Application Service - 'Lehman's Definition' Needed

[kchapman87]

Hello all!

I have scoured ServiceNow documents, this community, and Google searches. I am seeking to obtain an easily digestible or 'Lehman's' definition for an Application Service CI. I have what is provided from ServiceNow and other various searches, but I am needing something to provide to end-users to understand more clearly what it is. We have end-users who are technical that understand the formal definition, but we also have end-users that are more clinical or non-technical. I am struggling to create this definition. Below is what I currently have, but I need a less technical definition to clearly define what an Application Service is and isn't to assist in communicating/defining when one should be created. 

"An Application Service is a logical representation of a deployed application stack.  It is a set of interconnected applications and hosts (internal or external) which are configured to offer a service to the organization to optimize, deploy, and manage applications. It can be a unique instance of an application and may be created by Environment (PROD, DEV, QA, etc.). An Application Service CI is often used for Incidents, Changes, Problems, etc. within ServiceNow. Examples for [company] include eRecord, 3Mensio, Agility, Aria, etc."

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[Robin Chytil]

I really like the word "System" that was mentioned in a video produced by Scott or Barry, as a proposal for CSDM 5. A system is a group of various elements working together and providing a set of functionalities. Everyone can easily understand that a production instance is separate from a development instance. And a system can also be a group of CI (such as all Access points in a building providing Wifi access).

It is also aligned to the lingo used within GxP.

I would vote to replace "Application service" by "System"!

[Jake Ross]

A key facet of "Application Service" vs "Business Application" that I'm trying to use to help people understand the distinction is that a Business App is something that might have multiple instances/copies existing at once, while the Application Service leg of that represents a unique instance,  So SharePoint is a business app, but your production sharepoint instance is an Application Service.

I think this is part of what is trying to be called out with the "may be created by Envrionment" description - each of those per-env instances is unique and can have its own unique incidents and changes and requests that can mostly be independently addressed from the other instances (facets that depend on OTHER shared services aside)