ServiceNow Releases: Everything You Need to Know

ServiceNow releases new versions of its platform twice a year. Each release introduces new modules, applications, and improvements, along with fixes for existing issues.

This guide will explore key facts about ServiceNow releases, how to manage customizations, best practices for a smooth upgrade, and more. If you’re looking for quick answers, jump straight into the FAQ.

Key Facts About ServiceNow Releases

• Release Frequency: ServiceNow typically releases major platform versions twice a year and has maintained this cadence for the past nine years.
• What’s Included: Each release delivers new features, modules, bug fixes, and security enhancements to ensure the platform remains current and supported.
• Naming Convention: Versions are named alphabetically after global cities (North America, South America, Europe, Asia), following a consistent sequence that makes it easy to track releases.
• Current and Upcoming Releases: Xanadu (launched Q4 2024), with Yokohama planned for Q2 2025.
• Patches and Updates: Between major releases, smaller patches and critical updates are issued to fix bugs and maintain security.
• Release Testing Preview (RTP): Begins at least 60 days before market launch and continues until the General Availability (GA) date. This phase allows customers to upgrade their sub-production environments to the pre-release build. Full support and release documentation are provided, enabling users to test new features and give feedback. Participants are typically existing customers interested in early access.
• Support Policy: ServiceNow officially supports only the current and previous release versions. Falling more than two releases behind may result in the loss of access to:
  • Patches
  • Support
  • Official documentation
    

ServiceNow Upgrades vs Update

ServiceNow organizes its platform versions into groups called families. Each family is named after a city, such as Orlando, Quebec, or Xanadu. Within each family, there are smaller versions called patches and hotfixes. For example, Orlando Patch 4 and Orlando Patch 3 Hotfix 2 are part of the Orlando family.

An upgrade means moving from one family to another. For instance, going from London Patch 7 to Orlando Patch 3 is considered an upgrade because London and Orlando are two different families. Upgrades usually include major changes like new features, redesigned modules, and significant improvements to the platform.

Conversely, an update means moving to a different patch or hotfix within the same family. For example, going from Orlando Patch 1 to Orlando Patch 3 is an update because both versions belong to the Orlando family. Updates are smaller; they typically fix bugs, improve security, and fine-tune existing features.

Understanding this distinction is important when planning your ServiceNow roadmap. It helps you prepare for the scale of change, the level of testing needed, and the potential impact on your customizations.

What To Expect From a ServiceNow Release

Each ServiceNow release is a major platform update that brings meaningful improvements. These releases fix issues, help organizations work smarter, and stay secure as technology evolves. Here’s what you can typically expect:

• New features that introduce better tools and additional functionalities
  
• Bug fixes to resolve known issues and improve stability
  
• Security patches to close vulnerabilities and protect the platform
  
• Performance enhancements that make the platform faster and more responsive, often aligned with industry trends and user feedback

For instance, the latest Xanadu release (Q4 2024) includes improvements in workplace efficiency, operational technology, manufacturing, app development, and HR service delivery.

Similarly, the Vancouver release included the following features:

• Reservation & Space Management Planner: Reduces duplicate work by retaining workplace services when moving reservations.
  
• Real-Time Analytics: Enables manufacturing managers to make decisions based on live data through the Operational Technology Progress Scorecard.
  
• Enhanced Automation: Includes improvements in Creator Studio for playbook-related functionalities, guiding users through structured processes.

Every release aims to support evolving business needs, improve user experience, and ensure that organizations stay current without falling behind on innovation or security.

ServiceNow Release Benefits: What’s In It For You?

ServiceNow releases introduce new features and tools that improve the user experience and reinforce the platform’s security, among other benefits.

User Interface Improvements

New releases typically include enhancements that improve navigation and usability. These updates make it easier for employees to interact with the system and locate what they need. They also enhance the visual design, offering a more intuitive and appealing interface—ultimately contributing to a better user experience.

Security Enhancements

Releases often include stronger access controls, ensuring that only authorized individuals in key roles can access sensitive data or systems. Updates may also introduce improved threat detection tools, helping organizations identify and respond to security threats more quickly.

Industry-Specific Solutions

ServiceNow continues to release tailored capabilities for different industries. Whether you’re in healthcare, finance, or another regulated sector, new features are designed to align with industry-specific requirements and challenges.

