Asset Discovery

You can't audit what you don't know exists.

Manual asset inventories are out of date the moment they're finished. Shadow IT devices, unregistered laptops, and software installed outside the approved catalogue create gaps in the CMDB that show up as surprises during incidents, changes and audits. Vivantio's automated asset discovery keeps your records current — continuously.

Scheduled or on-demand discovery — no manual audit required.

Vivantio asset discovery — network scan results and CMDB reconciliation

IT teams at leading organisations trust Vivantio

The problem it solves

A CMDB that depends on manual updates is always behind reality.

Devices get added, moved and decommissioned faster than manual processes can track — the CMDB reflects the estate as it was months ago, not as it is today.

  • Shadow IT devices exist in the estate but not in any record
  • Quarterly audit projects rebuild what should be continuous
  • Incident and change data can't be trusted when the CMDB is stale

Without automated discovery…

Asset register is out of date before the manual audit is finished

Shadow IT devices on the network with no record in the CMDB

Quarterly audit projects to rebuild what should always be current

What asset discovery does

Discover. Reconcile. Keep the CMDB current.

Automated network discovery

Find every device on your network — on a schedule or on demand

Vivantio asset discovery scans configured IP ranges, subnets or specific addresses and identifies every reachable device: workstations, servers, network hardware, printers, and other connected equipment. Each discovered device is classified by type, and its network details are recorded. Scans run on a configurable schedule or on demand — so the picture stays current without manual intervention.

  • Agentless network scanning across configurable IP ranges and subnets
  • Automatic classification by device type
  • Scheduled or on-demand discovery runs
Vivantio asset discovery — network scan configuration and scheduling
Inventory reconciliation

Match discovered assets against known records — flag new, changed or missing

Discovery results are reconciled against existing asset records in the platform. New devices not in the asset register are flagged for review and approval. Known devices with changed attributes (new location, different user, updated software) are highlighted for update. Devices that should be present but weren't discovered are flagged as potentially decommissioned or missing. Teams control the reconciliation, so discovery informs rather than overwrites.

  • New device detection — flag assets not yet in the register
  • Change detection — highlight attribute differences vs. known records
  • Missing device alerts — flag assets that weren't found in the latest scan
See how asset records are managed
Vivantio asset discovery — inventory reconciliation with new and changed asset flagging
CMDB population & software inventory

Keep the CMDB current and track installed software for licence compliance

Approved discovery results populate and refresh CMDB configuration items automatically — so the CMDB reflects the estate as it actually is, not as it was last manually audited. Agent-based discovery collects software inventory from managed devices, identifying installed applications and versions for licence compliance comparison against entitlement records in asset management.

  • Automatic CMDB population from approved discovery results
  • Software inventory via agent-based discovery on managed devices
  • Installed vs. licenced comparison for compliance reporting
See how a current CMDB improves change impact assessment
Vivantio asset discovery — CMDB population and software inventory from agent discovery
Recognised by IT teams who rely on accurate, current asset data
Common questions

Asset discovery: what teams ask us

What is IT asset discovery?

IT asset discovery is the process of automatically identifying and inventorying devices, software and configuration items on a network — without requiring manual audits. Discovery tools scan the network, detect devices, classify them by type, and record their details in an asset management system or CMDB. This keeps records current with the actual state of the estate.

How does Vivantio discover assets on my network?

Vivantio scans the network using configurable discovery profiles — scanning IP ranges, subnets or specific addresses on a scheduled or on-demand basis. Discovered devices are classified and compared against existing records. New assets are flagged for review; existing records are updated with current details. Agent-based discovery supplements this for devices not always on the network.

Does asset discovery automatically update the CMDB?

Yes. Discovery is integrated with the Vivantio CMDB — discovered assets can be reconciled against existing records to create or update configuration items. Teams control the reconciliation rules, so automated discovery populates and refreshes the CMDB without overwriting manual records or approved configuration data.

Can Vivantio discover software installed on devices?

Yes. Agent-based discovery collects software inventory from managed devices — identifying installed applications and versions. This feeds into the licence compliance view in asset management, enabling comparison of installed vs. licenced counts.

See it in action

An estate that's always accurately recorded.

We'll show you how Vivantio's asset discovery fits your network environment — with a demo built around your infrastructure type and CMDB requirements.

~30-minute demo No commitment Built around your network environment