ServiceNow specializes in IT service management (ITSM) and IT operations management (ITOM). The platform helps simplify the process of reporting and resolving IT issues. A significant upgrade to the core platform, called the Now Platform Tokyo release, takes a significant step toward enterprise service management (ESM) at an enterprise level.
Monish Mishra, Mindtree’s vice president for service market lines and strategic engagements, told VentureBeat: “By adopting ESM, businesses can leverage service management capabilities and frameworks in their organization.”
ServiceNow adds new solutions for enterprise asset management (EAM), supplier lifecycle management (SLM), and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management. A new ServiceNow Vault also promises to centralize data security and privacy management on the Now Platform.
Digital promotion is key.
It’s all about helping businesses be digital first. On a practical level, this means simplifying the platform and business processes built on top.
Dave Wright, ServiceNow’s chief innovation officer, told VentureBeat, “When implemented effectively, a single platform, like ServiceNow, should reach the far corners of the company, seamlessly connecting disparate systems, destroying data silo, and making things simpler, everywhere, for both employees and the business itself.”
Platform Tokyo was created to help businesses focus on improving experiences rather than service levels. For example, the new Manager Hub provides a location for leaders to create learning and development plans for their teams and receive personalized training.
This new release improves communication between disparate systems to simplify complex processes. For example, companies can move from an SLM process based on emails and spreadsheets to an automated process involving employees and suppliers.
Start at the process level.
Executives may start with vague goals such as improving the use of assets such as buildings, factories, and expensive equipment, enabling supply chain resilience, or becoming net zero by 2030. This requires coordination of people. , process, and equipment.
New feature-built features in the Tokyo release attempt to simulate high-level objectives for EAM, SLM, and ESG in business processes running across multiple applications. ServiceNow started with these solutions to help businesses tackle some of their most pressing challenges.
“We’re simplifying complex supply chains, automating asset management, and delivering investor-grade sustainability data so our customers can more effectively safeguard their businesses and manage risk and compliance,” said Wright .
Wright says their expanded ESG management capabilities help them fill a big gap. Most solutions focus on individual ESG areas or even specific goals such as reducing carbon emissions. But the United Nations has identified 17 broad sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 quantifiable targets.
The risk in pursuing individual goals lies in putting others at risk in the process or adding more work. A more integrated approach, such as ServiceNow’s new ESG Command Center for managing multiple concurrent targets and the processes for achieving them, is required to improve them all simultaneously. It integrates ESG management and reporting with business risk management and strategic project management.
Collaboration with ServiceNow intensified.
ServiceNow is working with leading system integrators such as Mindtree, NTT DATA Corporation, and RSM US LLP to customize these new capabilities for each enterprise. This will help businesses implement and tailor the latest release for their specific needs.
Tomoyuki Azuma, the CEO of NTT DATA’s ServiceNow division, told VentureBeat, “ServiceNow is a complete success in terms of the way software is built and the conventional wisdom of efficiency.”
Azuma believes that the organization will play an important role in enabling employees to work together to achieve ESG goals. Most of the organizations he works with have a sustainability dilemma where the extra effort required to manage new KPIs results in financial sustainability. A better ESG management experience will help employees identify strategies to assess small changes to ensure business processes are at their best.
“The ESG Management solution enables our clients to shape the future of their society with sustainability in a way that they can measure ROI, manage risk, and demonstrate impact on their local and global footprint,” said VP ServiceNow of NTT DATA practice.
Increasing engagement is a key goal.
New features for improving employee experiences for common workflows are also included in the update. All of this is built on ServiceNow’s recently launched Next Experience UX.
The Manager Hub is a one-stop shop for managers to review employee journeys and respond to requests. They can edit tasks, add advisors, include AI-based learning recommendations from learning posts, and conduct satisfaction surveys to gauge employee opinion.
System administrators previously had to rely on their account managers when administering new applications or manually classifying ServiceNow Knowledge Management apps or resources. In the Admin Center, system administrators can now discover, install, and configure ServiceNow solutions in one place.
Natural language understanding is used to interpret requests and deliver self-service content. Issue Auto Resolution was previously available for ITSM to assist IT executives in resolving routine incidents faster by proactively diverting them to an AI-powered virtual agent.
Privacy and security controls
The new ServiceNow Vault simplifies the management and protection of machine credentials and ensures that all code is up to date.
Vault, according to Wright, applies to all apps and data running on the Now Platform. However, it does not handle data from other apps.
EAM, SLM, and ESG are all optimistic in terms of safety.
Yugal Joshi, an advisory partner at Everest Group, told VentureBeat that the addition of new services for EAM, SLM, and ESG demonstrates ServiceNow’s commitment to its transformation from its ITSM and ITOM roots into an enterprise platform for clients to solve complex business problems. These new solutions have the potential to assist IT leaders in improving their positioning and engagement with business teams.
Joshi advises new customers to do a thorough audit before signing. This should include a cost analysis of subscription, integration, maintenance, and upgrade costs. “Leaders must understand the capabilities of these newer products and their relationship to their environment,” Joshi said.
It is also important to check the usage maturity of these solutions. According to Everest research, enterprises are not fully satisfied with the maturity of newer ServiceNow launches and the service partnerships used to implement and scale them.
“This will be critical for the CIO’s organization engaging with ServiceNow as a strategic platform vendor,” he said.
In addition, businesses will need to understand licensing regulations. According to Everest research, businesses are having problems with ServiceNow licensing.