Integration Capabilities

With each new release, ServiceNow enhances its ability to connect with other systems. This is achieved through both strategic partnerships and acquisitions.

For example, ServiceNow recently announced plans to acquire Moveworks, known for its AI-driven automation platform. It is also deepening its partnership with Microsoft, bringing tools like Copilot and AI agents closer to everyday workflows.

These native enhancements reduce the need for heavy custom development and simplify integration management.

However, if your organization relies on multiple third-party integrations—especially point-to-point connections—it’s important to plan ahead. These types of integrations can break during upgrades, and troubleshooting them can be time-consuming.

Make sure your development team is equipped to manage these transitions. Better yet, consider moving to replication-based architectures and syncing ServiceNow data to a centralized repository. With ServiceNow data available in a repository such as a data lake or warehouse, you can reduce integration complexity and avoid the need to reconfigure every connection during an upgrade.

How to Prepare for a ServiceNow Upgrade or Update

A successful upgrade depends on how well you plan ahead—especially when your instance includes customizations or complex integrations. Before deployment, it’s important to review what will be changing in the new release and how those changes might impact your current setup. Follow the steps below to prepare effectively.

1. Review Release Notes

Start by reviewing the official ServiceNow documentation for the upcoming release. Focus on what’s changing, including new features, deprecations, and any known impacts on existing customizations or integrations.

2. Prepare a Development Instance

Clone your production environment to a non-production development instance. This will serve as a safe environment to test the upgrade without affecting daily operations.

Before proceeding, make sure to also do the following:

• Notify Key Stakeholders: Inform IT, operations, business analysts, and integration owners about the upcoming upgrade. Even routine upgrades can affect dependencies that aren’t immediately obvious. Early involvement helps flag potential risks, align testing timelines, and ensure readiness across teams.
  
• Evaluate Team Bandwidth: Upgrades require focused time and attention. Check whether your development and admin teams have the capacity to support the process, including time for testing, troubleshooting, and validation. If key personnel are unavailable due to other priorities, consider delaying. Rushed upgrades increase the risk of post-deployment issues.
  
• Create a Backup: Although ServiceNow performs automatic backups, you can’t control their timing or frequency. Use a third-party backup or replication tool to create an on-demand snapshot just before upgrading. For example, Perspectium’s DataSync Snapshot allows teams to quickly generate an easily restorable copy of their ServiceNow data, whenever, and however many times it is required. This additional control provides an extra layer of protection against data loss, enabling organizations to upgrade the platform with confidence.

3. Verify Configurations

Ensure that your development instance mirrors your production setup. Double-check configurations, custom fields, workflows, and integrations to make sure your testing environment accurately reflects real-world conditions.

4. Upgrade and Validate the Development Instance

Run the upgrade in your development environment. Test all critical workflows, validate customizations and integrations, and resolve any issues that arise.

5. Upgrade Other Non-Production Instances

Once development testing is successful, repeat the process in other non-production environments (such as staging or QA). This provides an added layer of assurance before upgrading production.

6. Prepare for the Production Upgrade

Confirm that all issues have been addressed in your lower environments. Finalize the upgrade timeline, coordinate your change management process, and clearly communicate your plan to stakeholders.

7. Upgrade Production

Execute the upgrade during a planned maintenance window. Monitor the system closely, validate key workflows, and apply any final fixes as needed.

Bonus: Testing Recommendations

Testing is especially critical in environments with custom code or third-party integrations.

• Use the Automated Test Framework (ATF) to streamline regression testing.
  
• For regulated environments, conduct both User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and Operational Acceptance Testing (OAT) to ensure compliance and operational stability.

ServiceNow Releases: Key Takeaways

ServiceNow releases or upgrades are essential to keep your platform secure, functional, and in sync with industry standards. But the process isn’t always simple, especially when you’re working around customizations and managing multiple point-to-point (P2P) integrations. If there’s one thing that determines the success of your upgrade, it’s preparation.

• Review the release notes.
  
• Clone and test in a development instance.
  
• Involve your stakeholders early.
  
• Understand the full impact of the upgrade across your connected systems.

And if you’re managing P2P integrations, know this: Every single one may become a potential point of failure. These integrations often rely on tightly coupled connections that can break during an upgrade, creating risk—not just for your data, but for your business continuity. So, after deployment, test that P2P integrations are not the source of any disruption.

