Glossary

A

Action Fabric

Action Fabric is ServiceNow’s orchestration layer for connecting AI agents, workflows, and business systems. It enables actions to be coordinated across applications and data sources, helping organizations move from AI-generated insights to AI-driven execution.

Agentic AI

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can reason, plan, make decisions, and take actions to achieve defined goals. Unlike AI that simply generates an answer or recommendation, agentic AI can execute multi-step tasks with varying degrees of autonomy.

AI Agents

AI Agents are software agents powered by artificial intelligence that can understand requests, reason about tasks, and take actions on behalf of users. In ServiceNow, AI agents can work across workflows and systems to automate tasks, resolve issues, and coordinate work.

AI Compliance

AI Compliance is the practice of ensuring that AI systems meet applicable laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies. It covers areas such as data privacy, security, transparency, risk management, and responsible AI use.

AI Control Tower

AI Control Tower provides a centralized approach to managing and governing AI across an organization. It can help organizations gain visibility into AI initiatives, manage risks and compliance, and establish controls for AI agents and other AI technologies.

AI Governance

AI Governance is the framework of policies, processes, roles, and controls used to ensure AI is developed and deployed responsibly. Effective AI governance helps organizations balance innovation with security, compliance, transparency, and business objectives.

AI Readiness

AI Readiness describes an organization’s ability to successfully adopt, govern, and scale AI. It goes beyond technology and includes data quality, processes, platform foundations, governance, skills, and organizational readiness.

App Engine

ServiceNow's low-code application development platform for rapidly building custom business applications.

Application Management Services (AMS)

Application Management Services (AMS) provide ongoing support, maintenance, optimization, and enhancement of business applications after implementation. For ServiceNow customers, AMS helps keep the platform stable and aligned with evolving business needs. The Cloud People’s SmartAMS helps organizations maintain and continuously evolve their ServiceNow platform through ongoing support, improvements, proactive optimization, and strategic platform development.

Automation Engine

Automation Engine is a collection of capabilities for connecting systems and automating repetitive work across an organization. Within ServiceNow, Automation Engine combines integration and automation capabilities to connect applications, automate tasks, and move work across systems with less manual effort.

Autonomous IT

Autonomous IT describes an operating model where AI and automation can proactively monitor, manage, and optimize IT environments with limited human intervention. It builds on capabilities such as observability, workflow automation, AI agents, and predictive intelligence.

C

Change Management

Change Management is the process of planning, assessing, approving, implementing, and reviewing changes to IT services and systems. Effective change management reduces disruption and risk while enabling organizations to introduce improvements in a controlled way. Within ServiceNow, Change Management provides workflows for assessing, approving, scheduling, and tracking changes across the organization.

CMDB (Configuration Management Database)

A Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a centralized repository that stores information about configuration items and the relationships between them. In ServiceNow, the CMDB provides an important data foundation for service management, operations, automation, and AI.

Configuration Item (CI)

A Configuration Item (CI) is a component that an organization needs to track and manage as part of its technology or service environment. This can include hardware, software, applications, databases, cloud resources, and services. Within ServiceNow, Configuration Items are the fundamental data units stored in the CMDB, with attributes and relationships that provide visibility into the IT environment and support processes such as incident, change, problem, and service management.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the practice of managing an organization’s interactions with current and potential customers. CRM platforms bring together customer data, sales, marketing, and service processes to create more connected customer experiences.

CSDM (Common Service Data Model)

The Common Service Data Model (CSDM) is ServiceNow’s recommended framework for organizing and relating business services, applications, infrastructure, and other data within the platform. A mature CSDM creates a consistent view of how technology supports the business and provides a stronger foundation for reporting, automation, and AI.

CSM (Customer Service Management)

Customer Service Management (CSM) is a ServiceNow solution for managing customer service interactions, cases, and related workflows. It connects customer-facing teams with the information and processes they need to resolve issues efficiently and deliver consistent customer experiences. The Cloud People’s CSM SmartPath helps organizations maximize the value of these capabilities.

CSM SmartPath

CSM SmartPath is The Cloud People’s approach to transforming customer service on ServiceNow. It combines ServiceNow Customer Service Management capabilities with consulting expertise to streamline customer processes, improve case resolution, and create more connected customer experiences.

Learn more about CSM SmartPath →

D

Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation is the use of technology to fundamentally improve how an organization operates, delivers services, and creates value. It can involve modernizing processes, connecting data and systems, automating work, and improving employee and customer experiences.

Discovery

Discovery is the practice of identifying and collecting information about technology infrastructure, applications, and other components within an IT environment. Within ServiceNow, Discovery automatically identifies infrastructure and applications and populates the CMDB with configuration data and relationships, providing greater visibility into the IT environment.

E

Employee Center

Employee Center is ServiceNow’s unified employee experience portal, bringing services, requests, knowledge, and support into a single digital experience. It helps organizations simplify how employees access services while providing a consistent entry point across departments and workflows.

Employee Xperience Center

Employee Xperience Center is The Cloud People’s approach to creating a modern, personalized employee experience on ServiceNow. It brings employee services, knowledge, requests, and workflows together into an intuitive experience, helping organizations make it easier for employees to get things done and increase adoption of the ServiceNow platform.

