AI That Actually Works: Turning ServiceNow From “Implemented” to “Impactful”

Host Andy Whiteside is joined by Fred Reynolds and Kristen McDonald to unpack how to get real outcomes from ServiceNow, not just another go-live. The crew recaps Gartner’s recognition across six tech workflow segments, then dives into where AI delivers value today and what foundations you need in place first.

In this episode:

• Why many ServiceNow orgs stall: it’s not the code, it’s the implementation
• The fix: start with strategic goals, then a focused micro assessment
• AI in IT Operations: cut noise, correlate faster, resolve quicker
• ITSM with agents: when to use automation vs true AI
• Help desk uplift: one agent operating like many through assistive AI
• Software Asset Management: audit readiness, license savings, Now Assist
• SPM for AI delivery: track ideas to outcomes inside the same platform
• Security use cases: AI-powered vulnerability exposure and proactive defense
• CSDM v5 and why strong CMDB hygiene still matters

Takeaway: ServiceNow is a platform, not a point tool. Nail the basics, then layer AI to move from reactive support to proactive, measurable value.

Want a reality check on where you stand? Ask us about a free ServiceNow or CMDB micro assessment.

Transcript

Andy:
Hello everyone and welcome to episode 51 of Syncing with ServiceNow. I’m your host, Andy Whiteside. With me is Kristen McDonald, an amazing resource in the ServiceNow world with a ton of experience, and Fred Reynolds, our Director of Modern Applications where ServiceNow lives. Fred has deep real-world experience from a Fortune 500 environment running managed services that heavily leveraged ServiceNow.

Quick commercial before we dive in. If you are a ServiceNow customer or thinking about becoming one, talk to us. There is a lot of bad advisement out there and plenty of implementations that did not achieve what was expected. The problem is rarely the platform. It is usually the implementation. We can help fix that, including free micro assessments for ServiceNow and CMDB that prove our value quickly.

You two sent over a blog to review. I have it up, but first, what is new?

Fred:
I just got back from the ServiceNow Summit in Atlanta. It is always great to meet clients and people in the ecosystem. Every time I go, I hear the same thing. People love the concepts and roadmaps they see in sessions, but many are still working through baseline challenges that prevent them from building on what they have. If you feel behind or unsure where to start, you are not alone. Ask the questions and get help. Most orgs are in the same spot.

From my experience, a lot of teams bought the platform for one initial use case, usually ITSM, and never fully used it or grew it. Many have a basic implementation with a minimal CMDB and now they are struggling to keep up with the pace of change, especially with AI coming fast. It is often not that projects went wrong. It is that expectations and scope were limited, then never expanded.

Kristen:
We also see customers migrating from other tools who try to replicate the old tool inside ServiceNow. They are not aligning the implementation to strategic goals. That is why every micro assessment we run starts with a discussion of business objectives. We want a holistic view of where the customer is, then we recommend the right path forward and the right use of the platform.

Andy:
The blog we are reviewing is by Jürgen Lindner, dated July 31. It highlights ServiceNow ranking number one in six tech workflow segments based on Gartner market share: IT Operations, IT Service Management platforms, Event Intelligence, IT Asset Management and Software Asset Management, Project and Portfolio Management, and Security software. Historically, many people implement ServiceNow for ITSM and ITOps. If that is all you use, you are missing a lot of value. The blog then pivots to AI. Why does this leadership across six areas matter when we talk about AI?

Fred:
It shows the platform is recognized for more than ITSM. Observability, discovery, portfolio management, and security are all getting traction. These are building blocks. Tie ITSM to observability and discovery and it is obvious why ServiceNow is strong in event intelligence. When people finally see the platform as a platform, AI lands on top of a stronger foundation.

Kristen:
Every company will need to implement AI to stay relevant. ServiceNow has product teams dedicated to each use case, which lets them integrate AI in a holistic, end to end way. Similar to their M and A approach where they replatform instead of bolting on, they are weaving AI into the product and process flows. It will take time, but it keeps them in that leadership position.

AI in IT Operations

Andy:
Let’s double click on AI powered IT Operations. What is the value there?

Fred:
AI reduces noise and pinpoints issues faster. Agents can gather data, correlate, and present next actions. Many teams prefer human approval in the loop today. Even so, the assistive approach speeds time to resolution. That is the operational promise of AI.

Kristen:
AI does not replace the fundamentals. Thresholds, alarm correlation, and monitoring still matter. Think of AI as a layer that adds context and pattern recognition on top of what exists. It turbocharges the stack rather than replacing it.

AI in IT Service Workflows

Andy:
What about ITSM and proactive workflows?

Kristen:
Some AI style requests are better solved with automation. Password resets are a classic example. A good partner helps you decide where AI agents add value and where straight automation is enough. Also, treat AI agents like people in a workflow. Quality will not be 100 percent. You still need checks and guardrails.

Fred:
Agents can help you shift from reactive to proactive. If your assets, software, and relationships are in the platform, agents can surface risks early. For example, two upgrades that will conflict months from now. Finding issues before they hit users is the real win. And even when you do react, you can resolve much faster.

Productivity at Scale

Andy:
Unlocking productivity at scale is a big theme.

Fred:
Let AI do the tedious, wide scans across millions of assets and combine inputs from multiple monitoring tools. In security events like ransomware, fast scoping is everything. Knowing what might be affected reduces fear and drives action. Agents can work nights and weekends too, which keeps progress going.

Kristen:
Think about AI copilots for your help desk. Chat with logs. Pull context fast. Let the system suggest fixes and the agent approves. A junior agent can operate at a much higher level with AI assistance. One person can competently oversee multiple chats and only step in when flagged.

Software Asset Management and Audit Readiness

Andy:
AI assisted publisher audit readiness in SAM. What is the practical benefit?

Kristen:
Now Assist for SAM brings natural language to reporting and license insights. I expect AI to help more with normalization over time. SAM can be onerous without help. With AI and the right data, you become audit ready faster.

Fred:
We have yet to see a SAM deployment where savings did not more than cover licensing. It is one of the fastest paybacks on the platform.

Managing AI Delivery with SPM

Fred:
Use ServiceNow SPM to manage AI initiatives. It fits the agile nature of these projects and keeps ideas, funding, stories, and delivery in one place.

Kristen:
ServiceNow also released CSDM v5. The platform is taking a more holistic approach to service delivery end to end. SPM belongs in that lifecycle view from ideation through operations. CMDB hygiene still matters a lot because it powers everything upstream and downstream.

Security and Vulnerability Exposure

Andy:
AI powered vulnerability exposure assessments feel like a no brainer.

Fred:
Agreed. Pulling signals from scans and logs, correlating against policies and known threats, and surfacing exposures is where AI shines. There are out of the box security agents for vulnerability exposure and topic creation. This is the kind of capability that bridges IT and Security in a useful way.

Kristen:
Security is a perfect AI use case because pattern recognition at scale has outsized impact. It makes you more proactive with compliance and risk reduction.

Fred:
People often ask what we focus on. You hear us covering a lot here. We are not claiming to be the expert on every single product, but we are certified across what we discussed, have broad implementation experience, and we know when to pull in specialists. If you need help, reach out.

Andy:
There are six workflows highlighted today, but the platform has far more products and solutions. The big takeaway is that ServiceNow is a powerful platform and AI will add significant value across it. Most customers will need help to get the full value. If you are not getting it today, now is the moment to fix your foundation and then layer AI.

Thanks for joining, Kristen and Fred. See you in a couple of weeks.

Kristen:
Thank you.

Fred:
Thanks, Andy.