Automating and optimizing your services and operations using Service Operations Workspace

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automating and optimizing your services and operations using Service Operations Workspace

    Service Operations Workspace (SOW) is a unified cloud platform that integrates IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM) processes. It enables ServiceNow customers to expand services while reducing costs, improving customer and employee experiences, and enhancing operational resilience. The platform connects IT processes such as incident, problem, and change management with IT operations capabilities like discovery, service mapping, and event management.

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    Key Features

    • Unified User Interface: A simple, intuitive UI with tailored landing pages that provide clear overviews of tasks and service contexts.
    • Automation and Recommendations: Automated recommendations based on user actions, embedded playbooks for quick alert remediation, and low-code configurations to extend ITSM and ITOM processes.
    • Incident and Alert Management: Efficient handling of incidents with access to related metrics, logs, and collaboration tools including experts on call for high-priority tasks.
    • Integrated Workflow: Seamless collaboration between IT operators and service agents, from alert detection to incident resolution, ensuring faster problem solving and outage recovery.
    • Onboarding and Request Management: Guided onboarding for users, walk-up experiences, and management of requests linked to incidents and interactions.

    Practical Workflow

    ServiceNow customers can expect a streamlined workflow where IT operators monitor service dashboards and alerts, create incidents for customer issues, and assign them to service agents. Service agents access detailed service contexts and collaborate with on-call experts to resolve incidents efficiently. This workflow eliminates silos, increases productivity, and enhances employee engagement.

    Requirements

    • ITSM Licensing: ITSM Standard license or later is required for Service Operations Workspace for ITSM; ITSM Professional license or later is needed to use the Investigation Framework.
    • ITOM Licensing: ITOM Professional license or later is necessary for Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.
    • Application Installation: Service Operations Workspace ITOM applications must be installed from the ServiceNow Store.

    Getting Started

    To deploy Service Operations Workspace effectively, customers should:

    • Configure the workspace for ITSM and set up the Investigation Framework and Recommendation Framework (admin role).
    • Set up Service Operations Workspace for ITOM, including alert metrics, Recommendation Framework for alerts, inbox configuration, and list customization (roles include evtmgmtoperator, evtmgmtadmin, and itil).

    Use Case Example

    A financial institution improved its risk, compliance, and audit management by integrating ITOM with Service Operations Workspace, gaining real-time operational visibility, automation, and enhanced risk assessments.

    You can expand services while reducing costs, delivering high-quality customer and employee experiences, and driving operational resilience. Use a single cloud platform that integrates IT processes such as incident, problem, and change with IT operations such as discovery, business service definitions, service mapping, and event management.

    Combined benefits of integrating Service Operations Workspace for IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM)

    Benefits of integrating Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    Feature Service Operations Workspace for ITSM Service Operations Workspace for ITOM All applications together

    Simple, intuitive, and clear user interface (UI)

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Automated recommendations based on user actions

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Tailored landing page providing an overview of tasks

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Effective incident management for service desk agents

    		 Yes No Yes

    Experts on call for high-priority tasks 

    		 Yes No Yes

    Onboarding experience for logged-in users

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Walk-up experience

    		 Yes No Yes

    Request management from incidents and interactions

    		 Yes No Yes

    Guided experience for initial configuration of Service Operations Workspace

    		 Yes No Yes

    Presentation of a service's complete context with related metrics, logs, and additional information

    		 No Yes Yes

    Quick remediation for alerts of a service

    		 No Yes Yes

    Quick automation for operators when using an embedded playbook experience within the alert forms

    		 No Yes Yes

    Workflow for Service Operations Workspace

    Use Service Operations Workspace for IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM) together for these benefits:
    • Provide a unified experience for services and operations on a single platform.
    • Eliminate silos by connecting services and operations teams.
    • Increase productivity and keep employees engaged.
    • Create and extend ITSM and ITOM processes with low-code configuration.
    • Optimize ITSM and ITOM processes for faster resolution of incidents and outages.

    The following figure shows an example workflow of how an IT operator and a service agent (service desk agent or L2/L3 specialist) can use these applications to resolve a customer issue.

    Figure 1. Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM workflow
    Service Operations Workspace workflow for ITSM and ITOM integration
    In this workflow:
    1. From the Service Operations Workspace landing page, an IT operator accesses the service dashboard to find related alerts of any specific service.
    2. The IT operator can view the recent alert from related items in the contextual side panel.
    3. The IT operator can access recommendations for the alert.
    4. If there is any customer issue related to that alert, the IT operator creates an incident to track the investigation, possible solutions, and resolution for the customer.
    5. The incident is assigned to the group supporting the configuration item or service.
    6. A service agent such as a service desk agent or L2/L3 specialist is assigned to work on the incident.
    7. The service agent can investigate to get relevant metrics and insights on the configuration item for faster resolution of the incident.
    8. If required, the service agent can reach out to an on-call user to collaborate and resolve the incident.

    Requirements for integrating Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    1. Ensure that the following conditions are met for Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.
      1. Procure the ITSM Standard license or later for ServiceNow® IT Service Management applications. Contact your ServiceNow account manager or sales representative.
      2. If you want to use Investigation Framework within Service Operations Workspace for ITSM, procure the ITSM Professional license or later for ServiceNow® IT Service Management applications.
    2. Ensure that the following conditions are met for Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.
      1. Procure the ITOM Professional license or later for ServiceNow® IT Operations Management applications. Contact your ServiceNow account manager or sales representative.
      2. Install Service Operations Workspace ITOM Applications from the ServiceNow® Store. For information about installing this application, see Install Service Operations Workspace for ITOM Applications.

    Get started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    To get started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM, follow these steps:

    1. Configure Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.
      1. Get started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM. See Getting started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.

        Role: admin.

      2. Set up Investigation Framework. See Setting up Investigation Framework in Service Operations Workspace.

        Role: admin.

      3. Configure Recommendation Framework for an incident. See Configuring Recommendation Framework in Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.

        Role: admin.

    2. Configure Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.
      1. Set up Service Operations Workspace for ITOM. See Setting up Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_operator.

      2. Configure alert metrics. See Configure alert metrics.

        Role: evt_mgmt_operator.

      3. Configure the Recommendation Framework for an alert. See Configuring Recommendation Framework in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_admin.

      4. Configure the Service Operations Workspace inbox. See Configure the inbox in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_admin.

      5. Customize Service Operations Workspace lists. See Customize lists in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: itil.