Automating and optimizing your services and operations using Service Operations Workspace

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automating and optimizing your services and operations using Service Operations Workspace

    Service Operations Workspace enables ServiceNow customers to expand services while reducing costs and enhancing customer and employee experiences through operational resilience. It integrates IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM) on a single cloud platform, connecting IT processes like incident, problem, and change management with IT operations such as discovery, service mapping, and event management.

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    This unified platform eliminates silos between services and operations teams, increases productivity, and supports low-code configuration to optimize and accelerate incident and outage resolutions.

    Key Features

    • Unified Interface: A simple, intuitive UI with tailored landing pages provides users with clear task overviews and seamless navigation between ITSM and ITOM functions.
    • Automated Recommendations: Contextual suggestions based on user actions help streamline incident and alert management.
    • Comprehensive Service Context: Presents complete service-related data, including metrics and logs, aiding faster diagnosis and remediation.
    • Collaboration Tools: Enables service desk agents and IT operators to collaborate effectively, including access to on-call experts for high-priority issues.
    • Embedded Playbooks: Operators can trigger quick automation actions directly within alert forms to accelerate resolution.

    Workflow Example

    From the Service Operations Workspace landing page, IT operators monitor service dashboards and alerts. They can create incidents linked to customer issues and assign them to appropriate support groups. Service agents then investigate incidents using relevant metrics and collaborate with on-call experts if needed, ensuring efficient problem resolution.

    Requirements

    • Licensing: ITSM Standard or higher license is required for the ITSM Workspace; ITSM Professional license is needed for Investigation Framework features.
    • Installation: Service Operations Workspace ITSM and ITOM applications must be installed from the ServiceNow Store.
    • ITOM Licensing: Requires ITOM Professional license or later for IT Operations Management features.

    Getting Started

    • Configure and set up Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM using appropriate admin roles.
    • Set up Investigation Framework and Recommendation Frameworks for both incidents and alerts to benefit from automated guidance.
    • Customize inboxes and lists within the workspace to tailor workflows to organizational needs.

    Customer Impact

    By integrating ITSM and ITOM within Service Operations Workspace, organizations can optimize their service and operations management processes, leading to improved operational visibility, faster incident resolution, and enhanced collaboration across teams. For example, a financial institution leveraged ITOM integration for improved risk, compliance, and audit management through real-time visibility and automation.

    You can expand services while reducing costs, delivering high-quality customer and employee experiences, and driving operational resilience. Use a single cloud platform that integrates IT processes such as incident, problem, and change with IT operations such as discovery, business service definitions, service mapping, and event management.

    Combined benefits of integrating Service Operations Workspace for IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM)

    Benefits of integrating Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    Feature Service Operations Workspace for ITSM Service Operations Workspace for ITOM All applications together

    Simple, intuitive, and clear user interface (UI)

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Automated recommendations based on user actions

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Tailored landing page providing an overview of tasks

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Effective incident management for service desk agents

    		 Yes No Yes

    Experts on call for high-priority tasks 

    		 Yes No Yes

    Onboarding experience for logged-in users

    		 Yes Yes Yes

    Walk-up experience

    		 Yes No Yes

    Request management from incidents and interactions

    		 Yes No Yes

    Guided experience for initial configuration of Service Operations Workspace

    		 Yes No Yes

    Presentation of a service's complete context with related metrics, logs, and additional information

    		 No Yes Yes

    Quick remediation for alerts of a service

    		 No Yes Yes

    Quick automation for operators when using an embedded playbook experience within the alert forms

    		 No Yes Yes

    Workflow for Service Operations Workspace

    Use Service Operations Workspace for IT Service Management (ITSM) and IT Operations Management (ITOM) together for these benefits:
    • Provide a unified experience for services and operations on a single platform.
    • Eliminate silos by connecting services and operations teams.
    • Increase productivity and keep employees engaged.
    • Create and extend ITSM and ITOM processes with low-code configuration.
    • Optimize ITSM and ITOM processes for faster resolution of incidents and outages.

    The following figure shows an example workflow of how an IT operator and a service agent (service desk agent or L2/L3 specialist) can use these applications to resolve a customer issue.

    Figure 1. Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM workflow
    Service Operations Workspace workflow for ITSM and ITOM integration
    In this workflow:
    1. From the Service Operations Workspace landing page, an IT operator accesses the service dashboard to find related alerts of any specific service.
    2. The IT operator can view the recent alert from related items in the contextual side panel.
    3. The IT operator can access recommendations for the alert.
    4. If there is any customer issue related to that alert, the IT operator creates an incident to track the investigation, possible solutions, and resolution for the customer.
    5. The incident is assigned to the group supporting the configuration item or service.
    6. A service agent such as a service desk agent or L2/L3 specialist is assigned to work on the incident.
    7. The service agent can investigate to get relevant metrics and insights on the configuration item for faster resolution of the incident.
    8. If required, the service agent can reach out to an on-call user to collaborate and resolve the incident.

    Requirements for integrating Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    1. Ensure that the following conditions are met for Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.
      1. Procure the ITSM Standard license or later for ServiceNow® IT Service Management applications. Contact your ServiceNow account manager or sales representative.
      2. If you want to use Investigation Framework within Service Operations Workspace for ITSM, procure the ITSM Professional license or later for ServiceNow® IT Service Management applications.
      3. Install Service Operations Workspace ITSM Applications from the ServiceNow® Store. For information about installing this application, see Install Service Operations Workspace ITSM Applications.
    2. Ensure that the following conditions are met for Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.
      1. Procure the ITOM Professional license or later for ServiceNow® IT Operations Management applications. Contact your ServiceNow account manager or sales representative.
      2. Install Service Operations Workspace ITOM Applications from the ServiceNow® Store. For information about installing this application, see Install Service Operations Workspace for ITOM Applications.

    Get started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM

    To get started with Service Operations Workspace for ITSM and ITOM, follow these steps:

    1. Configure Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.
      1. Set up Service Operations Workspace for ITSM. See Setting up Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.

        Role: admin.

      2. Set up Investigation Framework. See Setting up Investigation Framework in Service Operations Workspace.

        Role: admin.

      3. Configure Recommendation Framework for an incident. See Configuring Recommendation Framework in Service Operations Workspace for ITSM.

        Role: admin.

    2. Configure Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.
      1. Set up Service Operations Workspace for ITOM. See Setting up Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_operator.

      2. Configure alert metrics. See Configure alert metrics.

        Role: evt_mgmt_operator.

      3. Configure the Recommendation Framework for an alert. See Configuring Recommendation Framework in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_admin.

      4. Configure the Service Operations Workspace inbox. See Configure the inbox in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: evt_mgmt_admin.

      5. Customize Service Operations Workspace lists. See Customize lists in Service Operations Workspace for ITOM.

        Role: itil.