Configuration Process

• Source System Preparation: Administrators of external source systems must configure access settings such as API permissions and authentication keys (e.g., public/private key pairs for platforms like Box, Microsoft OneDrive, and SharePoint Online).
• Connector Creation: ServiceNow AI Platform administrators create external content connectors tailored to specific systems (e.g., Adobe Acrobat Sign, Amazon S3, Atlassian Jira Cloud, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Workday, Zendesk, Zoom). Each connector is designed to retrieve relevant content types like documents, tickets, boards, tasks, pages, and conversations.
• Crawl Configuration: AI Search administrators configure crawl settings to control how and when content is indexed. This includes scheduling crawls and specifying user permission crawls to ensure secure access to indexed data.
• Management of Connectors: Administrators can rename, deactivate/reactivate, or delete connectors. Deactivation pauses scheduled crawls without deleting content; deletion removes all related content and metadata.
• Settings Adjustments: Connection and crawl settings can be edited as needed. If changes affect crawl validity, a new crawl is prompted. User permission settings may be overridden with custom field mappings and transformation scripts to align security principals between source systems and ServiceNow instances.
• Integration with Search: Connectors are linked to search profiles to surface external content within ServiceNow portals and AI Search applications. Additionally, external content can be included in Now Assist conversations within Virtual Agent.
• Verification: Ongoing validation of connection settings and source system permissions is recommended to ensure uninterrupted access and crawling, especially after permission changes.

Key Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

• Unified Search Experience: Aggregate and index diverse content from multiple external systems into ServiceNow’s AI Search, enhancing knowledge discovery and operational efficiency.
• Secure Access Control: Maintain consistent user permission enforcement by configuring and customizing user permission crawls and mappings.
• Flexible Connector Management: Easily manage connector lifecycle including updates, temporary deactivation, and removal without data loss or downtime.
• Comprehensive Content Coverage: Support for a wide range of popular third-party platforms and content types ensures broad applicability across enterprise environments.
• Seamless Virtual Agent Integration: Enable service agents and users to access indexed external content in conversational AI workflows, improving resolution times.