Interview with Fred Kindle: Experience the next industrial revolution from the inside

The platform was originally designed for processes within the IT department, but carefully check that all other areas of the company have the same problems, and more business processes are being digitized. This is why the platform is now universally available. In addition, it is very flexible and can play a role in today’s large population of enterprise software markets. That is because they can be used with relatively little effort, and the investment will quickly pay for itself. This makes them very attractive, which is why I believe ServiceNow has the potential to maintain these huge growth rates for many years to come.

What role can the Now platform play in manufacturing?

For example, the workflow that occurs in the IT department also occurs in the maintenance of the factory in a similar way. Most of these workflows are repetitive, and both Customer A and Customer B have encountered the same problem. Many processes can be automated so that people can be freed from daily tasks. This development will be strengthened in the coming years. In the long run, manpower is needed to solve unusual problems only when the root cause of the problem is understood. So the road from IT department to industrial maintenance is not that far. The same is true for many other industries, whether it is telecommunications or insurance.

What other arguments are important to the industry?

For example, there are no switching costs. The platform runs on top of existing infrastructure, so you don’t need to replace or upgrade anything. Anyone who has ever switched from one major application to another knows what this type of major project means, not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of operational disruption and related risks. If I can generate added value without fundamentally changing the existing infrastructure, it will be a huge benefit.

Another argument is the processing of data. The amount of data will increase substantially. This provides a huge opportunity, but it also brings new problems, such as data overflow-you may also have too much data. In addition, a lot of data does not belong to a common processing system; it is located in various microcosms of various applications. Otherwise, integration usually requires a lot of work and time delays. An important feature of the platform is that it can quickly obtain this data from the island and make it available without extensive programming.

How do you want to play a role in the advisory board?

I think my job is to help the company in two ways. On the one hand, ServiceNow has to find a way out for the IT department to bring benefits to the entire company. To do this, you must get in touch with decision makers at different levels-to do this, you need to make slightly different arguments about the usefulness of the platform. This sometimes means different languages. I cannot use the same language as the CIO to meet the CEO or CFO. I know this language better than IT language myself, and I can participate in it.

Another task is to help a company that grew up in California and is now more active in Europe to connect with large European companies. Due to my career so far, I am of course related to various companies in Europe, and I can also provide support there. I did this because I found this company and its products very interesting and connected it with my own name and reputation. Because I just believe that ServiceNow is a company that provides quality, and Now Platform is the solution they really want.

Is there a mentality difference that needs to be leveled between the United States and Europe?

I would say it is getting smaller and smaller. Large European companies have become global players. The business model, way of thinking and language are all very comparable. Even from the perspective of shareholders: They tend to have the same names as American competitors. Except for some cultural differences, the language in management is almost the same. From a corporate perspective, the question is more, “Why should I trust this relatively small California company?” Everyone knows Microsoft. Maybe ServiceNow will be like this in ten years, but not today. Therefore, it is the credibility gap that needs to be bridged more than the mentality gap.