ServiceNow

OpCon is SMA Technologies' SOAP, and it has a powerful API and legacy extensions so it can talk to almost any application. It excels at running the IT infrastructure automation for any size of client. This includes, but is not limited to: data processing, file transfers, transaction processing, disaster recovery failovers, etc. It's an evolution of traditional workload automation platforms. Our devs engineered OpCon with a new focus on orchestrating all of the different automated scripts running on disparate systems and uniting them in one central point of control. OpCon is robust and flexible, capable of running real-time event-triggered automation or scheduled run sheets.

OpCon has comprehensive alerts and failure notifications features, as well as the ability to self-heal by re-running failed jobs, restarting failed services, and more. For enterprises that already use ServiceNow, or are thinking of implementing it, a standard implementation is to use it to handle all IT tickets. Password reset requests, technical support, hardware support, network outages, and all of the other myriad issues an IT team is called upon to solve. From a management perspective, it's simply easier to run every IT ticket on the same system. So, when OpCon notices an issue with an IT process workflow, it can automatically generate a ServiceNow ticket and run all of its progress updates through that system. ServiceNow unifies all IT tickets in one place, giving ops leaders visibility and easily accessible status updates without monitoring two different interfaces.

Why do I need OpCon when ServiceNow has automated workflows?

IT environments are elaborate constructions, and ServiceNow does an exceptional job creating self-service automation for end-users. What it isn't entirely as equipped to handle are complex workflows with granular scheduling needs. Real-time workflow engines are convenient for situations when the system responds to some event where it can take immediate action, like generating a service ticket. But what if the service ticket requires a resolution that can't, or doesn't need to, happen right away? What if it needs to communicate with multiple programs spread across the enterprise, and outside the purview of the end-user? This is where automation comes in.

SOAPS can handle some seriously intense complexity that is far beyond the scope of what your average end-user has the skills for. With OpCon specifically, we've designed our workflows to still be accessible to those users. OpCon has the agility to deftly maneuver across the web of interconnected apps and services in a hybrid infrastructure. When you need a workflow, or schedule of workflows, to handle a chain of tasks that includes a lot of conditionals, it's simply much easier to use a SOAP to do it.

You can then put the power of that complex workflow into the hands of an end-user by creating a simple ServiceNow workflow that tells OpCon to execute it. For example, the LSAM notices that a critical database isn't communicating with the system. It generates a ServiceNow ticket, and the user responds by clicking a button that tells OpCon to execute the recovery process to bring the database back up. The user doesn't need database management expertise, because you build the institutional knowledge of how to recover it into the workflow.

ServiceNow integrates with OpCon to create a bi-directional system where events in one system can trigger workflows in the other. Users become empowered to speedily and accurately handle more complicated tasks by gaining access to the complex event and schedule-dependent workflows the SOAP excels at executing on the backend.

Transform the workflows powering your IT operations

ServiceNow brings value to many different industries, and so does OpCon. It's all about task orchestration, to make life simpler for your users. ServiceNow and OpCon both optimize frequent, repeatable processes to reduce risk from manual mistakes and increase operational efficiencies.

Here are some ways our customers utilize OpCon with ServiceNow:

• Automate the ticketing and resolution of incidents
  • Create a ticket when a job fails, attaching job execution log
  • Trigger a workflow in ServiceNow to start resolution process
  • Track each state of the workflow, with corresponding alert triggers

• Leverage OpCon’s REST API to trigger multiple workflow steps, including scheduling
  • Overcome the limitations of ServiceNow’s built-in real-time automation
  • Manage exceptions and frequency with precise, granular control
  • Make changes to schedules and triggers without impacting other automation

• Use ServiceNow’s self-service automation workflows to trigger common OpCon workflows
  • Build a schedule
  • Release a task
  • Add a task
  • Provision a server, whether on-prem or cloud-based

• Execute common IT requests
  • Handle password resets
  • Automate onboarding - create credentials, assign laptop, etc.
  • Automate offboarding – revoke credentials, assign tech to wipe laptop, etc.

OpCon can do a lot more than that from your ServiceNow console, depending on what your organizational goals are. Here are a few examples:

• Initiate failover of local or global services
• Restart applications
• Handle file transfers
• Load and execute containerized services

We'd like to give you a demo showing how OpCon integrates with your ServiceNow environment to add value to your ITSM investment.

Request a Demo