VENDORiQ: ServiceNow Buys Into Observability With Lightstep

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10 May 2021: ServiceNow is acquiring Lightstep, a specialist vendor for monitoring digital workflows. While ServiceNow already has capabilities for monitoring its low-code applications and workflows, Lightstep will provide deep analytics and performance metrics. 

Why It’s Important

The rise of low-code will necessitate the use of application monitoring tools.  

From a technical perspective, being able to monitor performance of applications that may themselves be comprised of dozens of integrations and span multiple SaaS environments, is an important precursor to meeting user expectations. In low-code environments, gone are the days of being able to monitor server and network performance. Vendors such as ThousandEyes and Lightstep have emerged to provide a more comprehensive (and simplified) view of the complex application infrastructure that is emerging. Buying Lightstep is a smart move for ServiceNow, as it increasingly moves into enabling low-code departmental and public-facing applications. 

Another reason for monitoring low-code is to report back to the business tangible business benefits. While digitising a process can clearly save money, being able to quantify the savings with evidence after a solution has been deployed helps build the case for an expansion of low-code and (in the case of high-value products, such as ServiceNow) justify any increased licensing.

However, an often overlooked benefit of observability is application lifecycle. Observability allows organisations to identify and consolidate duplicate processes across an organisation. Observability also allows organisations to identify digital processes that are not being utilised and determine why, and give clues as to what to do about them.

Who’s Impacted

• Development team leads
• Business analysts

What’s Next

Expect low-code vendors to continue investing in workflow monitoring/observability tools, as well as low-code integration capabilities. 

When selecting a low-code application development platform, consider the degree to which being able to monitor workflows and processes will be useful. If using ServiceNow, will the existing capabilities be sufficient, or will investments in products such as Lightstep be needed. If using products such as Nintex, will leveraging their business process modelling tools provide the desired observability.

Related IBRS Advisory

1. VENDORiQ: ServiceNow to Acquire Vendor Intellibot
2. VENDORiQ: Creatio – More Low-Code Investments
3. Aussie vendor radar: Nintex joins the mainstream business process automation vendor landscape