Are ServiceNow’s Backup Capabilities Reliable Enough for Your Organization?

ServiceNow’s backup capabilities make it possible to recover data in the event of corruption and/or loss of ServiceNow data. 

However, ServiceNow’s approach to backup and restore is not foolproof. 

In fact, a number of limitations to ServiceNow’s backup capabilities increase the chances that corrupted or lost data cannot be recovered. ServiceNow itself recommends that its users only restore from a ServiceNow-created backup as a last resort due to the potential for issues such as data loss.

As a result, many organizations seek to upgrade their backup and restore capabilities for ServiceNow, by introducing more full-featured, purpose-built, backup and recovery applications/solutions.

Snapshot for ServiceNow is one such solution, allowing users to control their own backup schedule, create backups on-demand, restore without downtime and more.

Learn more about Snapshot and how it lets users take control of their ServiceNow backups.

Table of contents:

1. About ServiceNow’s Backup Capabilities
2. Can You Rely on ServiceNow Backups?
3. How Perspectium Helps ServiceNow Users Take Control of the Backup and Restoration Process

About ServiceNow’s Backup Capabilities

ServiceNow provides users with backup and restore capabilities out-of-the-box (OOTB). 

Regarding backup creation, users should be aware that:

• ServiceNow performs full backups weekly, and differential backups daily.
• Full backups are retained for 14 days, and differential backups for seven days.
• Backup timing is not fixed – ServiceNow may create backups anytime within a 24-hour window – and users do not receive advanced notice as to when the process will begin, or end.
• Users cannot control the backup schedule.
• Users cannot control what is in the backup and backups are either full, or differential (recent changes to data).

Regarding the recovery process, users should be aware that:

• To initiate the restoration process of a ServiceNow production instance, users must create a support ticket via the Now Support Portal.
• It is not possible to start the restoration process instantly, because initiating it requires several steps and rounds of communication with ServiceNow Support.
• The restoration process itself can take over 6 hours depending on the complexity of the task.
• Users should prepare for downtime as access to the ServiceNow instance is restricted during the restoration process.
• In case of data loss related to non-production/sub-production instances, users have access to various self-service-driven options.

Can You Rely on ServiceNow’s Backup Capabilities?

Backup and recovery capabilities are an essential part of disaster recovery. Creating regular backups ensures organizations can quickly bounce back from a crisis that could lead to data loss. 

Understanding the limitations of ServiceNow’s OOTB backup capabilities is vital for assessing whether or not it will suffice for an organization’s requirements. 

For many organizations, ServiceNow’s backup capabilities may not be sufficient. 

This may be because the downtime required for restoration is too disruptive, or the lack of control over the schedule means that critical updates could fall outside of the backup window.

The following scenarios are examples where organizations should consider more full-featured, purpose-built, backup and recovery solutions:

• When more control over the backup schedule is required.
• When concerns about the backup retention period are present.
• When extended downtime in ServiceNow must be avoided.
• When concerns about the length of time it will take to restore an instance makes the organization/developers reluctant to implement significant changes such as updates.
• When an organization has a need for creating backups and/or restoring select data.

How Perspectium Helps ServiceNow Users Take Control of the Backup and Restoration Process

For users that require more control over how they create, retain and restore from ServiceNow backups, Perspectium’s Snapshot is ideal. 

Developed by David Loo, ServiceNow’s founding developer, Snapshot functions “like a time machine for ServiceNow,” allowing users to:

• Create and control a schedule for creating ServiceNow backups.
• Backup ServiceNow on-demand.
• Create unlimited ServiceNow backups and retain them indefinitely. 
• Backup and recover complete objects, including metadata, attachments, related records, forms, properties, lists, and schemas.
• Decide what ServiceNow data is backed up and restored with granular control. 
• Maintain routine ServiceNow operations during backup and restore activities with zero downtime.
• Maintain referential integrity – Snapshot preserves parent-child and recursive relationships.
• Restore complete applications to other instances to facilitate data migration.

In short, the capabilities of Snapshot improve ServiceNow users’ ability to recover quickly from disaster and disruption.

Want to learn more about Perspectium’s data backup and recovery solution for ServiceNow? Request a demo!