How to Connect ServiceNow to Third-Party Applications

ServiceNow integrates with third party solutions to extend workflows and improve the availability of ServiceNow data. With data replication and integration solutions, organizations can improve their ability to capitalize on the platform’s rich data and insight, and maximize the platform’s ROI.

Organizations often integrate ServiceNow with third-party applications such as data repositories and storage solutions, CRM systems, security tools, and more.

These integrations help improve the availability of data, synchronize and extend data and workflows across multiple solutions, and improve overall visibility across systems.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the various methods to connect ServiceNow with external applications, explore common integration use cases, and provide best practices to ensure seamless connectivity.

Whether you’re looking to integrate with platforms like Snowflake, Power BI, or Zendesk, this article will help you get started with the right approach.

Common ServiceNow to Third Party Integrations

When integrating ServiceNow with third-party applications, the goal is typically to enhance automation, streamline workflows, and ensure data consistency across systems. The following integrations are commonly implemented in service of that goal:

ServiceNow Integration with Third Party Repositories

Integrating ServiceNow with third-party repositories enables organizations to enhance self-service reporting, analytics, and business intelligence. By exporting ServiceNow data to external databases, businesses can leverage advanced data processing, visualization, and AI-driven insights beyond what ServiceNow natively offers.

Common integrations include:

ServiceNow to Snowflake – for scalable cloud-based analytics and data warehousing
ServiceNow to MySQL – for structured data storage and custom reporting
ServiceNow to SAP – for enterprise resource planning and business process optimization

With ServiceNow data accessible in third-party repositories, organizations gain the flexibility to analyze and utilize their data where it provides the most value—whether for real-time dashboards, machine learning models, or cross-platform reporting.

ServiceNow Integration with Reporting, Analytics, and BI

To maximize the platform’s value, organizations often integrate ServiceNow with Business Intelligence (BI) and analytics platforms. These integrations enable more comprehensive reporting, real-time dashboards, and data-driven decision-making.

Common integrations include:

ServiceNow to Tableau – Enhances data visualization and dashboarding, allowing organizations to gain actionable insights from ServiceNow data.
ServiceNow to Power BI – Provides interactive reporting and analytics, enabling business users to create custom reports and monitor KPIs.

By integrating ServiceNow with reporting and BI tools, organizations can:

Monitor real-time service performance and SLAs.
Identify trends and optimize IT operations.
Automate reporting processes for greater efficiency.
Enhance predictive analytics for proactive issue resolution.

Organizations can integrate ServiceNow with reporting tools using either point-to-point connections or a Pub/Sub model. While point-to-point integrations are simpler, they become harder to manage at scale and can cause performance bottlenecks.

A Pub/Sub model, in contrast, allows data to be published once and consumed by multiple systems, improving scalability, reliability, and efficiency. There are also vendor-managed options that mean organizations aren’t burdened with the complexities associated with implementation and infrastructure.

ServiceNow Integration with AI

By integrating ServiceNow with AI, organizations can unlock new levels of automation, predictive analytics, and intelligent decision-making.

Integrating ServiceNow with a third party repository can make the data available for use in training custom AI models, enabling smarter incident resolution, trend forecasting, and workflow optimization. Alternatively, businesses can integrate with pre-built AI solutions to enhance ServiceNow’s capabilities without extensive development.

For example, using ServiceNow’s Generative AI Controller, organizations can integrate ServiceNow with Large Language Models (LLM) that produce AI-generated content including:

OpenAI
Azure OpenAI
IBM WatsonX
Google Cloud (Vertex AI and Makersuite)

These integrations help organizations enhance service management with AI-powered recommendations, automate ticket resolutions, and gain deeper insights from their ServiceNow data.

ServiceNow Integration with ITSM and DevOps

Organizations can enhance IT service management (ITSM) and DevOps workflows by synchronizing ServiceNow with third-party ITSM and DevOps solutions through eBonding. This enables bidirectional data exchange, automated incident resolution, and improved collaboration between teams and platforms.

