on - edited on by
pavithrapandian
Zero Copy Connectors are here: Unlock real-time enterprise data without the risk
Every day, enterprises spend enormous amounts of time and resources just to move data around; syncing it across systems, replicating it into lakes and warehouses, and maintaining complex pipelines. It's a process that adds latency, inflates costs, and increases the risk of security breaches or compliance missteps.
But what if you could skip all that, and still use your data instantly, wherever it lives? That's what's great about Zero Copy: real-time data access without duplication, movement, or risk. It's like streaming a movie; you get to watch it without the DVD player. Zero Copy brings that same concept to your enterprise.
What is Zero Copy?
Traditional data integration methods are often slow, fragile, and expensive. They require building pipelines, handling ETL processes, and storing duplicate versions of the same data, all of which can introduce errors and delay insights.
Zero Copy is a new approach to data integration. It delivers instant access to your data where it lives without ever having to copy, transform, or build complex customizations just to sync it. For employees and AI Agents that rely on real-time data stored in applications, data lakes, or warehouses to make decisions, Zero Copy enables faster, more secure access to insights and action.
How Zero Copy works with ServiceNow
ServiceNow offers Zero Copy Connectors as part of Workflow Data Fabric. These pre-built connectors allow you to connect, understand, and act on data that's stored in external sources without ever having to move the data. That means you can maintain a single source of truth without overhead storage.
Zero Copy Connectors are configured and managed through the Workflow Data Fabric Hub, a centralized workspace for setting up connections, creating data fabric tables, and administering how internal and external data is accessed across the platform.
Data fabric tables enable real-time access to massive datasets, scaling well beyond the limitations of conventional remote tables. Enterprises can easily work with millions of records efficiently, without hitting performance caps.
Behind the scenes, a SQL-based query engine powers integration. Rather than relying on custom scripts or constant API calls, the engine issues SQL queries to retrieve exactly the data needed, when it's needed. This simplifies setup and maintenance while improving reliability.
Once data is retrieved, it flows directly into the ServiceNow AI Platform to power your workflows and AI agents, enabling real-time decisions and automations based on live data, without any intermediate steps or manual handoffs. Just as importantly, the data accessed through our Zero Copy Connectors never persists inside ServiceNow. As soon as it's used, it's gone, ensuring that your security and compliance are preserved throughout the process.
Benefits of Zero Copy
Zero Copy redefines how enterprises manage and leverage their data by addressing five key areas: connecting data silos, optimizing performance and spend, enhancing security, simplifying compliance, and enforcing controlled, secure access.
Connect data silos
Zero Copy enables seamless access to data across multiple external sources without moving it. This unified approach eliminates fragmentation and allows teams to work with diverse datasets in-place, breaking down barriers between systems and enabling more holistic analysis and cross-functional collaboration.
Better performance, lower spend
By offloading large datasets to external data cloud platforms, Zero Copy helps organizations avoid unnecessary duplication and reduce reliance on costly internal storage. This is especially impactful when exceeding 4 TB of included storage, allowing enterprises to scale efficiently while keeping infrastructure costs in check.
Enhanced security
Every data copy increases the risk of exposure. Zero Copy mitigates this by eliminating unnecessary duplication, keeping data in its source systems under existing security controls. This minimizes the attack surface and reduces potential vulnerabilities across the enterprise.
Simplified compliance
Compliance becomes easier when data doesn't move. With Zero Copy, governance policies and audit trails remain intact because data stays within its original source. This consistent enforcement makes it easier to meet regulatory requirements and respond to audits without the complexity of managing multiple copies.
Controlled and secure access
Zero Copy provides time-bound, role-based access to external data sources. Authorized users can access data only for the duration required, with permissions automatically revoked afterward. This ensures sensitive data is handled securely and reduces the chance of lingering access rights becoming a liability.
Workflow Data Network: A flexible approach to connectivity
ServiceNow offers Zero Copy Connectors as part of its Workflow Data Fabric. These connectors are supported through our Workflow Data Network, our growing ecosystem of technology partners that enable your company to access the data in those systems.
We support two types of Zero Copy Connectors, offering flexibility and support to meet your unique needs:
- Primary connectors are built and fully supported by ServiceNow. Designed for mission-critical workloads, they offer enterprise-grade reliability and performance. These connectors are currently available for leading platforms including Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, Oracle, and more.
- Community connectors are open-source and contributed by partners and the broader developer community. These connectors provide flexibility and can accelerate innovation, particularly for open-source systems like PostgreSQL, Apache Hive, and MongoDB.
Together, these connectors deliver the best of both worlds - open innovation and enterprise-grade assurance - so you can access and act on your data instantly, without creating and managing endless copies.
Ready to unlock real-time data intelligence across your enterprise?
With Zero Copy, the future of data integration isn’t something you have to wait for - it’s available now. If you're ready to explore what real-time data integration can do for your business, start by watching this video and then, navigate to the Workflow Data Fabric Hub and download the Primary connectors from the ServiceNow store. Zero Copy, as part of Workflow Data Fabric, can bring your vision to life.
Is Your Data Holding Back Your AI? Meet Zero Copy Connectors
Watch our overview video to learn more about Zero Copy Connectors and how they can transform your data strategy.
