ServiceNow, a leading provider of cloud-based services to automate
enterprise IT operations, today announced it has added end-to-end
lifecycle automation for managing VMware virtual machines (VMs)—from
creation to retirement—to its cloud-based software for enterprise IT.
The new capabilities help prevent inefficient or wasteful use of VMs, a
condition commonly known as VM sprawl, and saves time and cost in the
use of VMs. The new VMware lifecycle automation capabilities also
drastically reduce the amount of time and effort required to initially
provision a VM, transforming a process that might typically take several
weeks to one completed in only minutes.
“While virtualization brings radical change to data center environments,
one great deficiency has been the lack of automated lifecycle management
to prevent the squandering of virtual resources,” said Beth White, vice
president of marketing, ServiceNow. “With our VMWare lifecycle
automation, companies can more fully embrace virtualization at a lower
cost and with far greater deployment speed.”
For a detailed demonstration, a podcast from ServiceNow founder and
chief product officer, Fred Luddy and more information, please click on
this link: http://info.service-now.com/LP=690.
Automated VM Provisioning
While creating a VM is relatively quick and easy, the entire
provisioning process can be lengthy and expensive. Without automation, a
user needs to place a request with IT for a new VM. The request has to
go through an approval process and then be routed for the actual
provisioning work. Many companies report that this process can take as
long as three weeks. With the automation provided by the ServiceNow
platform, business users can select from pre-determined options in a
service catalog, and then the approval and provisioning process is fully
automated. Aside from the benefit of speeding up this typically manual
process, this automated approach lowers risk by limiting credential
access, standardizing execution and providing a complete audit trail.
Complete VMware Lifecycle Automation
Once provisioned, VMs need to be tracked, reconfigured, cloned,
supported and eventually retired. In maintaining a VM, an IT
organization also has to allow for changes to be made due to shifting
requirements. The automated process introduced by ServiceNow enables
close, careful management. It can automate renewals or retirement and
easily accommodate changes.
Seamless, End-to-End Process
The ServiceNow platform adds automation to both cloud request
fulfillment and cloud operations. It is complementary to tools offered
by VMware and third-party providers, encapsulating the current
capabilities with a seamless overlay process. ServiceNow also enables
companies to automate many aspects of physical server management and a
broad range of IT and business processes.
VMware Technology Alliance Partner
ServiceNow is a registered member of the VMware Technology Alliance
Partner Program. Through the program, ServiceNow has access to technical
resources and expertise, as well as opportunities for education and
marketing. ServiceNow is also a Platinum level sponsor of VMworld®
2012.
ServiceNow is currently demonstrating these new capabilities at VMworld
in San Francisco from August 26-29 in booth 931.