Introduction to Orchestration

Release version: Yokohama

Updated January 30, 2025

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Summary of Introduction to Orchestration

Orchestration in ServiceNow automates multi-system tasks across remote services, servers, applications, and hardware, enabling rapid and reliable management of IT and business processes. It supports collaboration by providing reusable activities and workflows with version control, allowing subject matter experts to create components that developers can reuse and easily update with visibility into downstream impacts. Well-designed orchestrations handle errors gracefully by incorporating human tasks when needed.

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Key Features

Integration Capabilities: Orchestration can execute calls outside the ServiceNow instance using web services or via a MID Server to internal systems behind corporate firewalls.
Extended Workflow Editor: Adds activity packs with ready-to-use activities and an Activity Designer to create custom activities without heavy scripting.
Scoped Application Support: Enables creation of reusable activity packs within Scoped Applications.
Databus: Tracks data flow across orchestration activities for better visibility.
Orchestration Core Applications: Includes Client Software Distribution (automates software delivery with out-of-the-box SCCM support and third-party extensions like JAMF), Password Reset configuration for Active Directory, and ROI tracking to measure task automation costs and benefits.

Systems and Tasks Orchestration Can Automate

Orchestration automates a wide range of tasks such as employee onboarding, user access provisioning, server management, file transfers, and security operations. It supports integration with:

Any system exposing SOAP or REST web services.
Command-line accessible systems (e.g., UNIX via SSH, Windows via PowerShell or WMI).
Proprietary services including Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, InfoBlox, and F5 Networks.
File systems accessible by SFTP.
Databases with JDBC drivers.

If predefined activities do not meet requirements, customers can use the Activity Designer to create custom activities using templates.

How Orchestration Workflows Operate

When an orchestration activity triggers within a workflow, it initiates discovery probes and sensors, writing a probe record to the ECC Queue. A MID Server executes the probe, and the workflow pauses until results return. Based on the probe’s feedback, the workflow then resumes and decides whether to continue processing or exit.

What This Enables for ServiceNow Customers

ServiceNow Orchestration empowers customers to automate complex, multi-system IT and business processes with reusable components, reducing manual effort and errors. It enhances collaboration by providing clear versioning and impact analysis, supports broad integration options, and offers tools to build custom activities when needed. Customers can expect improved process reliability, faster execution, and better tracking of automation ROI.

Orchestration automates simple or complex multi-system tasks on remote services, servers, applications, and hardware.

An Orchestration process can cross all management disciplines and interact with hosted services and all types of infrastructure elements. These capabilities provide a powerful system for managing IT and Business processes quickly and reliably.

Orchestrated solutions aide collaboration among teams by providing reusable data and versioning for both the workflows and the activities within them. Subject matter experts can create activities that are reusable to numerous workflow developers. When an activity requires a change, developers can see the downstream implication of the change immediately by knowing which workflows use the activity. Well-designed orchestrations never fail and apply human tasks to address errors as they arise.

Orchestration tools

Orchestration can make calls outside of a ServiceNow instance, directly to web services or through a MID Server to systems within corporate firewall. Orchestration also enables the creation reusable activities that wrapper Java Script functions for manipulating things inside the platform. Orchestration extends the Workflow editor by providing these features:

Activity packs containing ready-to-use activities.
Activity Designer, which enables developers to create custom activities without an over dependence to create scripts to orchestrate to third-party systems.
Ability to create activity packs using Scoped Applications.
A Databus for following the flow of data across orchestration activities.

Orchestration Core provides entitlements to use specific applications:

Client Software Distribution: An application that automates software delivery from the Service Catalog. Provides OOB support for SCCM. Partner solutions support Macs using JAMF. Other third-party solutions provide support through the extension framework.
Configuring Password Reset: An application for users to reset their password in Active Directory. It can expand to communicate with other third-party systems.
Orchestration ROI: Enables users to evaluate estimated costs and actual costs for tasks, automate these tasks, and track the ROI of these tasks.

Systems that Orchestration can automate

Orchestration can automate tasks such as employee onboarding, user access rights, server management, managed file transfers, and security operations orchestration activities. For example, you might use the Active Directory and Exchange activities provided in the base Orchestration system to set up network accounts and mailboxes for new employees.

If Orchestration does not provide the activities you need for an integration, create the necessary activities using the templates in the Orchestration Activity Designer. The external systems that Orchestration can automate for:

Any system exposing web services (SOAP, REST)
Any system accessible from the command line (such as a UNIX system accessible through SSH, a Windows system enabled for PowerShell remoting or WMI)
Numerous proprietary services: Windows Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange mail servers, InfoBlox, and F5 Networks.
Note:
For a full list of Activity Pack service offerings, see Orchestration Core Activity Packs.
Any filesystem accessible by SFTP
Any database with a compliant JDBC driver
Additional Activity Packs are also available with other ServiceNow products, such as Security Operations

Orchestration workflow

When an Orchestration activity starts within a workflow, Orchestration launches a Discovery probes and sensors and writes a probe record to the ECC Queue. The workflow pauses as the MID Server picks up the request and executes the probe. When the probe reports back, the workflow resumes as the results are analyzed. The workflow can exit or continue at this point.