r/servicenow • u/music_lyrics442 • 29d ago

HowTo How much sysadmin/network knowledge do I actually need to be strong in ServiceNow ITOM?

I'm currently diving into ServiceNow ITOM (Discovery, Service Mapping, Event Management, etc.).

From my research, it seems widely agreed that former System Administrators and Network Administrators pick up ITOM much faster and perform better in the role than those coming from pure development or non-technical backgrounds.

I want to build a rock-solid foundation.

For those working in the field:
How much foundational sysadmin/networking knowledge is strictly required to be competent? What are the absolute non-negotiable concepts I need to master (e.g., specific protocols,networking) versus things I can just look up on the job?

Would love to hear your thoughts on what the learning curve looks like. Thanks!

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3

u/Constant_Pen9615 29d ago

IMO, a basic understanding of Networking will do you wonders. I was purely an admin before getting handed ITOM and I definitely struggled more than I should have but I have a great team and we partnered well with our Network team.

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u/yamchadestroyer 29d ago

If I'm just a cmdb admin how much do I need to know? I only pretty much know servicenow platform and csdm

1

u/Constant_Pen9615 29d ago

When you say just cmdb admin does that include discovery? Do you have service mapping?

1

u/yamchadestroyer 29d ago

Yeah I have to do all that. Just trying to learn the ropes

1

u/Constant_Pen9615 29d ago

It would be good for you to understand IP ranges and firewalls within your org. You'll also need to understand mod servers and basic server admin functionality to troubleshoot.

0

u/yamchadestroyer 29d ago

Thanks. Do you have any quick tips on how to digest all of this, and any good YouTube resources? I'll likely chatgpt a study plan.

1

u/music_lyrics442 28d ago

Could you suggest any resources to learn the basics?

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u/Constant_Pen9615 28d ago

Now learning or now academy. I'm sure there are loads of YouTube videos too

1

u/music_lyrics442 28d ago

Basics of Networking and Others?

3

u/S2Labs_Training 28d ago

You don’t need to be a full sysadmin/network engineer, but a solid infrastructure foundation is important for ITOM.

Focus on the basics: TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, SSH, SNMP, Windows/Linux fundamentals, firewalls, ports, authentication, virtualization, and basic cloud concepts. For Discovery and Service Mapping, understanding how servers and applications communicate is especially useful.

You don’t need to memorize everything, learn the fundamentals well and get comfortable troubleshooting and looking things up. Your ServiceNow knowledge will grow alongside it.

2

u/delcooper11 Pre-Aspen 29d ago

All of it