Implementing integrations with

ServiceNow
Frequently asked questions

Definition
What is a “ServiceNow® integration”?

A ServiceNow integration is an information exchange between the Now Platform® and another
system or source. Integrations are essential to implementing digital workflows and creating
seamless user experiences. ServiceNow integrations support three use cases:

• Process integrations move data across systems to facilitate a process, like sending
ServiceNow records to Jira to support a development process.
• UI integrations present public web information within the Now Platform, such as displaying
weather forecasts.
• Data integrations enable data sharing, such as viewing demographic HR data, like titles or
managers, within the platform.

What should I consider when determining if I need an integration?

The most critical step in an integration implementation is defining your goals for the integration
and determining if you truly need it. Here are a few things to consider:

• What is the business outcome that you are trying to achieve and what value will the
integration deliver?
• What sort of maintenance and costs will the integration require long-term and does the
value of the integration outweigh these?
• What workflows do you want to deliver via integration? Can the same workflows be
achieved without integrating systems?
• What pain points will the integration address? How does it improve existing processes?
• What data must be exchanged across systems to support your end goal for integrating?

What types of integration technologies and methods does ServiceNow offer?

1
© 2022 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
The Now Platform supports most common integration technologies including but not limited to
web services, file retrieval/import sets, JDBC connections, LDAP, REST and SOAP, and Excel, CSV,
and e-mail transmissions.

You don’t have to start from scratch. ServiceNow offers several methods to manage integrations
between ServiceNow and external systems:

• ServiceNow Store integrations are built by ServiceNow or a partner. The seller of the
integration will generally provide implementation and ongoing support.
• Integration Hub is the preferred integration method and is used primarily for outbound
integrations from ServiceNow. Integration Hub offers several pre-built spokes than give you
automation capabilities in a single system of action.
• Custom integrations enable a specific use case and are designed from scratch. Note that
customers must own and maintain these long-term and these should be a last resort.

Process / Implementation
When is the right time to implement an integration with ServiceNow?

While integrations can technically be implemented at any time, you should only implement
integrations when the foundational capabilities and data structure exist to support a workflow
with an external system.

Integration implementations should be treated just like any other ServiceNow initiative—they
should have buy-in from the right stakeholders and be accounted for on the overall roadmap.
Only begin implementing an integration when you have determined that you truly need it and
that it aligns to your broader business objectives. Make sure to revisit existing integrations on a
regular cadence to validate that their value continues to exceed any potential maintenance or
performance costs.

What do I need to get started with implementing an integration with ServiceNow?

• Determine your integration needs by defining what you are hoping to accomplish by
integrating with ServiceNow. Only pursue an integration if you can’t replicate the same
workflow without one and if it aligns to your broader organizational goals.
• Involve the right players early (see below). Knowing who to work with both during the
definition and design phases will prevent re-work and will keep your integration on track. It
will also ensure that you have the buy-in necessary to proceed with the project.
• Research available integration technology options both on the Now Platform and on the
system you would like to integrate with.
• Do some pre-work ahead of kicking off the implementation project. Work with your Enterprise
Architecture and Security teams to determine basic network requirements. Explore the
available data that you would like to exchange to understand its quality and format.
Consider the trigger events which will result in data transmission. Doing this work earlier on will
help inform the project and cut down on implementation time.

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© 2022 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
Who should be involved in the integration project?

Involve administrators for both the Now Platform and third-party systems, enterprise architecture
representatives, and your implementation team throughout the course of the project.

Additionally, make sure to involve process owners of impacted processes, your platform owner,
and your executive sponsor during the definition phase. Once you are designing your
implementation, also include your data architect, security teams, and SMEs for each of the
systems involved in the integration.

How long does it take to implement an integration with ServiceNow?

ServiceNow integrations can take from anywhere from one day to several months to implement
depending on the available technologies, integration method, and integration requirements.
Custom integrations are designed from scratch and will almost always take longer to implement
and are more complex than integrations from the ServiceNow Store or Integration Hub. The most
time-consuming portion of an integration implementation is usually the trial and error approach
to troubleshooting. Try to find individuals that have experience with integrations, especially with
debugging, to help reduce implementation time.

Related resources

How can ServiceNow help?

Start by watching our short overview video to get smart fast (the description includes links to
additional resources). In addition to our Success Checklist, Implementing integrations with
ServiceNow on the Customer Success Center, ServiceNow’s Customer Outcomes group has
deep experience in helping customers design and implement ServiceNow integrations. Contact
your Account Executive for more information.

3
© 2022 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.