To connect ServiceNow with other applications, businesses can leverage various integration methods, ranging from manual processes to advanced automation solutions. The complexity of the integration depends on factors such as data volume and synchronization speed—larger datasets and real-time requirements typically demand more robust solutions.

Common integrations include:

ServiceNow to Jira – Enables seamless collaboration between ITSM and DevOps teams by automating incident and change request synchronization.
ServiceNow to Zendesk – Facilitates cross-platform ticketing and service request management, improving customer support and internal service operations.
ServiceNow to Azure DevOps – Streamlines development workflows by integrating change management and deployment tracking.
ServiceNow to ServiceNow (Multiple Instances) – Ensures smooth data synchronization and consistent processes across different ServiceNow instances for large organizations.

These integrations help organizations streamline IT operations, reduce redundancies, and improve service efficiency by ensuring consistent data flow across platforms.

Other ServiceNow Integrations with Third Party Applications

Beyond ITSM, DevOps, and AI, ServiceNow integrates with a wide range of third-party applications to extend its functionality across different business areas.

Organizations can leverage pre-built connectors available on the ServiceNow Store, purchase third-party integrations from external vendors, or develop custom solutions tailored to their specific needs.

Common integrations include:

ServiceNow to Salesforce – Syncs customer data and service requests, improving visibility between IT and customer support teams.
ServiceNow to Workday – Automates HR workflows such as employee onboarding, offboarding, and service requests.
ServiceNow to Microsoft Teams – Enables real-time notifications, chatbot functionality, and ticket management directly within Teams.

With a vast ecosystem of integrations available on the ServiceNow Store, along with APIs and middleware solutions, businesses can connect ServiceNow to virtually any third-party application to enhance automation, improve collaboration, and drive operational efficiency.

How to Connect ServiceNow to Other Applications: Integration Options

Not all integration methods are created equal—some are easy to maintain and performance-friendly, while others require ongoing upkeep and can slow down your system. Choosing the right approach depends on data volume, performance requirements, and scalability. Below is a breakdown of common integration options.

Swivel Chair

Swivel chair integration is a manual, labor-intensive approach where employees extract data from one system and re-enter it into another. While viable for small-scale operations, it quickly becomes unsustainable as an organization grows.

Organizations reliant on Swivel Chair integrations tend to suffer from:

Data Inconsistencies – Human error leads to misaligned records, duplicate entries, and inaccurate reporting.
Operational Inefficiencies – Employees spend valuable time on repetitive data entry instead of strategic tasks.
Scalability Limitations – Manual processes can’t support high transaction volumes or real-time data needs.
Compliance and Security Risks – Handling sensitive data without automated safeguards increases the risk of breaches and non-compliance.

Organizations seeking to scale, and in need of greater efficiency and accuracy typically move beyond swivel chair integration in favor of automated solutions such as ServiceNow-native integrations or real-time data replication platforms.

Point-to-Point Integration

Point-to-point integration directly connects two systems, typically using APIs or ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools.

This method is used by platforms such as:

ServiceNow Integration Hub
Workato
Exalate

These tools provide pre-built connectors to simplify setup but are limited in terms of performance and require ongoing maintenance. For example, when ServiceNow or the connected application updates, integrations may break, causing disruptions and requiring troubleshooting or redevelopment.

As point to point solutions integrate ServiceNow with a single target, the maintenance burden grows as new integrations are added over time.

Further, API and ETL integrations consume the same system resources as active users, meaning heavy integration usage can degrade ServiceNow’s performance. This is especially true when replicating large datasets in bulk or when multiple integrations run simultaneously, competing for resources.

Pub/Sub Integration

Pub/Sub integration eliminates the need for multiple direct connections by using a message broker. Instead of ServiceNow processing numerous API requests, it pushes data once to the broker, which then handles distribution to all subscribing systems.

