
Book a demo and we'll show network discovery working alongside the rest of the platform — on one shared data model.