Knowledge 2021: IT Workflows Keynote: Manage risk, security and cost

During this session, Jeff Hausman and Vasant Balasubramaniantalk about how to build resilience and confidence in your business while reducing risk and cost. They discussed how to use ServiceNow to workflow risk, security, and asset management operations within IT departments, and how to extend a risk-sensitive workflow mindset across the enterprise to improve overall risk management.

Here are our top takeaways and actionable advice from this session:

1. The world is going to continue to be volatile. Uncertainty and volatility are the new normal. This week’s Colonial Gas pipeline ransomware attack only further emphasizes this point. Successful IT leaders will take a proactive stance on business continuity and disaster recovery planning.
2. Agility and speed of response will remain critical as risks continue to escalate. A resilient business needs to be able to adapt quickly to threats. The Now platform is a powerful tool to proactively manage risk, security, cost, and outcomes.
3. Workflows need to connect to your business and your applications. There’s no such thing as a “typical” implementation in today’s world. Approaching workflows from a business need perspective, while understanding the application ecosystem that supports your business, will be vital to maintaining resilience.

The session covered the impact of interconnectivity and complexity on risk. Who could have predicted something like the Suez Canal blockage, or its follow-on effect on global supply chains? If your business didn’t have a business continuity or disaster recovery plan that accounted for a global pandemic before last year, or a cyber attack like Solarwinds, you’re far from alone.

Companies that understand interconnected risk will become market leaders. Integrated risk management drives better outcomes. You make more optimal decisions and you’re more resilient.

But it’s hard to plan for disruption if you don’t have a crystal-clear understanding of the hardware and software that are running your critical processes, or when they are approaching end of life. If you don’t know which apps need to be upgraded or which servers are on their last legs, you’re more vulnerable to risk.

ServiceNow supports a more resilient business and a more robust security posture in a number of ways. By creating greater data transparency across the organization, by proactively monitoring vital assets, and by enabling workflow-driven playbooks, organizations can be better prepared to quickly identify, avoid and mitigate risk.

If you’re ready to start getting more out of your ServiceNow investment, this might be the right time to schedule a conversation with one of our A-Team experts. Take what you’re learning during Knowledge, pair it with our proven service-centric IT processes, and see why our clients rave about their experience working with us.