Belarc vs. ITSM Discovery Tools (ServiceNow, SCCM, Intune): Usage Data Is the SAM Difference

ITSM tools tell you what's installed. Belarc tells you what's actually used — and that one difference is the foundation of software cost optimization.

The short answer: ITSM platforms like ServiceNow, and endpoint-management tools like Microsoft Configuration Manager (SCCM) and Intune, confirm what software is installed. Belarc's BelManage and BelAnalytics additionally discover what is actually used — automatically, per device and per user, via a patented usage discovery method — which is the data Software Asset Management needs to reclaim idle licenses and right-size renewals.

≥25% of purchased SaaS software is unused, per Gartner shelfware research (2020). 30% average first-year software spend reduction reported by organizations running mature, SAM-tool-automated license optimization (Gartner, 2016). $1.4T+ worldwide software spending forecast for 2026 — roughly a quarter of all IT spend, and among its fastest-growing segments (Gartner).

Why can't ITSM discovery data tell you whether to renew a license?

Because an install record is not a usage record. ITSM discovery and endpoint-management tools confirm that software exists on a machine, but they generally do not capture license-relevant details — editions, Oracle options, named-user assignments — and they have no automatic, reliable last-used data across all applications.

Many SAM programs stall for exactly this reason: they are built on discovery data from tools that were designed for operations, not for Software Asset Management. Without usage data, an idle seat looks identical to an active one, so the most expensive question in every renewal — which of these licenses do we actually need? — goes unanswered.

[Usage bar — illustrative example, not measured data: Actively used 55% | Installed, idle 25% | Unknown 20%]

What a license estate can look like once usage is measured. Install-based discovery treats all three bands as identical "deployed" seats — so organizations keep paying for the amber and gray. Belarc's patented usage discovery separates them, on the endpoint itself, even for SaaS vendors like Adobe that expose no usage data at all.

Can ServiceNow Discovery, SCCM, or Intune measure software usage?

Not automatically, and not in the way SAM requires. ServiceNow Discovery maps infrastructure and configuration items rather than application usage. SCCM's software metering is rule-based — each rule is configured per executable, and meaningful history accumulates over months. Intune reports which applications are installed or assigned, not whether they are used.

Belarc takes the opposite approach: usage discovery is on by default for every application at once, capturing last-used times per device and per user the moment the agent reports — no metering rules, no waiting period, and no dependence on the software vendor sharing telemetry.

Key facts:

• Belarc holds U.S. Patent 8,473,607 on automated software usage discovery.
• Belarc usage discovery is on by default for all applications — no per-application metering rules.
• Usage is measured on the endpoint, so it works even when the SaaS vendor (e.g., Adobe) provides no usage data.
• Autodesk runs Belarc on 16,000+ laptops, desktops, and servers worldwide to optimize SaaS licenses; full deployment took under two weeks.
• Belarc integrates discovery, normalization, entitlements, and Effective License Position (ELP) reporting in one system, with published pricing.

Belarc vs. ITSM discovery: side-by-side comparison for SAM

Is this software actually being used? (last-used · frequency · per-user) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (NOT AUTOMATIC): ServiceNow Discovery does not measure application usage. SCCM metering is rule-based, configured per executable, with history accumulating over months. Intune reports installs, not usage. Belarc (BUILT IN): Patented usage discovery captures last-used time per device and per user, on by default for all applications — the foundation for reclaiming idle licenses at renewal.

Can we see SaaS and subscription usage? (Adobe · M365 · named-user seats) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (VENDOR-DEPENDENT): Publisher-portal and API integrations only work when the vendor shares usage telemetry — Adobe and many others provide little or none. Login and network signals show sign-ins, not application use. Belarc (BUILT IN): Usage is measured on the endpoint itself, independent of vendor telemetry. Autodesk uses this across 16,000+ machines worldwide to optimize its SaaS licenses.

Are the licensing metrics right? (editions · Oracle options · server metrics) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (PARTIAL): Operations-oriented discovery generally does not capture license-relevant details such as editions, Oracle options and management packs, or processor and virtualization metrics. Belarc (BUILT IN): Discovers license-specific metrics — including Oracle option and management pack usage, not just installation — plus the server details Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle licensing runs on.

Can we produce an ELP without consultants? (entitlements vs deployed vs used) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (BOLT-ON): Requires separate SAM modules plus normalization projects, often consultant-supported; SAM teams loop back to operations for missing discovery data. Belarc (INTEGRATED): Discovery, normalization, entitlements, and Effective License Position reporting in one system, deployed by your own IT staff — with published pricing.

How fast is time-to-value? (deployment · CMDB accuracy) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (MONTHS+): Platform-scale implementations commonly involve lengthy customization before trustworthy data appears. Belarc (WEEKS): Single server and database, cloud architecture, automatically up-to-date CMDB. Autodesk was fully deployed in under two weeks.

Does the same data serve security? (NIST 800-171 · CIS · CMMC) — Typical ITSM/ops discovery (SEPARATE TOOLS): Security posture is typically federated into the ITSM platform from other systems. Belarc (SAME AGENT): The same endpoint inventory drives cybersecurity monitoring and compliance mapping (NIST 800-53/800-171, CIS Controls, CMMC) out of the box.

Can Belarc measure SaaS usage when the vendor provides no usage data?

