How we’re tapping into the power of our ServiceNow platform for IT operations management
December 12, 2019
For the past several years, Accenture has made a concerted strategic effort to become platform powered. Among the several platforms we adopted, one is ServiceNow, which we initially selected to migrate to a new IT service management (ITSM) solution.
We started with a pilot that was successful and continued with full execution. As we modernized our ITSM needs, we learned more about the power of the ServiceNow platform. We found additional ways ServiceNow could bring value by streamlining and digitizing enterprise-wide service management activities. Less than a year after we did our ITSM pilot on ServiceNow, we had expanded the platform’s footprint to include the management of select HR, Finance, Legal, and Facilities services. Additionally, we created a central IT request and self-service portal called Accenture Support.
Furthering our IT operations journey with ITOM
And we kept moving ahead with applying more ways to harness the power of ServiceNow. Most recently, we chose it to tackle our challenge of operating with siloed and redundant systems for IT service management (ITSM), IT operations management (ITOM), and configuration management databases (CMDBs).
We wanted to consolidate our multiple, siloed CMDBs into one and gain transparency and control over Accenture services, applications, and infrastructure to improve critical service reliability and stability. We could do this by adopting services from the ServiceNow IT Operations Management (ITOM) suite.
Deployment of Discovery and Event Management
We initially deployed Discovery and Event Management to cleanse our CMDB foundation to support the enablement of subsequent ITOM features. We then enabled Discovery as it is core to optimizing all other services within the ITOM suite.
The result is that Discovery provides new layers of insight into our single CMDB through a single-pane-of-glass view that displays our internal IT’s assets within all the layers of the IT stack and their internal and external dependencies. It is as though we pulled the curtain back and could see across our infrastructure and apps for the first time ever.
Discovery now gives us a three-dimensional view of our infrastructure with all the interconnections. We have a depth of detail into what we own and manage and how everything connects, which is a huge leap in capability. We have a lot more data on how we’re using infrastructure—what we’re using, where we’re using it, and who is accountable for it as well. In all, we’re experiencing tremendous improvement in our IT operations management capabilities.
A journey of incremental steps
Our ITSM and ITOM journey has steadily enabled relevant service components. These new components allow us to simplify our IT operations management at scale and at speed, have greater control over a large hybrid environment such as Accenture’s, and help us keep pace with our evolving IT stack and landscape changes.
We’re realizing business value in the increased data accuracy of Accenture infrastructure usage—what Accenture is consuming, where, and who is accountable for the infrastructure. We are generally experiencing significant improvements such as a 41% reduction in resolution time by improving incident routing and a 90% reduction in elapsed event-to-incident time. Learn more in our case study on Accenture.com.
Our journey is ongoing. As ServiceNow’s ITOM utilization matures, we plan to focus on refining CMDB design, rationalizing data sources, and deploying additional ITOM components and service mapping to further streamline our environment.
Today, Accenture is a Global Strategic Partner of ServiceNow. We believe ServiceNow is one of the winners in the cloud marketplace. Combined with our innovative approaches to cloud applications, our ServiceNow solutions provide clients with the agility they need to move their business to the cloud and achieve significant business results more quickly.
Has your organization adopted ServiceNow ITOM and are you realizing its business value?
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