Skip to content
IT Canvass
ITOM deep-dive · Lesson

Agent Client Collector

Quick answer

Agent based visibility for discovery, monitoring and check execution on servers and endpoints.

Key takeaways

  • ACC suits hosts where credentialed scanning is hard
  • Most estates run agent and agentless together
  • Policies control check assignment at scale
  • Version drift is the common operational issue

What it is

ACC is a lightweight agent installed on hosts. It reports inventory, runs checks and streams metrics back through the MID server, which gives visibility where credentialed network scanning is difficult or blocked.

Agent versus agentless

Agentless Discovery needs credentials and network access. ACC needs an installed agent and outbound connectivity. Most estates end up mixed: agentless for network devices and appliances, agents on servers where you already have configuration management.

Operating it

Treat agents as managed software.

  • Deploy through your existing configuration management tooling
  • Use policies to control which checks run on which groups of hosts
  • Watch agent version drift, old agents fail quietly
  • Start with inventory, add monitoring checks once the CMDB data is trusted

Want to learn this properly?

Our live, instructor-led ServiceNow Training covers this hands-on, with real projects and a certification path.

Check your understanding

  1. How does the agent reach the instance?

    • A. Directly over the internet
    • B. Through the MID server
    • C. By email
    • D. Via SNMP
    Show answer

    B. Through the MID server

    Agents communicate through the MID server.

  2. What controls which checks a host runs?

    • A. The CI class
    • B. A policy
    • C. The credential record
    • D. The discovery schedule
    Show answer

    B. A policy

    Policies assign check bundles to groups of agents.

Frequently asked questions

Does ACC replace Discovery?

No. It complements it. Network devices, storage and appliances still need agentless discovery.

What connectivity does the agent need?

Outbound to the MID server. It does not require inbound access to the host.
CallWhatsAppEnquire