Move to a New ServiceNow Release with Confidence

Perspectium gives ServiceNow users peace of mind when upgrading their platform.

With DataSync, ServiceNow users can simplify their integrations. Instead of managing multiple point-to-point (P2P) integrations, DataSync consolidates them into a single, reliable data replication solution.

This solution makes ServiceNow data available in external repositories, like data lakes and warehouses. From there, the data can be fed into other systems without putting any strain on the ServiceNow instance. This not only improves performance and speeds up data flow, but also makes upgrading to a new ServiceNow release smoother, with less to worry about and fewer issues to troubleshoot.

Snapshot, another tool from Perspectium, is a backup and restore solution for ServiceNow. Think of it like Apple’s Time Machine, but for your ServiceNow instance. With Snapshot, you can create backups whenever you need or set up a schedule that works for you.

You can choose to back up specific data or your entire instance. This feature is incredibly useful for organizations with strict recovery goals. It ensures you have a recent recovery point in case anything goes wrong during an upgrade. Snapshot also allows you to store multiple backups, keeping them as long as you need.

By using Perspectium’s tools, you can confidently navigate ServiceNow upgrades, ensuring that your platform evolves without causing disruption to your operations or integrations.

ServiceNow Releases: Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve covered some of the most common questions we hear from ServiceNow users—whether they’re preparing for an upgrade, navigating integrations, or just trying to stay current. If there’s something we didn’t address, feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to help.

What are ServiceNow releases?

ServiceNow releases are scheduled platform updates that bring in new features, fix known issues, and improve performance and security. These updates are designed to help organizations work more efficiently and keep up with changing business and technology needs.

How often does ServiceNow release updates?

ServiceNow follows a regular release cycle:

• Major releases are delivered twice a year, introducing new functionality and improvements.
  
• In between, patches and hotfixes are rolled out to resolve specific issues and address security needs.

This consistent schedule helps organizations plan ahead and stay current without surprises.

Do I need to upgrade ServiceNow every time a new version is released?

You don’t have to upgrade with every release, but it’s strongly recommended not to fall behind.
Here’s why:

• ServiceNow officially supports only the latest release and the one before it.
  
• If your system is two versions behind, you’ll stop receiving patches, security updates, and access to new features.
  
• In many cases, ServiceNow will schedule an upgrade on your behalf if your version becomes unsupported.

Upgrading about once per year is typically enough to stay within the supported window and avoid unexpected issues.

What happens if I don’t upgrade ServiceNow in time?

If your instance is running on an unsupported version, you may:

• Miss out on important security patches
  
• Experience compatibility issues with new integrations
  
• Risk degraded performance or system instability

Eventually, ServiceNow may automatically schedule your instance for an upgrade to bring it back into support. To avoid disruption, it’s better to plan upgrades proactively.

Will I still get patches or hotfixes if I skip the latest ServiceNow release?

You will only receive patches and hotfixes if your current version is within the supported range. If your instance is on an older, unsupported version, those updates won’t be available to you.

This is why staying within the supported release families is important—not just for new features but for ongoing reliability and security.

How can I access a new ServiceNow release?

New releases are automatically included in your ServiceNow subscription, so you don’t need to manually request them. Release dates are typically announced well in advance, giving you time to prepare. Because upgrades can take several weeks depending on your setup, it’s best to follow a structured plan and align your teams accordingly.

What kind of impact should I expect during an upgrade?

Upgrades can temporarily affect ongoing work, especially if your instance is highly customized or integrated with other systems. That’s why many organizations plan to freeze ongoing or new developments while the upgrade is being tested and implemented.

To minimize disruption before an update:

• Assign clear roles and responsibilities to your team
• Communicate timelines to all stakeholders
• Test thoroughly in non-production environments before going live

To future-proof your organization against disruption:

• Limit the introduction of point-to-point integrations as they introduce new potential points of failure that need to be accounted for when upgrades. Instead, replicate ServiceNow data within a centralized repository.
• Invest in a backup and restore solution that you control, so that you can create backups on-demand before making critical changes to the platform, and easily restore in the event of an issue.

With the right preparation, upgrades can be managed smoothly and with minimal impact on daily operations.

Want to future-proof your organization against upgrade-related disruption? Contact us to learn more about our data replication and backup/restore solutions.