If you work in the ServiceNow ecosystem, check your inbox. ServiceNow announced a major change to its credentialing program – one of the largest reshuffles of the certification path in recent years. Anyone pursuing CIS certifications in ITAM, ITOM, ITSM, or SecOps now must pass the CIS – Data Foundations (CMDB and CSDM) exam first.
This requirement went live on November 18, and it affects new candidates, people already certified, and those who are mid-path. Here is the breakdown of what changed, why it’s happening, and most importantly, what it means for your hard-earned credentials.
The Change: No CMDB, No Entry
The following CIS exams now require Data Foundations as a prerequisite:
- CIS – Discovery (DISCO)
- CIS – Hardware Asset Management (HAM)
- CIS – IT Service Management (ITSM)
- CIS – Service Mapping (SM)
- CIS – Security Incident Response (SIR)
- CIS – Software Asset Management (SAM)
- CIS – Vulnerability Response (VR)
The deadline for individuals who are already certified is December 31, 2026.
What Does This Mean in Practice?
- If you’ve completed training and bought a voucher but haven’t tested yet:
- You can’t schedule the CIS exam until you pass Data Foundations. Your voucher is now an exam attempt in Pearson and won’t expire, but it’s locked behind this prerequisite.
- If you’re starting your certification journey:
- Your path now begins with Data Foundations. You can’t register or schedule any of the seven CIS exams without it.
- If you already hold one of these seven CIS certifications:
- This is where it gets controversial. Even if you have been certified for years, you are on the clock. You must pass CIS – Data Foundations before the deadline. If you don’t, your certification will expire, and you’ll need to retake both the Data Foundations exam and the original CIS exam.
The ‘silver lining’ is that ServiceNow has also announced that completing training courses is no longer strictly mandatory to sit an exam. While highly recommended, if you have the knowledge, you can skip the course fees and go straight to the test.
The Real Impact on the Ecosystem
This change touches almost everyone with more than a couple of years of ServiceNow implementation experience. These seven CIS exams span work that most architects, consultants, and developers interact with daily.
For many of us, holding at least two of these certifications is not optional because it’s tied to partner requirements, project staffing, job roles, and other advanced credentials. But here’s where the impact gets serious:
- Existing CIS holders are forced into a retroactive requirement. Even if you earned your certifications years ago, you now need Data Foundations to keep them. This is unusual compared to past changes.
- Higher-level credentials are indirectly at risk. Keeping a CTA requires having two active CIS certifications. The CTA program itself runs about 12-14 weeks, and the preparation effort is intense. For CMA, the program is roughly six months with a heavy workload and ongoing assessments. If your underlying CIS certifications expire because of the new prerequisite, both CTA and CMA can be affected. That creates a real concern for people who invested months of work, time, and money into these paths.
- Everyone now shares the same baseline. On the positive side, the change sets a consistent foundation across CMDB and CSDM. These topics influence almost every ITx (ITSM/ITOM, etc.) and SecOps implementation, and weak CMDB design has been a problem across the ecosystem for years.
Does the Change Make Sense?
From a technical and quality perspective, yes. Most issues in ServiceNow projects trace back to poor data modelling, missing relationships, or a lack of CSDM alignment. Forcing a foundational exam increases consistency and should improve project outcomes long-term.
From an ecosystem and effort perspective, it’s complicated. Retroactively applying the requirement creates extra cost and time pressure for experienced professionals who have already proved their capability in implementations. It also introduces a maintenance burden for senior roles tied to CIS certifications.
Still, I understand the motivation. ServiceNow has been moving towards standardization around CSDM for years. The platform has grown complex, and having everyone start from a shared understanding of CMDB and CSDM reduces escalations, failed implementations, and architectural rework. The change feels like part of a bigger push to tighten certification quality and bring more structure into the program.
What Should You Do Now?
If you hold any of the seven CIS certifications or rely on them for CTA, CMA, partner status, or role requirements, you should plan to take the Data Foundations exam before the end of 2026. It’s not urgent, but delaying increases the need to scramble later.
If you’re mid-path or just starting, treat Data Foundations as step zero. It will likely become as fundamental as CSA.