We are very happy to announce Innovation Lab release of Cloud Services Catalog (CSC). This app can be downloaded from the Innovation Labs section of the ServiceNow app store to run for evaluation in your non-production (sub-prod, demo, test, etc) instances.
CSC includes our existing capabilities in CPG (Cloud Provisioning and Governance) with several additional capabilities and feature improvements.
- Out of box content - catalog items, provisioning policy rules, automation engine flows (actions)
- Guided setup - get to a working catalog of cloud service offerings in under an hour
- Day-1 request UI page in Employee Center portal
- Day-2 stacks maintenance UI page built on Employee Center portal with OOB day-2 actions
- OOB Taxonomy for CSC catalog items
Sharing some resources below to help you get started on this quickly.
The CSC store app is here - https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/application/bc3429fc24e02910f877b722d6bbdc...
The CSC Content Pack provides OOB content for the CSC plugin. It is here -https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/application/4a9df2d2bd9611edafa10242ac1200...
NOTE: CSC requires dependent apps, which need to be activated in your sub-production instances.
Here's a video explaining the requestor experience, for ordering a cloud VM in AWS - https://youtu.be/U0IIunqK2Ng
We would love for you to download and evaluate this app and let us know your feedback - send your email to our Q&A channel.
7decb361.servicenow.onmicrosoft.com@amer.teams.ms (Don't worry it is a valid email id)
regards,
Ram Devanathan
Sr. Principal Product Manager
ITOM Cloud Products and Solutions
Hi @Ram Devanathan1 ,
First and foremost, I want to express my appreciation for the idea of ServiceNow Cloud Service Catalog idea and bringing it to the store. This new approach is a vast improvement over its predecessor, providing a more intuitive and user-friendly interface. Navigating through the catalog is now a seamless experience, allowing users to quickly find and request the services they need. The streamlined design and layout contribute to an enhanced user experience, reducing friction and making it easier to interact with the catalog. This is something most customers are interested in.
The Guided Setup for building the Cloud Service Catalog is an excellent addition to the ServiceNow platform. It offers step-by-step instructions and assistance for administrators in configuring and customizing the catalog to meet their organization's specific requirements. The guided approach simplifies the setup process, especially for users who may be new to the platform or cloud service catalog management. The provision of clear instructions and best practices ensures a smoother and more efficient implementation.
One of the standout features of the ServiceNow Cloud Service Catalog is its flexibility and configurability. The ability to customize service offerings, pre-post operations, and request forms is invaluable for organizations with diverse needs and complex service delivery models. The Cloud Service Catalog allows for easy tailoring of services and associated processes, empowering organizations to align the catalog with their unique business requirements. This flexibility ensures that the catalog remains adaptable and scalable as the organization's needs evolve. Starting the capabilities with Terraform is a great start, since lot of customers are moving towards Terraform for multi cloud provisioning.
Additionally, I would like to provide a recommendation regarding the performance of the Guided Setup pages for building the Cloud Service Catalog. While the Guided Setup feature is incredibly useful, I have noticed that the pages can be slow to load at times. This can hinder the efficiency of the setup process and lead to frustration for administrators.
To address this issue, I recommend optimizing the performance of the Guided Setup pages to ensure faster loading times. This could involve streamlining the code, minimizing unnecessary dependencies, and implementing caching mechanisms where appropriate. By prioritizing performance enhancements, administrators will be able to complete the setup process more efficiently, saving time and effort.
I would like to suggest another improvement to the user-friendliness of the Guided Setup feature by including pre and post-methods in a more intuitive and user-friendly manner. Currently, configuring pre and post-methods during the setup process can be a bit complex and may require a deeper understanding of the ServiceNow platform.
To enhance usability, consider providing clear instructions and contextual guidance within the Guided Setup interface. This could include tooltips, in-line documentation, or step-by-step explanations of how to define and configure pre-post-methods effectively. Additionally, providing examples and best practices for commonly used pre-post-method scenarios would greatly assist administrators in understanding and implementing these methods correctly. By making pre-post-method configuration more accessible and user-friendly, administrators will be able to leverage these powerful capabilities without the need for extensive technical knowledge or trial and error. This would result in a more streamlined setup process and increased overall satisfaction with the Guided Setup feature.
Try to add a more comprehensive request stage monitoring system at the Service Portal level. Currently, there seems to be an issue where requests are displayed as "completed" even when there are task(s) created for failure. Providing clear notifications or alerts within the Service Portal when there are failed tasks associated with a request would be helpful. This will ensure that users are promptly informed of any issues and can take appropriate action or seek assistance if necessary.
Lastly, I recommend continuing to invest in comprehensive documentation and training resources for the Service Catalog and Guided Setup. This will empower users to fully understand and leverage the catalog's capabilities and ensure successful adoption across the organization.
In conclusion, the ServiceNow Service Catalog and Guided Setup are commendable features that significantly improve service delivery and user experience. With their user-friendly interface, customization options, and flexibility, they empower organizations to build and manage a robust Cloud Service Catalog. By considering the suggested improvements mentioned above, you can further enhance these features and continue to meet the evolving needs of your users.
Thank you for your commitment to delivering innovative solutions, and I look forward to witnessing the ongoing evolution of the ServiceNow platform.
Adding few Screen shots from my setup.
