What Are the Benefits of ServiceNow?
Developed by a California-based software company, ServiceNow is a cloud computing platform that helps companies manage enterprise operations and digital workflows. The service includes Field Service Management, Application Development, and IT Asset Management Suite.
Common Service Data Model (CSDM)
CSDM (Common Service Data Model) is a standardized set of definitions for service-related concepts. It is a prerequisite to realizing the full potential of the Now platform. Among other benefits, CSDM helps to improve visibility and decision making. The model will help organizations to define and manage their business applications more effectively. It also serves as a basis for prescriptive guidance on service modeling within CMDB.
The CMDB is a database that enables you to manage and track all your customer-facing services and internal processes. Having a unified data model is key to supporting operations. This translates into better decision making, quicker adaption to new opportunities, and more cost-effective operations. It’s also a boon to technical teams, since the model supports similar data types.
The CMDB is also capable of providing a holistic view of your operations. It can also help you to understand which processes are upstream and downstream. It also provides you with a high-level overview of your entire application inventory.
Application Development
Using ServiceNow, users can build custom applications on top of the platform. This allows them to streamline their workflows and complete projects quicker.
The application development process involves several steps, including analysis, design, coding, and testing. These steps must be performed in order to ensure the software works as expected. It also requires a loosely coupled architecture and API management.
The ServiceNow Application Development Platform features a user-friendly interface that allows for rapid app development. It also offers pre-made widgets and a language for developers. It’s also got a handy drag and drop portal builder.
Its cloud-based platform offers a mobile-first approach, which allows users to work from anywhere. There’s a built-in database to store data in tables. Those tables are structured with sys_id as the primary key.
Field Service Management
Whether you’re new to field service management or looking to improve your organization’s existing processes, Field Service Management with ServiceNow can help. It can automate some of your key processes while improving efficiency and providing real-time information.
The application allows you to create a centralized repository for your assets. It also helps you to connect teams and systems. In addition, the application tracks the usage of your company’s assets. The application also includes a workflow system, which allows you to proactively address issues.
The Field Service Management application matches work orders to agents, based on available inventory, skills, and geographic location. Once a task is assigned, the agent can perform the assignment, tracking travel time and other information. The Work notes field is where a description of the task is recorded.
IT Asset Management Suite
Having an IT Asset Management solution in place can reduce the risk of asset failures. With ServiceNow, businesses can get a clearer picture of their assets and make sure that they are operating at optimal levels.
Asset management is a process that helps companies track the usage of their assets and understand who uses them. It also allows them to know how much they cost. This can help companies achieve benefits and improve productivity.
ServiceNow provides an integrated platform for end-to-end management of IT and non-IT assets. The software automates the entire life cycle of IT and non-IT assets. Using workflows, the system handles asset requests and tracking contractual, financial, and inventory details. It also allows users to update users and vendors.
The System provides a single bird’s eye view of all assets. It also includes a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that is cloud-based. This helps IT managers identify service outages and configure assets.
LDAP integration
LDAP integration allows users to log into ServiceNow using a LDAP credentials. This allows ServiceNow to easily populate the instance database with user records. In addition, it can automate simple user management tasks.
LDAP integration requires a server, PKI certificate, and an IPSEC tunnel. This can be done on a local network or over a VPN connection.
To begin, configure the LDAP server, and set up an IPSEC tunnel for communication. Then, test the connection. If all goes well, the LDAP integration will retrieve the user distinguished name (RDN) and password for the user.
Once this is complete, the LDAP integration will check to see if the user has an account. If so, it will create an account for the user. It will do this by querying the internal database for information. It then rebinds the user with the RDN and password.