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Overview
ServiceNow creates a robust monitoring and diagnostics framework by considering the dependencies involved in delivering cloud service to the end user, and then building components that help detect, respond, predict, and prevent issues at each layer of the service dependency. From a monitoring perspective, cloud service can be broken down into the following three layers:
- Infrastructure—An infrastructure consisting of data centers and servers.
- Application—The software that delivers the functionalities to the end user.
- Network access—The connection that allows the end user to access the application.
ServiceNow uses a framework that continuously monitors all of the above-mentioned layers. The approach to service monitoring is as shown below:
ServiceNow's service monitoring has the ability to (1) detect an event; (2) send an alert of an event; (3) respond to an event; (4) predict an event; and (5) prevent an event.
Definitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Event | An outcome triggered in the system that is caused by a programmatically set condition—for example, when a service starts or fails to start. |
| Alert | A notification raised by the system because an event has occurred and an action is required. |
| Detect | An identification of a problem in the system, typically accomplished by a comparison of values against pre-defined conditions and rules. |
| Respond | Reaction to a detected problem. The response could be auto-healing, manual intervention, escalations for further analysis, etc. |
| Predict | An ability to guess the occurrence of a future event based on data that is collected over a period of time. |
| Prevent | A way to prevent the occurrence of a future event. |
How We Monitor
ServiceNow monitors its cloud service using homegrown systems and industry-leading software. Some of the third party software and services that are used include OpManager, APG, and Thousand Eyes. ServiceNow has built monitoring components on top of the ServiceNow platform for task-based event management. The monitoring system is integrated with ServiceNow applications like Incident, Problem, and Change for a more seamless connection between the layers.
Monitoring Framework and What We Monitor
How We Are Evolving
The ServiceNow platform is growing at an accelerated pace and it is extremely critical that we provide the best customer experience. This means that issues are resolved before they occur and ServiceNow works to predict and prevent the occurrence of certain events that adversely affect the user experience.
Customer Communication
Monitoring is a core competency of the ServiceNow cloud infrastructure. As the system evolves, ServiceNow will make changes to the monitoring infrastructure that will enable us to respond to customer requirements more quickly. These changes reflect ServiceNow's commitment to continuous enhancements and improvements to the monitoring service. We strive to make infrastructure changes that do not interrupt the cloud service that is delivered to customers. In such situations, ServiceNow will not communicate such changes to customers.