Thoughts on monitoring ServiceNow integrations (part 2): Governance & Preparation

[Richard Smith]

Following on from the first post in this short set, where we set the scene about wanting to create a "single landing page" showing the state of all outbound and inboard integrations into ServiceNow, we described how it is key to first prepare. What does that actually involved though?

In many organisations there is no clear, documented list of all integrations related to the platform. In others, the list exists but is just that - a list with no substance. No detail about type, direction, frequency, daily checks to be performed which describe thresholds to check.

If that is the case with your organisation too, then there's something even more fundamental missing too with your technical governance for the platform

1. List every integration that touches the platform
2. Capture key details about each that you can going to need later
• Business information. Who owns it from a business perspective, and who from IT. How critical is it? What is the impact if it fails, etc.
• How does it work, how is it triggered, What middleware is in place, what is the expected interval
• What does Green look like, what about amber or Red? What needs to be made visible on a dashboard for consideration, vs acted on immediately?

Draw inspiration on what is needed by looking at the Digital interface and Digital interface classes that form part of Digital Integration Management later on.

Once there's a clear picture of all the integrations, it is likely possible that they can be placed into groups or categories. For instance, there might be a number of service graph connectors for CMDB population which all work in a similar way, are supported by the same team, run on a similar schedule, and which the definition of green, red and amber are the same.

Now we have a sensible list of integration patterns for everything we already have integrated, and we know what constitutes a red or an amber, we can look to ensure that our technical governance is updated. We can ensure we have a policy stating the minimum standards for changes to/new integrations that demands all those things are recorded and defined. Later on, it will also demand what technical controls and automation must be in place before it can be accepted and go live on the platform.

1. Intro
2. Governance & Preparation
3. Building blocks
4. Bringing it all together