Operational expenses are the costs incurred by an organization to maintain and use an asset throughout its lifecycle. These costs include the expenses related to the repair, maintenance, upgrade, and disposal of the asset. Some examples of operational expenses are:

Replacement parts: These are the costs of purchasing and installing new parts or components for an asset that is damaged, worn out, or obsolete. For example, replacing a hard drive, a battery, or a keyboard for a laptop.

Maintenance agreements: These are the costs of contracting with a vendor or a service provider to perform regular or preventive maintenance on an asset. For example, paying a monthly fee for a technician to check and service a printer or a scanner.

Other examples of operational expenses are:

Storage costs: These are the costs of renting or owning a space to store an asset that is not in use or awaiting disposal. For example, paying for a warehouse, a locker, or a shelf to keep unused or surplus computers or monitors.

Warranty costs: These are the costs of extending or renewing the warranty coverage for an asset that is still under the manufacturer’s warranty or has expired. For example, paying an extra fee for a one-year or a three-year warranty extension for a tablet or a smartphone.

Hardware model normalization is a feature that enables users to normalize the details, such as manufacturer, product, model, and device type, of their hardware and consumable models1.

Hardware model normalization uses the data from the Hardware Model Normalization Content Service, which is a cloud-based service that provides standardized information for thousands of hardware models1.

The key attribute in the model record that hardware model normalization uses to normalize inconsistent manufacturers and product names is the model number12.

The model number is a unique identifier for a specific product or model that is assigned by the manufacturer12. It is based on the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC), which is a global classification system for products and services23.

Hardware model normalization compares the model number of the model record with the model number of the Hardware Model Normalization Content Service record and updates the model record with the normalized information, such as display name, manufacturer, product, and device type12.

The other options are not the key attribute that hardware model normalization uses to normalize inconsistent manufacturers and product names. The asset tag, the display name, the model category, and the asset tracking unit are either not unique or not based on the UNSPSC.

Contract Management notifications are sent to contract administrators to remind them of contract expiration dates so they can renew or renegotiate the contract1.

The expire date is the most important contract date to be aware of because it indicates when the contract is no longer valid and the service or product is no longer covered2.

If a contract expires without renewal or extension, it can result in penalties, service downtime, or loss of warranty or maintenance3.

Therefore, the expire date is the most critical date for contract management and should be monitored closely. References:

1: Product Documentation | ServiceNow

2: Contract and renewal management - ServiceNow

3: Hardware Asset Management overview - ServiceNow - Now Support

4: Use a hardware asset request flow - ServiceNow

According to the ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management overview document1, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an asset is the sum of all direct and indirect costs incurred throughout its lifecycle, from acquisition to disposal1.

The original costs are the costs involved in purchasing an asset and putting it into use, such as lease, delivery, and spare parts12.

Lease is the cost of renting or leasing an asset from a vendor or a third party for a fixed period of time12. Lease costs can vary depending on the terms and conditions of the contract, such as duration, frequency, and interest rate2.

Delivery is the cost of transporting or shipping an asset from the vendor or the warehouse to the end user or the location where it will be used12. Delivery costs can include fees, taxes, customs, and insurance2.

Spare parts are the cost of purchasing or stocking additional or replacement parts for an asset in case of failure, damage, or wear and tear12. Spare parts costs can depend on the availability, quality, and compatibility of the parts2.

The other options are not original costs, but rather ongoing or disposal costs. Maintenance is the cost of repairing, servicing, or upgrading an asset to keep it in good working condition12. Storage is the cost of storing an asset that is not in use or waiting for disposal12.

According to the Audit your inventory document, a blind inventory audit is a type of audit that hides the expected asset list from the auditor, so that the auditor has to physically scan each asset in the location and compare it with the actual asset list1.

A blind inventory audit helps ensure data integrity and accuracy, as it prevents the auditor from “cheating on the test” by relying on the expected asset list1.

A blind inventory audit is typically initiated via the Now Agent Mobile app, which is a mobile application that enables users to perform various tasks related to hardware asset management, such as scanning assets, creating audits, and viewing audit results1.

