ServiceNow and Access Capture Integration – Automating Application Requests

ServiceNow is an essential tool in many organisations for the management and optimisation of IT services. The platform facilitates incident management, change requests, asset management, ordering, technical support, and much more. While it is a powerful tool, integrations with third-party solution providers are essential to fill automation gaps in your processes. The solution for application packaging and testing is Access Capture’s integration with ServiceNow.

By leveraging the full set of Access Capture REST APIs, you can use ServiceNow for automated software discovery, packaging, deployment, and testing.

We have created a series of videos to demonstrate the enhanced features of ServiceNow with the integration of Access Capture’s capabilities. In this first blog in our series, we are showcasing how to automate application requests within ServiceNow. You can jump ahead to the “Watch” section of this blog to get straight to the videos, but it is also helpful to understand our approach to integration with ServiceNow and similar platforms.

Square Pegs in Square Holes, Round Pegs in Round Holes – The Access IT Automation Approach

You may have heard the saying “square peg in a round hole”, an idiom used to describe something that doesn’t properly fit what it is designed for. It is often used to describe software and technology platforms that can theoretically do a particular job, but which don’t fully deliver on expectations in real-world conditions.

At Access IT Automation, we understand the frustrations this can cause under pressure technical teams. So, instead of making square pegs to fit into round holes, we make square pegs for square holes and round pegs for round holes.

In other words, we design our software to seamlessly integrate with the tools that you already use – such as ServiceNow. We are not precious about our own user interface (UI) or web applications. In fact, every customer of Access Capture uses the tools in a customised way, with full support from our expert team. Our goal is to provide you with powerful automation tools that work within the platforms that you are already familiar with.

Our integration with ServiceNow came about following a post on LinkedIn where we asked users what features they would like to see in Access Capture. The response was integration with ServiceNow, so we created it. That’s another feature of our approach to workplace automation – responding promptly to customer requests.

Now, back to the videos and our first demonstration of Access Capture’s integration with ServiceNow.

Watch: Automated Application Packaging and Testing in ServiceNow

In the following ServiceNow and Access Capture integration videos, we demonstrate how an application packaging request can be manually triggered via a standard catalog item and associated RITM (Request Item). Once the mandatory inputs are fed into Access Capture, the application package is created in the format that you need. Supported formats include MSI, MSIX, App-V, and App Volumes. Our video demonstration uses the MSIX application format.

• In the first video, we demonstrate how to send an MSIX application packaging job to Access Capture using ServiceNow

• In the second video, we can see the RITM now displays the job as closed as all stages are complete, and we can see the automated smoke test of the packaged application has also been completed

Application Packaging and Testing in ServiceNow Using Access Capture Explained

Application request workflows are typically time-consuming, inefficient, and highly repetitive. It is common to have request forms that run to as long as 90 questions, so it takes a considerable amount of time for users to request an application. Tools like ServiceNow can streamline parts of the process, particularly in regard to RITM management, but it remains laborious and time-consuming. Application requests are also an inefficient use of valuable technical resources.

Access Capture’s integration with ServiceNow simplifies the request process for applications while also automating the packaging, testing, and deployment of the packages that are requested.

Here’s a summary:

• Standard catalog items are completed by users within the ServiceNow platform for new applications.
• The request triggers the automated workflow and generates the RITM.
• The package is created by Access Capture’s APIs and ServiceNow integration.
• The Capture results are populated in the ServiceNow RITM via the workflow.
• If successful, automated smoke testing is completed using the auto-launch module and reported into the workflow.
• If either the packaging or testing stages fail, the RITM reverts to a manual queue for technical resources to review.

Application packaging in this way saves considerable amounts of time and offers a substantially improved user experience compared to manual processes.

More Information and Support

In the coming weeks, we will post more videos showcasing the new capabilities of ServiceNow with Access Capture’s integration. Those videos will include:

• Interactive jobs – the application packaging and testing capability demonstrated in the videos above are non-interactive, i.e., you enter the parameters in ServiceNow and Access Capture automatically completes the job. However, there are other tools in Access Capture that are more interactive and can also be accessed via the ServiceNow platform. This includes application discovery and UAT (user acceptance testing). We’ll demonstrate this interactive functionality in upcoming videos.
• Bulk processing – the process demonstrated in the above videos involved the packaging and testing of a single application. It is also possible to package and smoke test applications in bulk from ServiceNow using Access Capture’s integration. We’ll demonstrate how in upcoming videos.

If you would like additional support or information on Access Capture’s integration with ServiceNow, please get in touch with our team.