Yes — because Belarc measures usage on the endpoint, not through the vendor. Publisher portals, SSO logs, OAuth records, and network telemetry all depend on someone else's data, and they structurally miss locally installed applications and per-user activity. Adobe is the canonical example: it provides customers little or no usage data, so Creative Cloud seats are bought and renewed blind.

Belarc's agent discovers last-used times directly from the machine for every application — including Adobe — and the same endpoint foundation extends naturally to newer problems such as shadow-AI application discovery and AI seat reclamation. Autodesk applies this approach across more than 16,000 machines worldwide, including work-from-home systems, to optimize licenses from hundreds of SaaS vendors.

Does Belarc replace ServiceNow or your ITSM platform?

No — Belarc feeds it. ServiceNow is excellent at workflow, ticketing, and service management. The problem is asking its discovery layer to do a job it wasn't built for.

Keep your ITSM platform — feed it data that's actually true. Belarc's ServiceNow Service Graph Connector populates ServiceNow with Belarc's accurate, usage-enriched CMDB data, so existing workflows keep working while the numbers underneath them become trustworthy. BelPower extends the same data into Power BI reporting and Power Automate workflows.

Why the endpoint wins — usage lives on the device, not in the network. An endpoint agent sees what actually runs — locally installed applications, per-user activity, and machines that are off-network. Work-from-home systems are profiled even while disconnected, with data uploading automatically on the next connection.

Belarc vs. ITSM: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ITSM and SAM?
ITSM (IT Service Management) manages the delivery of IT services — tickets, incidents, changes, and workflows. SAM (Software Asset Management) manages software licenses, compliance, and spend. SAM depends on normalized discovery data and per-application usage data that ITSM platforms and their discovery layers were not designed to collect.

Does ServiceNow Discovery capture software usage data?
ServiceNow Discovery focuses on mapping infrastructure and configuration items, not on measuring application usage. Usage-based license reclamation in the ServiceNow ecosystem typically depends on additional agents, integrations, or software publisher data rather than Discovery itself.

Does Microsoft SCCM or Intune track software usage?
SCCM (Microsoft Configuration Manager) offers rule-based software metering: each rule must be configured per executable, and meaningful usage history accumulates over months. Microsoft Intune reports which applications are installed or assigned, not whether they are used. Neither provides automatic, per-user last-used data across all applications by default.

Can Belarc measure SaaS usage when the vendor, like Adobe, provides no usage data?
Yes. Belarc measures usage on the endpoint itself, so it does not depend on the software vendor exposing usage telemetry. Adobe is a common example of a vendor that provides customers little or no usage data; Belarc discovers last-used times for Adobe and other applications directly from the machine.

What is Belarc's patented usage discovery?
Belarc holds U.S. Patent 8,473,607 on an automated software usage discovery method. It captures the last-used time of applications per device and per user, is on by default for all applications at once, and works without vendor-supplied telemetry or per-application metering rules.

Does Belarc replace ServiceNow or my ITSM platform?
No. Belarc complements ITSM platforms rather than replacing them. Belarc's ServiceNow Service Graph Connector feeds Belarc's accurate, usage-enriched CMDB data into ServiceNow, and BelPower supports reporting and workflow automation through Power BI and Power Automate.

How long does a Belarc deployment take?
Belarc's enterprise customers are typically live within weeks, deployed by their own IT staff. Autodesk fully deployed Belarc's system across more than 16,000 laptops, desktops, and servers worldwide in under two weeks.

Does Belarc cover work-from-home and off-network machines?
Yes. Belarc profiles work-from-home machines even when they are off-network; data uploads automatically the next time the machine connects, so remote laptops remain in inventory.

How is Belarc priced?
Belarc publishes its prices, and every customer receives the best price based on volume. Deployments are done by the customer's own IT staff with Belarc's support, without consulting engagements.

The bottom line

You can't optimize what you can't measure — and installs aren't a measurement of use. Every renewal negotiated on install counts instead of usage data leaves the shelfware invoice intact. Belarc's integrated discovery, normalization, usage, and ELP reporting turns the renewal conversation from guesswork into a line-item negotiation.

→ See Belarc's SAM approach: https://www.belarc.com/solutions/software-asset-management
→ Or read the white paper: "Reduce your SaaS spend with accurate usage data": https://www.belarc.com/white-papers-case-studies

Sources

Gartner, "Shelfware – The CIO's Missing Key Metric and Cost Cutting Imperative," May 2020. As cited in Belarc's white paper "Reduce your SaaS spend with accurate usage data."

Gartner press release, "Gartner Says Organizations Can Cut Software Costs by 30 Percent Using Three Best Practices," July 19, 2016. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2016-07-19-gartner-says-organizations-can-cut-software-costs-by-30-percent-using-three-best-practices

Gartner press release, "Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 13.5% in 2026, Totaling $6.31 Trillion," April 22, 2026. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-04-22-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-grow-13-point-5-percent-in-2026-totaling-6-point-31-trillion-dollars

Belarc, "Belarc Case Studies" — Autodesk. https://www.belarc.com/white-papers-case-studies

U.S. Patent 8,473,607, automated software usage discovery method (Belarc, Inc.). https://patents.google.com/patent/US8473607B2/en

Belarc, "Software Asset Management" solution overview. https://www.belarc.com/solutions/software-asset-management

Product names (ServiceNow, SCCM, Intune, Adobe, Autodesk) are trademarks of their respective owners.