Project Description
Industry: Large multi billion dollar organization with tens of thousands of users
Size: Large
Task: ServiceNow APM, CSDM, CMDB towards portfolio rationalization and exec decision making
Project Overview
A large insurance services firm was looking to implement ServiceNow APM to support informed decision-making for enterprise architecture, cost transparency and operational analytics. Prior to the initiative, they were using Orbus for Enterprise Architecture. A strategic decision was made to retire Orbus and migrate the existing data into ServiceNow for APM. The ConfigureTek approach focused in on the central importance of a clean data model to underpin this strategic initiative. We have industry-leading experience in CMDB, delivering CSDM alignment and a toolset that supports ongoing data model integrity. We applied this expertise towards mapping the class model between Orbus and ServiceNow, migrating data into the ServiceNow CMDB in a manner that was aligned to the CSDM data model and setting up foundations for meaningful enterprise architecture on the ServiceNow APM toolset.
ConfigureTek’s Approach
The analysis phase of this initiative encompassed a comprehensive review of existing data and class models in Orbus, complemented by in-depth workshops focusing on data quality, use cases, reporting requirements, and the vision for future data updates. Our aim was to gain a thorough understanding of the current processes involved in creating new Configuration Items (CIs) within Orbus, ensuring their compliance with organizational nomenclature, and verifying that these CIs are established with the appropriate relationships to downstream CIs and CI classes. Additionally, we sought to validate the accuracy and completeness of metadata associated with each CI. This multifaceted approach allowed us to gather crucial insights into the existing system’s strengths and areas for improvement, laying the groundwork for more effective data management and utilization moving forward.
With these inputs in place, our business process consultant developed a data mapping strategy to support efficient migration of data from Orbus to ServiceNow. Our team also reviewed the health and integrity of data in the ServiceNow CMDB and performed various activities around improving alignment to CSDM. Our team was heavily involved in application service mapping for this customer, and so we had a granular understanding of their discovery, service mapping and application service CIs. This helped us to ensure alignment between the data integrated in from Orbus and the service mapping efforts. It was a critical success factor to ensure this data reconciled such that the service maps could contribute to cost transparency, enterprise architecture and analytics.
Following the analysis phase, we did an import of data from Orbus into ServiceNow. The import was a relatively smooth process, thanks to the efforts and outputs from the analysis phase of the project. We then implemented APM with the requisite reporting and dashboards.
Results
In conclusion, our implementation strategy placed a strong emphasis on enablement and seamless operational transition. Key to this approach was a series of targeted knowledge transfer sessions. We engaged power users within the Enterprise Architecture team, equipping them with the necessary skills to leverage reporting and analytics tools effectively, tailored to their specific use cases. Additionally, we collaborated closely with the CMDB and configuration management teams, empowering them to enhance existing processes. This collaboration focused on maintaining data integrity, ensuring alignment with the Common Service Data Model (CSDM), and establishing robust ongoing attestation procedures. By prioritizing these enablement initiatives, we not only ensured a smooth transition but also laid the groundwork for sustained operational excellence and maximized value realization from the implemented solutions.