The Now Agent Mobile app allows users to create an audit on the mobile device, select the location and type of audit, and scan the assets using the device camera or a Bluetooth scanner1.

Therefore, the correct answer is option C, Now Agent Mobile app, as it is the interface that is typically used to initiate a blind inventory audit. References:

Audit your inventory

What is Hardware Asset Management?

According to the ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management documents, the role that allows you to allocate a resource is the resource_manager role1.

The resource_manager role is a role that grants the user the ability to manage resources, such as hardware assets, consumables, and stockrooms, and to perform tasks related to resource allocation, reservation, transfer, and audit1.

The other roles that are not the correct answer are:

A. resource_user: This is a role that grants the user the ability to view and request resources, such as hardware assets and consumables, from the service catalog or the mobile app2.

B. it_project_user: This is a role that grants the user the ability to view and participate in IT projects, such as hardware asset refresh projects, and to track the progress, costs, and risks of the projects3.

C. business_stakeholder: This is a role that grants the user the ability to view and provide feedback on the business services and outcomes that are supported by the IT assets and resources4. References:

1: Resource Manager Role

2: Resource User Role

3: IT Project User Role

4: Business Stakeholder Role

According to the Hardware Asset Management documentation, the hardware model normalization process is a process of comparing the model data in the ServiceNow platform with the data from the Content Library, which is a cloud-based service that provides normalized and enriched hardware model data.

The hardware model normalization process helps customers identify and manage their hardware models more effectively, as well as plan for hardware refreshes based on end-of-life (EOL) and end-of-service (EOS) dates1.

The hardware model normalization process assigns a status to each hardware model, such as Fully Normalized, Partially Normalized, Match Not Found, or Not Normalized1.

The status of Fully Normalized means that the hardware model data in the ServiceNow platform matches the data from the Content Library, indicating a complete and accurate model record1.

The status of Partially Normalized means that the hardware model data in the ServiceNow platform partially matches the data from the Content Library, indicating a missing or incorrect model field1.

In order for a hardware model to be fully normalized rather than partially normalized, the hardware model record must have the following fields populated correctly1:

Manufacturer: The name of the company that produces the hardware product.

Name: The name of the hardware product, such as Dell Latitude E7450 or HP ProLiant DL380 Gen10.

Model number: The unique identifier of the hardware product, such as 210-AFZC or 875671-B21.

Therefore, the correct answer is option E, model number, as it is the field that is required in the hardware model record for full normalization.

Normalization is the process of restructuring data to maintain consistency, accuracy, and completeness across different sources and systems. Normalization helps to eliminate data duplication, conflicts, and errors, and to ensure that the data conforms to predefined standards and rules. Normalization is especially important for hardware asset management, as it enables users to have a clear and unified view of their hardware models, manufacturers, product names, device types, and other attributes. ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management provides a feature called Hardware Model Normalization, which allows users to normalize the details of their hardware and consumable models using predefined or custom rules, data sources, and schedules. Hardware Model Normalization can be accessed from the Hardware Asset Management application menu in the ServiceNow platform1. References: Hardware Asset Management - ServiceNow, Hardware Asset Management - Product Documentation: Tokyo - ServiceNow, Hardware Asset Management Implement - Customer Success - ServiceNow, Work with hardware normalization - ServiceNow - Now Support, Getting Started with ServiceNow Hardware Asset Management

The plugin that helps alleviate inconsistencies in company names is the Normalization Data Services plugin, which is part of the ServiceNow IT Asset Management suite1.

The Normalization Data Services plugin provides a set of features and capabilities that enable you to standardize and normalize data across various tables and fields in ServiceNow, such as manufacturer names, model names, software names, and company names12.

The Normalization Data Services plugin uses a combination of rules, dictionaries, and algorithms to identify and correct data inconsistencies, such as spelling errors, abbreviations, synonyms, and duplicates12.

The Normalization Data Services plugin can help you improve the quality and accuracy of your data, reduce manual efforts and errors, and enhance reporting and analysis12. References:

1: Normalization Data Services - Product Documentation: San Diego - ServiceNow

2: Normalization Data Services - ServiceNow