IT Service Management

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated April 22, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of IT Service Management

    ServiceNow's IT Service Management (ITSM) on the AI Platform enables organizations to efficiently manage IT service requests, incidents, problems, and changes through automated workflows. It enhances agent productivity, accelerates issue resolution, and improves user satisfaction by leveraging platform-native AI and automation technologies.

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    ITSM supports digital transformation by providing a cloud-based shared data model combined with AI and workflow automation to reduce unplanned work and its business impact. The solution is accessible via mobile and web portals, allowing users to engage with IT services anytime and anywhere.

    Key Features

    • Automated Support and Virtual Agents: Use natural language understanding to automate common request handling and deliver consistent, human-like customer service experiences.
    • Consolidation of IT Services: Integrate multiple tools into a single cloud-based system of action, improving resource management and performance tracking through real-time monitoring and reporting.
    • Machine Learning for Productivity: Accelerate incident resolution and automate routine tasks using machine learning algorithms and virtual agents, enabling 24/7 support and reducing manual triage bottlenecks.
    • Real-Time Visibility and Analytics: Gain actionable insights with dashboards and Performance Analytics to monitor service quality, anticipate trends, and identify automation opportunities across the IT value chain.
    • Mobile Connectivity: Empower employees and agents to access work assignments, receive notifications, and approve requests via the ITSM mobile agent available on iOS and Android platforms.
    • Edge Encryption: Provide enhanced data security with encryption and key management controlled within your intranet, requiring careful planning and network setup.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Streamline IT service delivery by automating workflows and consolidating tools into a unified platform.
    • Improve service quality and user satisfaction through faster, AI-driven issue resolution and self-service capabilities.
    • Enhance IT staff productivity by reducing manual effort and enabling focus on strategic initiatives.
    • Achieve comprehensive process and service visibility to make informed decisions and optimize IT operations.
    • Maintain secure data handling using edge encryption tailored to your organizational requirements.

    Getting Started and Support

    Customers can begin by setting up Incident Management to handle service interruptions and explore various ITSM applications and features such as Asset Management, Change Management, Problem Management, and more. ServiceNow provides training, certification, and a vibrant ITSM community for knowledge sharing and support. Licensed customers have access to NOW Support for technical assistance.

    Use IT Service Management (ITSM) to manage and resolve IT service requests, incidents, problems, and changes through automated workflows on the ServiceNow AI Platform.

    The ITSM solution can help increase your agents' productivity, resolve issues quickly, and improve user satisfaction. Also, powered by platform native AI, you can quickly accelerate technology changes and view recommended actions for incoming tickets or requests and drive self-service and automation through enterprise chatbot technology. The ServiceNow AI Platform® also provides users access to ITSM via mobile or web-portal interfaces.

    Figure 1. ITSM is the foundation of digital transformation
    ITSM is the foundation of digital transformation

    Transform the impact, speed, and delivery of IT services

    The ServiceNow AI Platform was built for the cloud and has its own shared data model, AI, and workflow automation that are leveraged by many IT applications. The combination of the ServiceNow platform and applications helps you increase productivity by automatically identifying and resolving issues, which reduces the negative business impacts of unplanned, non-strategic work.

    View and download the full infocard for a highlight of ITSM features.

    Automate IT service Enhance the service experience

    Automate support for common requests with virtual agents powered by natural language understanding (NLU). Engage users with natural, human conversation to provide consistent good customer service experiences.

    Consolidate IT service Consolidate IT services

    Rapidly consolidate existing tools to a single system of action in the cloud.

    Improve IT productivity with ML solutions Improve IT productivity

    Use machine learning algorithms and virtual agents to automate routine tasks and increase the productivity of agents.

    Dashboards and analytics solutions Gain visibility into processes and services

    Get full visibility into any process or service with built-in dashboards and analytics providing real-time, actionable information to improve service quality.

    Mobile connectivity Provide mobile connectivity

    Enable employees to find answers and get work done from a modern mobile application.

    Enhance the service experience

    Employee Center home page

    Automate routine agent interactions and increase the speed of resolution from the Employee Center portal. With supervised machine learning, you can automate incident categorization and assignment and eliminate bottlenecks created by manual incident triaging. Meet increasing demands without further adding staff and empower existing IT staff to focus on more meaningful work. For more information on the Employee Center portal and the features, see Employee Center for IT Service Management.

    Consolidate IT services

    Reduce the number of separate tools your company uses to provide a consistent service experience regardless of the issue or the request. Consolidating IT services enables you to better manage and allocate resources and track performance. You can have a single reliable source of information where performance is monitored in real time and data is easy to capture and report.

    Improve IT productivity

    Accelerate resolution with built-in machine learning. Chatbots provide immediate resolution to common questions. With ITSM Virtual Agent in action, you can have employees with 24*7 support service. Service desk agents can take advantage of machine-learning automation to resolve incidents and recommend resolutions for agents based on similar incidents solved in the past.

    Gain visibility into processes and services

    Figure 2. Gain visibility into processes and services
    Gain visibility into processes and services

    Make smarter decisions with real-time analytics across the entire IT value chain. Get new insights into service performance using data trends and forecasts. With Performance Analytics, you can anticipate trends based on current conditions and past performance and identify areas where automation can increase efficiency.

    Provide mobile connectivity

    Stay connected and access information in real time using the ITSM mobile agent. You can access work assigned to you or your group, receive push notifications, and approve or reject change requests and requested items. The ITSM mobile agent is available on the iOS platform from the Apple App Store or on the Android platform from the Google Play Store.

    Edge Encryption for ITSM Virtual Agent within ITSM

    Edge encryption provides you with direct control over your data security. Encryption and key management are performed on your intranet between your browser and your ServiceNow instance.

    See Understanding Edge Encryption.

    Because edge encryption is enabled on a proxy server on your side of the network, there is significant planning, network administration and management, and setup required.

    See Planning for Edge Encryption.

    To install edge encryption, see Edge Encryption installation.

    To configure edge encryption, see Edge Encryption configuration.
    Note:
    There are limitations when using edge encryption. See Edge Encryption limitations.

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