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When to Choose ACC Instead of Agentless Discovery

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In this lesson, you will learn:

  • When ACC is the better choice
  • When agentless is better
  • What ACC doesn’t replace

🔁 Quick look back: Last time: ACC Architecture: Agent → MID Server → ServiceNow. You learned how ACC agents send data through a MID Server to IRE.

1 The Problem: Agents Everywhere Isn’t Always Better

After seeing ACC, Priya asked: ‘Why not put agents everywhere?’ But:

  • Every agent must be installed, updated and watched.
  • Some discovery needs more than an agent collects.

🎯 The problem: Agents everywhere isn’t always better.

👉 The fix: Choose per zone, based on access, effort and what you need to find.

Table of zone and choice.
Figure 1. ACC or agentless, zone by zone at SNWR.

2 Choosing

Choose ACC when… Choose agentless when…
Inbound access is blocked Hosts are reachable
Hosts are often offline You don’t want to install software
Credentials can’t be shared You need deep app discovery

3 What ACC doesn’t replace

⚠️ Limits: ACC doesn’t cover every kind of application and config-file discovery that credential-based patterns can do. Check what you need before switching.

4 Project Clear View: How We Implemented It

📍 Situation: Priya suggested agents everywhere.

🧭 Decision: Choose per zone and write down why.

🛠️ Steps we took:

  1. Compared effort and coverage for each zone.
  2. Kept agentless for server zones.
  3. Kept ACC for Finance only.
  4. Noted laptops as a phase 2 choice.

✅ What we verified:

  • Priya agreed.
  • The choice matches DD-D02.

📁 Evidence: Zone choices recorded in DD-D02.

5 Quick recap

  • Choose ACC when inbound access is blocked or hosts are offline.
  • Choose agentless when hosts are reachable.
  • Agents add install and upkeep work.
  • ACC doesn’t replace all credential-based discovery.

6 Check yourself

Think of your answer first. Then tap to check.

1 When is ACC the better choice? Show answer

When inbound access is blocked, hosts are often offline, or credentials can’t be shared.

2 Why not agents everywhere at SNWR? Show answer

Server zones are reachable, and agents add install and upkeep work.

3 Name one limit of ACC. Show answer

It doesn’t cover every kind of application and config-file discovery.

Nice work! You can choose between ACC and agentless. 🎉
Next up: ACC Prerequisites and Deployment Planning

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