The Need for a ServiceNow Platform Team: Let Developers Focus on Development and Innovation

The Role of a Platform Team

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A platform team is dedicated to maintaining, optimizing, and strategically managing the ServiceNow environment. This team handles tasks such as instance synchronization, backup and restore processes, and the governance of update sets, scoped apps, and plugins. By doing so, they free up developers to concentrate on what they do best—building, innovation, and enhancing applications.

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Why Developers Should Focus on Development

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1. Increased Productivity and Innovation

Developers are most valuable when creating innovative ideas and solutions, not when bogged down by the mundane work of instance management. Tasks like manually tracking inconsistencies across instances, managing updates, and ensuring compliance can be incredibly time-consuming and are prone to human error. By offloading these responsibilities to a platform team, developers can focus on delivering high-quality applications and features faster.

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2. Reduced Risk of Errors

Instance management involves a lot of manual processes that are susceptible to mistakes, especially in complex environments. A platform team can implement robust automation and standardization practices to ensure consistency and reduce the risk of errors during deployments and updates. Native ServiceNow products xtype Enterprise, which provide controlled instance synchronization, release management, and automated backup and restore plans, can significantly mitigate these risks.

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3. Enhanced Governance and Compliance

Managing compliance requirements such as HIPAA, SOX, and GDPR is critical but challenging. A platform team can ensure that all operations comply with these regulations, consistently maintaining detailed audit trails and enforcing policies. This not only secures the environment but also builds trust with stakeholders and customers.

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4. Faster Time-to-Market

By streamlining instance management, a platform team enables quicker deployments and updates. This agility is crucial in today's fast-paced business environment, where time-to-market can be a significant competitive advantage. For example, xtype’s release packaging and zero-touch deployments allow for swift and efficient production releases without the need for extensive manual intervention.

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5. Optimized Use of Resources

Developers are a valuable resource, and their time should be utilized for development rather than operational tasks. A platform team ensures developers are not distracted by issues such as instance drift, manual backups, and troubleshooting post-clone errors. Instead, developers can focus on adding value through development, ultimately driving better business outcomes.

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Conclusion

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The need for a dedicated platform team for ServiceNow cannot be overstated. Such a team enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of instance management and allows developers to focus on their core responsibilities—developing and innovating. By leveraging products like xtype Enterprise, which supports controlled instance synchronization, release packaging and release automation,  automated runbooks, and comprehensive multi-environment visibility, businesses can ensure their ServiceNow environment is robust, compliant, and optimized for success.

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