ServiceNow inks deal with IBM to tie ServiceNow's platform with IBM's cognitive computing know-how

ServiceNow to welcome IBM Watson to its cloud computing platform

ServiceNow, the automation platform-as-a-service cloud computing company, has signed a deal with IBM that will see the company's automation software and services integrated with IBM's BlueMix cloud and IBM Cloud Orchestrator.

The two will also combine ServiceNow's technology with IBM's cognitive computing capabilities, while IBM Global Technology Services will implement ServiceNow for clients in the IBM cloud.

For IBM, it provides an opportunity to persuade legacy customers - regardless of years of revenue decline IBM remains a huge company with hundreds of thousands of customers - to shift to ServiceNow's human resources and business process automation software.

"IBM and ServiceNow will focus on automating manual processes to deliver greater efficiencies to their customers' workplace — especially for the complex operations of the Global 2000," claimed the two companies, announcing the deal.

"Customers seeking to build on their current investments in the ServiceNow platform or planning a future migration will now be able to draw on IBM expertise in IT strategy, enterprise-solution integration, service governance, mobility, big-data analytics and other disciplines to enrich the services they provide," said Rich Esposito, general manager, IBM Global Mobility Services.

"Additionally, the partnership also opens the door for IBM to now offer a cloud-based solution to enhance users' service experience and reduce operating costs," he added.

ServiceNow chief revenue officer David Schneider said: "Now customers can deliver intelligent workflows across IT, HR, customer service and security on the ServiceNow cloud platform. This partnership ensures that IBM's experience and scale with investments in analytics and Watson combined with ServiceNow's intelligent automation will deliver game-changing economics to our mutual customers."

ServiceNow claims to specialise in automating unstructured work patterns - in IT and HR in particular. With the ServiceNow System of Action, the company claims that users can replace these unstructured work patterns of the past with what it calls "intelligent workflows".