Why this is important

If your organization is lacking in data or process separation regulatory requirements, you might want to move toward a consolidated instance footprint. Learn about your options for doing this and how to choose the right one for your organization, how to do it, and more.

Steps covered

1. Decide on your consolidation approach
2. Build your consolidation plan
3. Design your consolidated processes, data model, and services
4. Integrate your teams and prepare for go-live

Key takeaways

The most important things to know
In the absence of regulatory or other business requirements for data or process separation, most organizations should opt for a consolidated instance footprint to support visibility across workflows and minimize technical debt. Take the opportunity afforded by consolidation to clarify your ServiceNow reference architecture and roadmap.

Shape your consolidation program to include only those stakeholders—typically process and service owners—required to configure consolidated processes, data models, and services. Don’t let the work of the consolidation prevent you from keeping the lights on. Make sure you have resources who can continue to meet the daily demands of your business and customers.

Prioritize user engagement throughout your consolidation journey. Consolidation may lead to significant change for process users and end users. Empower your users by giving them a voice in the workflow design of your consolidated instance. With an effective agent and rep experience, organizations can avoid rework, optimize handoffs between teams, and improve productivity. Service agents and reps are less likely to adopt or promote user adoption if ServiceNow products and applications aren’t effectively configured based on their needs and preferences. Having an optimal design will not only help you scale ServiceNow across your organization, but it will also reduce the time it takes to onboard process users and increase their satisfaction.

The payoff of getting this right
Instance consolidation is an opportunity to reduce customization and technical debt, create efficiencies, and rebrand your ServiceNow team, so you can accelerate your business outcomes.

You’ll be able to operate one system of action, so you’ll have insight—and be able to scale—across digital workflows.

In the end, you’ll likely reduce your costs for maintaining your production instance because of the efficiencies you gained from combining two or more systems, operating models, and support teams.