The statement is false. While ServiceNow Software Asset Management (SAM) can automatically populate lifecycle data from the publisher via the Content Library, it also provides the functionality to create custom, internally-defined software model lifecycles. An organization can define its own lifecycle dates for software models based on internal policies, such as a decision to retire a specific version of software earlier than the publisher's official end-of-life date. When a lifecycle is created manually, its type is set to 'Custom', distinguishing it from the 'Publisher defined' lifecycles that are sourced externally.

The statement is incorrect because of the restrictive term "only". This incorrectly implies that the sole source for lifecycle data is external publisher information. The ServiceNow platform is designed to be flexible, allowing asset managers to define their own lifecycle phases and dates to align with internal business and IT strategies, which is a core feature of managing the software asset lifecycle effectively.

1. ServiceNow Product Documentation, "Software model lifecycles": This document explicitly states, "You can view publisher life-cycle dates for your software models, or create your own custom life-cycle dates." It further clarifies the distinction: "The Type field is automatically set to Publisher defined when the life-cycle data is pulled from the content library. When you create a custom life cycle, the Type field is automatically set to Custom."

2. ServiceNow Product Documentation, "Create a software model lifecycle": This guide provides the step-by-step procedure for manually creating a software model lifecycle. The process involves a user selecting a software model, a lifecycle phase (e.g., End of life, End of support), and manually entering a "Phase start date". This procedure confirms that dates are not restricted to external publisher data.