ServiceNow Making AIOps Play With Loom Systems Acquisition

ServiceNow plans to integrate Loom Systems' ability to analyze log data to the ServiceNow platform to improve its AIOps (artificial intelligence for IT operations) and provide a better customer experience.

Digital workflow technology provider ServiceNow on Wednesday said it has agreed to acquire Loom Systems as a way to extend its artificial intelligence for IT operations, or AIOps, capabilities.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

While ServiceNow already has an AIOps offering, Loom Systems brings advanced capabilities around log data that will enhance ServiceNow's platform, said Jeff Hausman, vice president and general manager of IT operations and security for Santa Clara, Calif.-based ServiceNow.

The ServiceNow platform uses AIOps in conjunction with the company's IT operations management business and IT services management to address customer problems, identify deficiencies, correct issues, and make suggestions before a problem becomes apparent, Hausman told CRN.

[Related: ServiceNow: Work Is The New Killer App]

"It's really about helping customers to be able to take advantage of technology to detect problems and then, with the detection, remediate or prevent the problem while enhancing the customer experience," he said.

Israel-based Loom Systems brings to ServiceNow the ability to analyze log data or other metrics relative to the customer operations environment, Hausman said.

"This lets customers look at the data, which can be on-premises or in the cloud, to help identify pain points or problem, and identify them before they become an issue."

AIOps has become a big part of the ServiceNow platform, and will be more important after the Loom Systems acquisition closes, which is expected soon, Hausman said. "Loom will become another arrow in our quiver to analyze different types of problems and data," he said.

Analyst firm Gartner in a 2017 blog defined AIOps as a way businesses can take advantage of things like big data and machine learning to improve IT operations.

"AIOps platforms utilize big data, modern machine learning and other advanced analytics technologies to directly and indirectly enhance IT operations (monitoring, automation and service desk) functions with proactive, personal and dynamic insight. AIOps platforms enable the concurrent use of multiple data sources, data collection methods, analytical (real-time and deep) technologies, and presentation technologies,” Gartner wrote.

ServiceNow and Loom Systems have had a meet-in-the-field type of relationship where customers of Loom Systems could integrate its technology into the ServiceNow platform, Hausman said.

That capability will be expanded in the future as ServiceNow integrates the Loom Systems technology--and its customers--into Service Now, he said.

"The majority of Loom customers are also ServiceNow customers, and we will honor Loom's relationships with all customers," he said. "This is such a natural partnership, so it makes perfect sense for us to work together."

Looking forward, ServiceNow will continue supporting Loom Systems' existing customers, Hausman said.

"At those of the acquisition, we will work to integrate Loom's technology into the ServiceNow platform," he said. "We'll be doing selective selling of existing solutions. But we will make it so Loom customers can migrate to ServiceNow when the platform is ready."