Service Graph Connector brings open-source data to the workspace

Service Graph Connector: overhead shot of workers collaborating

Since ServiceNow launched the Service Graph Connector for OpenTelemetry in the Innovation Lab in April 2023, we’ve seen customers use it in pre-production environments. Today, I’m excited to announce that the Service Graph Connector for OpenTelemetry is generally available for production.

Service Graph Connectors allow customers to load large volumes of data quickly and easily into their configuration management database (CMDB). They also help reduce the risk associated with third-party data integration, as they’re certified by ServiceNow and designed, developed, and tested under the Service Graph Connectors Program.

What makes this connector different is that, for the first time in ServiceNow history, open-source data is brought into the CMDB. This connector offers customers the benefits of a thriving open-source community alongside the confidence they have in the Now Platform.

Benefits of an open-source connector

One of the most critical challenges for any IT and DevOps team is understanding what systems interact with each other and how. The Service Graph Connector for OpenTelemetry gives teams a new method to map their cloud-native environments in the CMDB using their existing investment in OpenTelemetry.

Site reliability engineering and operations teams can identify potential problems earlier, better predict the impact of planned changes, and reduce mean time to resolution when incidents occur.

The Service Graph Connector for OpenTelemetry brings cloud-native data into the workspace that ServiceNow users are familiar with, allowing them to diagnose and triage without having to switch context. By using actual telemetry data generated by cloud-native applications, we’re creating accurate, automated, and near-real-time service maps.

For many organisations, the biggest difference between the Service Graph Connector for OpenTelemetry and other data sources is the ease of deployment combined with the breadth, depth, and accuracy of cloud-native data imported into the CMDB.

An expanding view

Service maps can now span cloud and traditional environments via inferred services, aka non-instrumental services, a capability that exists in Cloud Observability. This will provide a more complete view of the end-to-end technical estate that organisations rely on.

We’re also excited to introduce additional Kubernetes infrastructure objects that enable a more granular view of an organisation’s Kubernetes estate in CMDB, including:

It’s time to unify the vast—and fractured—technology estate that many enterprises maintain. You can manage it all through a single environment: the Now Platform.
Find out more about how you can shift from reactive troubleshooting to proactive optimization of applications.