With pub/sub integrations, organizations can experience:

Improved Performance – Reduces API load, preventing performance bottlenecks.
Real-Time Data Distribution – Ensures seamless updates across multiple platforms.
Scalability – Supports high-volume data replication without degrading ServiceNow’s performance.

However, it should be noted that implementing and maintaining Pub/Sub integrations in-house has its drawbacks:

Complex Setup & Management – Implementing a Pub/Sub model requires configuring a message broker, managing data flows, and ensuring proper subscription handling, which can be more complex than traditional point-to-point integrations.

Increased Infrastructure Requirements – Unlike simple API-based integrations, Pub/Sub relies on a broker (e.g., Kafka, Google Pub/Sub, AWS SNS). Organizations must either manage and maintain this infrastructure in-house or use a Pub/Sub integration vendor.

Optimizing Pub/Sub Integration

Performance can be further enhanced using push-based replication instead of API polling. With push technology, ServiceNow proactively sends updates to the message broker, which then distributes them instantly—avoiding the constant back-and-forth of API calls that can overload the system.

This approach is ideal for organizations that handle large volumes of ServiceNow data and need real-time synchronization; integrate with multiple external systems; and/or need to minimize API call loads to avoid performance degradation in ServiceNow.

Perspectium is a Pub/Sub integration vendor that utilizes push-based replication, offering high-throughput and ensuring fast, secure, and efficient movement of ServiceNow data across connected platforms.

As a vendor-implemented and maintained solution, Perspectium users can take advantage of Pub/Sub integrations without the complexities associated with managing them.

DIY Integrations

Some organizations develop DIY integrations in-house when off-the-shelf solutions don’t meet their needs. This approach offers full control over data exchange but comes with significant challenges:

Challenges of DIY Integrations:

Development Complexity – Requires deep expertise in ServiceNow’s architecture, APIs, and security protocols.
Ongoing Maintenance – Updates to ServiceNow or connected applications may require frequent rework.
Scalability Issues – Poorly designed integrations can become bottlenecks as data volumes grow.
Hidden Costs – While avoiding licensing fees, DIY integrations incur high costs in development, testing, and maintenance.

For businesses with extensive development resources, DIY may be feasible. However, managed integration services offer greater scalability and reliability with lower overhead.

ServiceNow Integrations: Key Considerations

The proper integration approach depends on the job at hand – there isn’t a single integration approach that will suit all requirements. As such, there is a list of considerations that you must think about before deciding on the right strategy for a specific need.

Some of those considerations include:

Volume: When moving large volumes of data, the DIY and swivel chair approaches have significant limitations. Large amounts of data and data sources can make the processes involved too complex to manage.

Performance: Non-native integration solutions are typically facilitated by web-services. ServiceNow can be impacted by significant web service data exports since it uses the same communication channels as the users. Organizations have to consider whether these impacts on performance can be managed without impacting their customers.

Timing: Organizations often seek to subvert the performance impact of non-native integrations by executing integrations as batch jobs outside of business hours. However, batch exports usually exceed the allotted time and lead to disruption for the end-user.

In contrast, organizations using ServiceNow-native applications for integrations can leverage real-time data delivery without impacting performance.

Resilience: How critical is the integration to your business? Is it something that should be monitored on a 24/7 basis to ensure that it’s always available? If you cannot afford any downtime, a custom-integration approach may be incompatible.

Distribution: How does this data need to be distributed? Is it a one-way transfer or a bidirectional synchronization? Is it a point-to-point integration, or are there multiple destinations for the data?

Overall Cost: an obvious consideration, but one that is often calculated inaccurately. Ensure that you are looking at the Total Cost of Ownership – as opposed to just the license cost. Factors include development time, testing time, regular maintenance for upgrades and process changes, additional hardware and software requirements, and so on. A TCO calculator like this one from Perspectium can help here.