Learn more about Employee Xperience Center →

EmployeeWorks

EmployeeWorks is ServiceNow’s AI-powered employee experience solution that provides a unified “AI front door” for employees to search for information and take action across business applications. It combines enterprise search, AI agents, workflows, and automation to help employees complete tasks across areas such as IT, HR, Finance, and Procurement. Within ServiceNow, EmployeeWorks builds on the ServiceNow AI Platform to move beyond traditional self-service toward an experience where AI can understand requests, execute tasks, and complete work across systems.

Enterprise AI

Enterprise AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence across an organization to improve decision-making, automate work, and create business value at scale. Successful enterprise AI requires more than individual AI tools—it depends on technology, data, governance, security, and processes that can support AI across the organization.

Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise Architecture is the practice of aligning an organization's business strategy, processes, applications, data, and technology. It provides a structured view of how these elements work together, helping organizations make better technology decisions, reduce complexity, and ensure investments support business goals. Within ServiceNow, Enterprise Architecture helps organizations map and manage their business and technology landscape to support strategic planning and informed decision-making.

EU AI Act

The EU AI Act is the European Union’s regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. It takes a risk-based approach to AI regulation, with requirements that vary depending on how AI systems are used and the level of risk they present.

Learn more about EU AI Act →

G

GenAI

Generative AI, or GenAI, is artificial intelligence capable of creating new content such as text, code, summaries, images, and other outputs based on prompts and available data. In ServiceNow, generative AI can assist users, summarize information, generate content, and accelerate work across workflows.

H

HR Service Delivery (HRSD)

HR Service Delivery (HRSD) is ServiceNow’s solution for digitizing and streamlining HR services. It brings together employee requests, HR cases, knowledge, and workflows to help HR teams deliver services more efficiently while giving employees easier access to support.

I

Integrated Risk Management (IRM)

Integrated Risk Management (IRM) is an approach to identifying, assessing, monitoring, and managing risks across an organization in a connected way. ServiceNow Integrated Risk Management brings risk, compliance, and related processes together on a single platform, helping organizations improve visibility, automate assessments and controls, and make more informed decisions.

IT Asset Management (ITAM)

IT Asset Management (ITAM) is the practice of managing hardware, software, and other IT assets throughout their lifecycle. ITAM helps organizations understand what assets they own, where they are used, what they cost, and whether they meet compliance requirements. Within ServiceNow, IT Asset Management provides capabilities for managing asset lifecycles, contracts, costs, inventory, and software and hardware assets.

IT Operations Management (ITOM)

IT Operations Management (ITOM) helps organizations monitor and manage their IT infrastructure, applications, cloud environments, and services. Within ServiceNow, ITOM brings together capabilities for discovering infrastructure, mapping services, monitoring events, and automating operational processes to improve visibility and service reliability.

IT Service Management (ITSM)

IT Service Management (ITSM) is the discipline of designing, delivering, managing, and continually improving IT services. Within ServiceNow, ITSM provides a connected set of applications and workflows for processes such as incident, problem, change, request, and knowledge management, helping organizations deliver more efficient and consistent IT services.

K

Knowledge Center

A Knowledge Center is a centralized place where employees, customers, or service teams can access information, documentation, guides, and knowledge articles. Within ServiceNow, knowledge can support self-service, reduce repetitive requests, and help users find answers more quickly.

N

Now Assist

Now Assist is ServiceNow’s suite of generative AI capabilities designed to help users and teams work more efficiently. It can summarize information, generate content, provide answers, and assist with tasks across ServiceNow workflows, helping organizations embed AI into everyday work.

O

Operational Risk Management

Operational Risk Management is the process of identifying, assessing, monitoring, and mitigating risks that could disrupt business operations or impact organizational performance.

P

Platform Owner

A Platform Owner is responsible for the overall strategy, governance, roadmap, and performance of an organization's ServiceNow platform.

S

ServiceOps SmartPath

ServiceOps SmartPath is The Cloud People’s approach to modernizing IT operations on ServiceNow. It helps organizations connect IT service management, operations, automation, and data to improve visibility, reduce manual work, and create more proactive and efficient service operations.

Learn more about ServiceOps SmartPath →

Shadow AI

Shadow AI refers to the use of AI tools or services within an organization without formal approval, oversight, or governance. While these tools can increase productivity, unmanaged AI can create risks related to data privacy, security, compliance, intellectual property, and organizational control.

SmartAMS

SmartAMS is The Cloud People’s Application Management Services offering for ServiceNow. It helps organizations maintain, optimize, and continuously evolve their ServiceNow platform through ongoing support, improvements, proactive optimization, and strategic platform development.

Learn more about SmartAMS →

SmartForward AI

SmartForward AI is The Cloud People’s approach to helping organizations turn AI potential into practical business value on ServiceNow. It brings together AI strategy, readiness, governance, automation, and ServiceNow capabilities to help organizations adopt AI responsibly and build the foundations needed to scale.

Learn more about SmartForward AI →

Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM)

Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) is a ServiceNow solution that helps organizations connect business strategy with execution. It supports investment planning, project and portfolio management, resource allocation, and prioritization so organizations can focus resources on initiatives that deliver the greatest business value.

V

Virtual Agent

Virtual Agent is ServiceNow’s conversational AI capability that allows users to interact with services and support through natural language. It can help users find information, resolve common issues, and submit or manage requests while reducing the workload on service teams.

W

Workflow Automation

Workflow Automation uses technology to automate repetitive tasks, approvals, handoffs, and business processes. In ServiceNow, workflows can connect people, data, applications, and AI to move work through an organization faster, more consistently, and with less manual effort.