ServiceNow empowers organizations to simplify workflows across every department. Companies are increasingly using ServiceNow for workflow automation. Not just that, they are also integrating one ServiceNow instance with another or with a third-party tool/application for better task management and seamless collaboration. This integration between the tools, which are used for streamlining business processes such as IT Service Management, is called ServiceNow eBonding.
Companies set up ServiceNow eBonding primarily to avoid errors that often arise due to maintaining identical copies of data manually in two applications, resulting in inefficient processes. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of ServiceNow eBonding, how organizations can implement ServiceNow eBonding, and a standard use case.
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Key Benefits of ServiceNow eBonding
Typically, ServiceNow eBonding is done to synchronize incidents, problems, change requests, etc., between two applications. Through eBonding, IT managers can ensure strict governance over the incidents raised and forwarded to a Service Provider for resolution.
ServiceNow eBonding helps companies:
- Ensure Real-time Updates Changes made in one instance are instantly reflected in another application, providing users with access to the latest information.
- Achieve Seamless Collaboration Different teams can share relevant data and collaborate efficiently.
- Increase Operational Efficiency Automate information exchange, eliminate the chances of errors, and reduce the manual effort involved in keeping records consistent across the tools.
- Maintain Data Security Control the visibility of information to respective teams, ensuring data security and privacy.
How to Successfully Set Up ServiceNow eBonding?
To ensure successful ServiceNow eBonding, IT managers should devise an effective plan and choose the right approach. There are certain prerequisites to consider before ebonding. These include:
- Ensuring that the ServiceNow instances align with the version specified for eBonding and the target ticketing types (request to request, incident, etc.).
- Obtaining approval from stakeholders for the methods of information exchange and overall architecture.
- Defining connections between different datasets appropriately.
ServiceNow eBonding can be done in three ways–the Traditional API approach, the ServiceNow Integration Hub approach, and the ServiceNow Service Bridge approach. Let us look into them in detail.
1. The Traditional API Method
The traditional approach includes various methods to execute ServiceNow eBonding, such as:
- Scripted REST APIs
- Table APIs
- Import Set APIs
Out of the above methods, the Import Set API technique offers several advantages, including flexible field mapping, debugging capabilities, and custom scripting.
The ebonding configuration involves setting up communication protocols between the ServiceNow instance and the third-party tool, defining business rules to trigger actions, and creating an inbound web service to efficiently receive and process incoming data.
2. The ServiceNow Integration Hub Approach
The easy and effective method of integrating a ServiceNow instance with a third-party tool is by using ServiceNow Integration Hub, a Now Platform application. It also comes with a feature called Remote Process Sync that allows companies to connect multiple ServiceNow instances.
ServiceNow Integration Hub brings various prebuilt spokes that enable companies to automate and accelerate common integrations, eliminating integration complexity and reducing the risk & expense associated with the process. These spokes eliminate the need for writing custom code.
Additionally, users can create custom integrations by leveraging Action Designer and bundle them as reusable spokes. They can also effectively handle integrations or troubleshoot errors and gain insights into the spokes that were most used from a single interface.
ServiceNow Integration Hub is available in various packages, the starter package being free. Businesses also have the option to activate Integration Hub on non-production and developer instances for creating and testing integrations.
3. The ServiceNow Service Bridge Approach
The third approach to connecting a ServiceNow instance with another ServiceNow instance or a third-party tool is through the ServiceNow Service Bridge, an application within the Technology Provider Service Management (TPSM) and Telecommunications Service Management (TSM) modules. Businesses need not set up custom integrations as Service Bridge allows them to integrate systems through a simple registration process.
It enables enterprises to establish granular-level access control systems and introduces automation features that further streamline workflows. Users can also get complete visibility into status updates on their instances. Organizations can access the ServiceNow Service Bridge application by purchasing either the TPSM or TSM module.
While companies still use traditional methods to set up ServiceNow eBonding, they may not be the most efficient way of executing the process. Leveraging ServiceNow Integration Hub or Service Bridge helps companies simplify the integration process and allows users to focus more on business-critical initiatives.
ServiceNow eBonding - Use Case Scenario
An IT Services and Solutions company (Service Consumer) offering services such as custom software development, cloud services, security assessments, and more utilizes ServiceNow ITSM, and their Service Provider (another technology company) uses a different ticketing tool. When end-users in the Service Consumer’s organization report incidents through the ServiceNow platform, the internal Help Desk Team may be able to resolve only a few of them. Certain incidents may require the intervention of the Service Provider’s Help Desk Team. In such cases, the lack of connection between the ServiceNow instance and the Service Provider’s ticketing tool can make it challenging to achieve real-time data synchronization, affecting the end-user experience.
How does ServiceNow eBonding help?
ServiceNow eBonding helps overcome this challenge by establishing a connection between the two tools and keeping them in sync. Whenever the Service Provider’s Help Desk team adds a comment against an incident created by the end-user at the Service Consumer’s organization, the data gets reflected in the Service Consumer’s ServiceNow portal simultaneously, ensuring seamless collaboration. Each incident in both instances is assigned a Correlation ID (unique identifier) for easy tracking. This real-time data transfer provides both teams with the required information, improving operational efficiency and user satisfaction.
Master ServiceNow eBonding with an Experienced Partner
While ServiceNow eBonding comes with a lot of benefits, it is advisable to collaborate with a ServiceNow partner to execute the task efficiently. A ServiceNow partner can help perform ServiceNow eBonding within a couple of days while ensuring it is cost-effective.
As a ServiceNow Premier Partner, KANINI offers end-to-end ServiceNow services for organizations, empowering them to adapt to market changes and gain a competitive advantage. After carefully understanding the requirements and assessing the tools, our experts develop a strategy for ServiceNow eBonding that aligns with the organization’s goals. Get in touch with us to learn more.
Author
Ravi Rajamani
Ravi is the ServiceNow Practice Lead at KANINI. He brings close to 18 years of experience in the IT industry and has strong program & project management skills spanning ServiceNow, Resource Management, Solution Design, and Service Delivery. He has a proven track record of helping enterprise customers leverage ServiceNow platform efficiently.
