One of the unique things about Silver Tree Services is our global ecosystem of partners. This ecosystem allows us to offer clients the best-in-class, leading-edge solutions that their business requires instead of being tied into a single partner or provider. One of our partners? ServiceNow. Our relationship with ServiceNow has grown very quickly and we now count our collaboration as fundamental to our business serving the midmarket and nonprofits.
Even still, many IT leaders and business executives wonder what ServiceNow does and the value it provides. In this edition of Silver Tree University we answer that question. Let’s get started…
What is ServiceNow?
History
ServiceNow is a software company founded in 2004 that provides a cloud-based platform for automating IT management workflows. It specializes in IT service management, IT operations management, and IT business management. The platform integrates well with other tools, allowing users to manage projects, teams, and customer interactions through various apps and plugins.
ServiceNow, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, was founded by Fred Luddy. In its early years, with few customers, ServiceNow created its first limited-service catalog and its first cloud-based orchestration platform. In 2016, the company received certification through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, demonstrating that it meets security expectations for cloud-based products. Since its inception, the company has also acquired several security, observability, and AI startups.
The service model of ServiceNow is designed to assist users in identifying the root cause of issues they encounter and rectifying these issues via self-service. This model includes tasks, activities, and processes from ServiceNow products, all part of a comprehensive managed workflow that supports real-time communication, collaboration, and resource sharing.
Industries
ServiceNow caters to various industries including healthcare and life sciences, financial services, public sector, manufacturing, telecommunications, and technology. Their cloud services comprise a suite of products that enable users and companies to operate using serverless computing, including security, customer service, IT, human resources (HR), and business apps.
Business Model
The ServiceNow business model is based on providing cloud-based software as a service (SaaS). This involves setting up systems to define, manage, automate, and structure services for companies. The ServiceNow platform is designed for use in security, operations, customer service, and HR, among other areas, and can manage service-level projects and production instances within a department.
Examples of ServiceNow Products and Solutions
One of ServiceNow’s products, Nonstop Cloud, allows users to store and organize data in the cloud without taking it offline. It uses a multi-instance model that allows users to customize their usage and schedule upgrades and changes as needed.
The Now Platform serves as a dashboard for ServiceNow’s products and includes a wide range of functionalities such as service portals, subscriptions and notifications, knowledge bases, service catalogs, workflows, developer tools, reports and dashboards, single databases, contextual collaboration, orchestration, and more. Users can also build their own applications to use within the Now Platform dashboard.
Final Thoughts
ServiceNow has established itself as a significant player in the realm of IT management, offering comprehensive solutions that automate and streamline business workflows. Its cloud-based products and services cater to a wide variety of industries and provide a flexible platform for integration with other tools. From service desks to complex machine learning processes, ServiceNow’s diverse suite of offerings enables businesses to manage and optimize their operations efficiently. With its continued focus on innovation and customer-centric solutions, ServiceNow is poised to remain a key resource for businesses navigating the digital landscape.