ServiceNow has introduced Workflow Data Fabric, forging a new generation of AI‑fueled productivity for the enterprise. Workflow Data Fabric is an enhanced integrated data layer that unifies business and technology data across the enterprise, powering all workflows and AI agents with real‑time, secure access to data from any source. ServiceNow also announced Zero Copy connectors to optimize the company’s integration capabilities so customers can turn data into instant, AI‑powered action. Additionally, ServiceNow announced a strategic partnership with leading systems integrator Cognizant as the first partner to bring Workflow Data Fabric to market for customers.
For most organizations, enterprise data sits in hundreds of different systems. Employees have to swivel between these applications to get work done. To get value from AI, organizations need a single, scalable platform to manage and act on data across teams and departments, which is why many businesses are investing in data enhancements today. According to Gartner, “by 2027, 30% of enterprises will use data ecosystems enhanced with elements of data fabric supporting composable application architecture to achieve a significant competitive advantage.”[1]
“AI is only as powerful as the platform it’s built into and the data it has access to,” said Jon Sigler, senior vice president of Platform and AI at ServiceNow. “With Workflow Data Fabric, we’re making it easier for customers to connect, understand, and act on business data from any source so they can maximize efficiency and solve bigger, industry‑specific problems. ServiceNow is the AI platform for business transformation, delivering the winning combination of AI, data, and workflow orchestration and automation.”
Workflow Data Fabric expands customers’ ability to connect, understand, and act on any structured, unstructured, semi‑structured, and streaming data from across the enterprise—both inside and outside of ServiceNow—for maximum scalability and efficiency. Extending the capabilities of Automation Engine and newly introduced database RaptorDB Pro, Workflow Data Fabric can access and update data from any system, allowing ServiceNow to not only read from these data repositories, but also take action. For example, retailers can use Workflow Data Fabric to access data from various systems—including their Customer Data Platform, core ERP, order management systems, POS systems, merchant trade rebates in Excel, and marketing receipts for co‑op and trade spend—for a single, integrated view of their business that allows them to take action on customer inquiries, orders, and returns.
Workflow Data Fabric is a powerful system of action that boosts operational efficiency and customer experience
Workflow Data Fabric is powered by ServiceNow’s Automation Engine, which includes pre‑built integrations and automation tools, real‑time data streaming, RPA, and process mining capabilities, to put data to work and unlock value with orchestration and automation at ultra‑speed and scale. This speed and scale is made possible with ServiceNow’s high‑performance database, RaptorDB Pro, with early use cases demonstrating up to 53% improvement in overall transactions times, 27X faster pulling of reports, analytics, and list views, and 3X more transactional throughput.
The recent acquisition of Raytion also provides unified, real‑time access to business‑critical data across multiple enterprise sources, including sources that contain unstructured data, via connectors to Atlassian Confluence, Box, Google Drive, and Microsoft SharePoint and OneDrive. Combined with the company’s 500+ connectors for structured data, ServiceNow is uniting all forms of enterprise data to fuel automation and innovation.
Workflow Data Fabric includes augmented workflow automation to speed real‑time data processing and reduce delays associated with legacy data management. For example, Workflow Data Fabric can integrate telco data across multiple systems, including retail, network, and customer care, providing agents with a complete view of customer experiences and streamlining support for ultra‑fast detection and resolution of network outages and events. By consolidating enriched data from alerts, it streamlines notifications and assigns incidents to the right field agents with the tools to fix the issue, enabling quick action on a single platform.
Workflow Data Fabric will also include ServiceNow Knowledge Graph to connect and harmonize enterprise data at scale. Knowledge Graph transforms raw data into contextual insights—connecting a company’s people, processes, operations, and systems, so AI agents can work more effectively and autonomously across the enterprise. This helps organizations move beyond simple data access to unlocking true value from their information, delivering personalized, AI‑driven experiences at scale.
Strategic partnerships lay the foundation for AI‑driven business transformation
The new Workflow Data Fabric capabilities are underpinned by strategic partnerships and integrations, enabling ServiceNow to offer data solutions that support the AI‑driven transformation of enterprise workflows. Through partnerships with leading data platforms, customers can activate ServiceNow workflows directly within these ecosystems. This helps customers bridge the gap between insights and action and ensures they can harness the full potential of their data ecosystems.
ServiceNow’s strategic partnership with Cognizant makes the company the first global systems integrator to bring Workflow Data Fabric to market, helping joint customers quickly implement these solutions.
“At Cognizant, we’re empowering companies across industries to use data and AI to help stay ahead of the competition and anticipate change in their businesses and industries,” said Jason Wojahn, global head of Cognizant’s ServiceNow Business Group. “We are proud to be the first partner to bring Workflow Data Fabric to market, giving our joint customers the capabilities they need to understand and act on real‑time data across the enterprise.”
Zero Copy integration capabilities with Workflow Data Fabric allow businesses to securely connect to their data sources without moving or duplicating data. This launch, alongside Zero Copy partnerships with established data leaders like Databricks and Snowflake, dramatically boost ServiceNow’s integration capabilities, so customers can act on data‑powered insights, fast.
The Now Platform evolution – turning enterprise data into actionable insights
Whether powering AI agents for autonomous issue resolution or streamlining traditional workflows like customer operations and employee experience, Workflow Data Fabric turns data into real‑time, actionable insights. Businesses can use their data to drive transformative outcomes, no matter the complexity or type of use case.
With a single data platform that seamlessly integrates people, processes, data, and devices, customers can act with greater speed and scale. Purpose‑built, domain specific AI models on the Now Platform have higher accuracy and faster response times.
New ServiceNow AI agents use advanced reasoning and are grounded in cross‑enterprise data through the Now Platform to ensure 24/7 productivity at scale. ServiceNow also continues to innovate existing offerings like Now Assist to deliver tangible, immediate value to customers fast.
Availability
Workflow Data Fabric is available today in controlled go‑to‑market.
[1] Gartner, Predicts 2024: Composable Modularity Shapes the New Digital Foundation, By Yefim Natis, Gregor Petri, Jo Liversidge, John Santoro, Nicholas Carter, Jim Hare, Tigran Egiazarov, Ray Valdes, Adam Ronthal, Mark Beyer, 8 January 2024
