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ServiceNow Discovery vs Tanium comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

ServiceNow Discovery
Ranking in Server Monitoring
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
IT Asset Management (4th), Cloud Resource Discovery Services (1st)
Tanium
Ranking in Server Monitoring
10th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (22nd), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (37th), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) (26th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of ServiceNow Discovery is 4.3%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tanium is 6.6%, down from 6.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Monitoring
 

Featured Reviews

Kaustubh Partha - PeerSpot reviewer
Scans servers and network devices through SNMP and reduces manual maintenance for our infrastructure team
I like how ServiceNow Discovery scans servers and network devices through SNMP. Most fields on our forms are auto-filled, reducing manual maintenance for our infrastructure team. Post Discovery implementation there is hardly any maintenance. There are three to four fields that are customized. Otherwise, 90% of the data is auto-filled. Discovery can also run in bulk, which is helpful for organizations that cannot run it during weekdays. With identification rules, if a configuration item (CI) isn't in the CMDB, you can simply add the IP address, and it will be automatically added based on criteria like name or serial number, making CMDB maintenance easier.
Mo Vermeiren - PeerSpot reviewer
Is able to make several campaigns work in parallel, but the user interface needs improvement
It's mainly used by the cybersecurity team for Windows patching and deployment of some software solutions I like the fact that you can create patching campaigns depending on the area of your network that you want to address first. I like the ability it has to make several campaigns that work in…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The initial setup is pretty easy."
"It has given us an understanding of each layer from a server application."
"The solution can prioritize the discovery of IP ranges. The product automatically places all Discovery CIs into the correct class within the CMDB."
"ServiceNow Discovery is useful for discovering the servers, like the servers of Windows and Linux, from the client network."
"I believe one of the great functionalities or improvements in ServiceNow Discovery is its ability to gather information about any Configuration Items (CIs)."
"This solution provides excellent insights."
"The most valuable asset is relationship building because the solution discovers and builds auto relationships in a way that makes cleanup very easy."
"We mostly use the solution's ITSM and ITOM capabilities in most workflows."
"Tanium’s linear-chain architecture is valuable."
"Threat hunting is a very good feature on Tanium. We have just started using it and have not used it extensively."
"I like the fact that you can create patching campaigns depending on the area of your network that you want to address first. I like the ability it has to make several campaigns that work in parallel."
"When I push a quick update, it's done right away, and I can rescan immediately to confirm completion within minutes."
"For incident response tasks, all these tasks can get done in minutes with minimal disruption to the end-user."
"I like the tool's incident response and security patching."
"When I push a quick update, it's done right away, and I can rescan immediately to confirm completion within minutes."
"Tanium has made the process of detecting threats more proactive with its detection. So, the process is easier and more efficient."
 

Cons

"When you switch versions, for example, when you go from Paris to Quebec they will introduce many new things and occasionally things break when they do that."
"Technical support has not been helpful when we have come across problems."
"It's an expensive platform."
"Application discovery could be improved. And, right now, ServiceNow needs to be coupled with another solution in order to verify information."
"In future releases, I would like to see more AI-oriented enhancements in the solution. It would automate most of the things that we have to do manually write the scripts and go on the teleservice, what to do. So if we have something in place and if we can train the module, then AI would be a good thing."
"ServiceNow is very costly."
"ServiceNow has a constant development environment. Hence they get constant bugs which result in incorrect performance. It should also improve customer service."
"What needs improvement in ServiceNow Discovery is the reporting UI because I didn't find it as friendly compared to other tools. Other tools have better reporting UI than what's currently in ServiceNow Discovery. What I'd like to see in the next release of ServiceNow Discovery is more user-friendly out-of-the-box reporting that would be helpful for non-technical users. Some users such as managers would want to just do a few clicks to access the reports and shouldn't be required to do search queries, but right now, reporting in the tool isn't very user-friendly."
"Tanium's limitations should be improved because although it is a great tool, it is limited to only a few classes during a session."
"Most of the time, agent-relative issues have to be more equipped with self-healing features. At times, the agent is there, but for some reason, it doesn't report a status. It gives certain problems that are obviously agent-based."
"The performance could improve in future releases. We have had performance issues in specialized web environments, but overall I think the problems are less than 2% of the computer systems being used."
"We had some issues with the solution's OS upgrade."
"The solution lacks mobility."
"The main issues are the network connection because different customers have issues with their networks. It's difficult implementing this type of solution because the network is the main feature in the architecture for these types of solutions. Tanium could improve by creating some network optimization."
"I would like to have more integrations and custom plugins to input. Integration is always a big deal in a lot of different environments."
"The most painful thing is the interface. It's a bit unclear sometimes."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"ServiceNow Discovery has very broad pricing, so it becomes costly. It would be better if it had a pay-as-you-use licensing model because the total cost of ownership is quite high."
"It's a bit expensive compared to other products in the market, but it's worth the money you pay because it's far advanced in terms of features, automation, and capabilities compared to other products."
"The pricing is determined based on the CIs."
"ServiceNow Discovery's licensing is not a very small investment, but it definitely pays off."
"It's on a yearly basis. We renew our contract for three years at a time."
"ServiceNow Discovery is expensive, but the company has a monopoly and we need to use the solution. We use it because we do not have a choice."
"I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten. We had availed some discount from the standard pricing. Even then, the tool's pricing is expensive. You have to pay some vendor service fees for the product's implementation."
"This is expensive, but it meets our needs."
"The product's pricing differs from region to region depending on negotiations and the number of endpoints."
"The solution offers value for money."
"Tanium is a more expensive solution in Latin America than some of the competitors, such as BigFix."
"It is higher than some competitors in the market."
"The solution is expensive but it's a good investment."
"It's an expensive solution. It would be nice if the cost were lower."
"There is an annual license required to use this solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ServiceNow Discovery?
The solution can prioritize the discovery of IP ranges. The product automatically places all Discovery CIs into the correct class within the CMDB.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Discovery?
ServiceNow is considered more expensive compared to other products. If I were to rate the pricing on a scale from one to ten in terms of expense, I would rate it quite high.
What needs improvement with ServiceNow Discovery?
Improvements could include implementing chatbots to simplify ticket creation. Currently, each new product must be manually created if it is not already available in ServiceNow, which can be cumbers...
What do you like most about Tanium?
Tanium’s linear-chain architecture is valuable.
What needs improvement with Tanium?
When working with Tanium, there are some older devices that haven't been patched for a long time, and certain patches are not included in Tanium. I have to search outside to download patches, creat...
What is your primary use case for Tanium?
We primarily use Tanium for patching, focusing on vulnerabilities. Our major goal with Tanium is to patch based on vulnerabilities detected by our other vulnerability tools.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

York, National Grid, DXC Technology, experian, BEACHBODY
JPMorgan Chase, eBay, Amazon, US Bank, MetLife, pwc, Cerner, Delphi, MGM Grand, New York Life
Find out what your peers are saying about ServiceNow Discovery vs. Tanium and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.