To help meet the needs of businesses looking to navigate uncertain economic conditions while complying with new data regulations, ServiceNow has released the next iteration of its Now workflow automation platform, which called Tokyo, with new features focused on easing complex supply chains and optimization. asset management and human resource (HR).
The Tokyo release comes just months after the company released a previous version of the Now platform, named San Diego, which focused on personalizing and automating work experiences.
The new release, according to the company, is aimed more at chief financial officers and chief operating officers looking for a return on their IT investment.
Simplifying the supply base
The release includes a new feature, called Supplier Lifecycle Management (SLM), which can read suppliers’ names and other data from emails and spreadsheets and move them into a new window within Now platform.
This automatic transfer of supplier contacts and information, according to ServiceNow, helps businesses reduce operational costs and allows the supply chain team to focus on creating a more stable supplier base.
SLM also offers a supplier-facing interface that can be used to launch queries for the enterprise.
For users in the enterprise itself, Tokyo includes a new tool, called Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), designed to automatically track and help manage the entire lifecycle of a business’s physical assets, from planning to in retirement, for industries such as health care, financial services, retail, manufacturing, and the public sector.
The EAM tool can enhance companies’ strategic planning capabilities because it allows for easy visibility of enterprise assets, the company said, adding that EAM can help optimize inventory levels to generate maximum efficiency from existing assets.
Simplifying the supply base
The Tokyo release of ServiceNow also offers features that focus on simplifying human resource management.
A new feature, Issue Auto Resolution for Human Resources (ITSM), is designed to help HR teams manage issues raised by company staff by applying natural language understanding to evaluate requests of the employee and deliver content through the same channels that the employee uses. These channels can be Microsoft Teams, SMS or email, the company said, adding that ITSM understands and brings any request to a specific HR representative in case of problems.
Another feature, called Manager Hub, focuses on employee retention. The feature, which can be accessed through the Employee Center (desktop or mobile), provides a window for managers within an enterprise to map employee milestones and review them.
Manager Hub can be used by an enterprise to deliver personalized training to all managers within an enterprise, Service Now said.
Security and Sustainability
The Tokyo iteration of Now also includes additional sustainability-planning and security features.
The new release offers a feature named Vault, designed to secure business-critical ServiceNow applications by using controls such as adaptive key management and data anonymization. It also allows businesses to export their ServiceNow system and application logs at scale and in near real-time, the company said.
Another tool in Tokyo’s arsenal is the Admin Center, which allows system administrators to discover, install and configure ServiceNow tools or features through a self-service interface. Admin Center, according to the company, can take advantage of new Adoption Blueprint features, which can recommend applications to administrators based on criteria such as instance maturity and application rights.
To help businesses plan and manage their sustainability goals, the release of the Now platform in Tokyo includes an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management tool.
The tool, according to the company, can track performance toward goals, collect and validate data for audits and create reports that align with key ESG reporting frameworks.