Microsoft Viva vs ServiceNow

2023. ServiceNow dives deeper into task mining with latest acquisition



ServiceNow revealed its acquisition of UltimateSuite, a task mining company based in the Czech Republic, marking a strategic move to enhance its ability to capture and comprehend the flow of work within businesses. Task mining, a component of the expanding global market for process mining, aids companies in comprehending the workflow within an organization, identifying bottlenecks to enhance efficiency. The intention is to integrate UltimateSuite's capabilities into ServiceNow's existing process mining features. Recognizing that insights are valuable only when acted upon, the objective is to not only pinpoint areas that require improvement but also to offer an integrated platform for automating inefficiencies, thereby optimizing the entire end-to-end business process.


2023. Microsoft ditches Yammer brand and goes all-in on Viva Engage



Microsoft has officially announced the discontinuation of Yammer, the enterprise social network that it acquired over a decade ago for $1.2 billion. Despite Microsoft's previous efforts to promote Yammer by integrating it into its core Office suite, the company has shifted its focus towards developing alternative communication tools like Microsoft Teams. In 2019, Microsoft integrated Yammer with Teams, and two years later, it introduced Viva—an "employee experience platform" designed to serve as a modern corporate intranet. Over the past months, Microsoft has been actively enhancing Viva, and in the previous year, it launched Viva Engage as an evolution of the Yammer Communities app.


2022. Microsoft wants to add Stories to corporate portals



Microsoft is venturing into the enterprise realm by introducing Stories, a forthcoming feature within its Viva "employee experience" platform, aimed at bringing the popular snackable content format to the corporate world. While the Stories format, known for its ability to captivate audiences, may seem contradictory to the productivity-focused mindset of corporate customers subscribing to Viva, Microsoft claims otherwise. The company argues that there is a genuine interest in ephemeral photo and video slideshows within the workplace. According to Microsoft, these Stories provide a "fun, familiar way" for employees to maintain connections with their colleagues.


2022. Microsoft is elevating Viva from pure employee portal to job support platform starting with sales



When Microsoft introduced Viva last year, it positioned the platform as an employee portal where individuals could access information such as parental leave policies and other internal communications related to company culture and policies. However, it appears that Microsoft has grander aspirations for Viva beyond being a typical employee intranet that provides essential employee information. Today, Microsoft announced the introduction of the first of potentially multiple job-specific features within Viva, beginning with sales. This tool is built on Office 365 and optimized for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. By associating a customer's name or contact, Viva Sales can automatically retrieve documents, spreadsheets, presentations, emails, and other relevant materials into the CRM tool. It allows sales professionals to utilize the tools they already utilize and cherish on a daily basis, including email systems like Outlook, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Teams. Microsoft will offer Viva Sales at no cost to its Microsoft Dynamic 365 customers.


2021. ServiceNow leaps into applications performance monitoring with Lightstep acquisition



ServiceNow has recently completed the acquisition of Lightstep, a startup specializing in applications performance monitoring. By incorporating Lightstep's capabilities, ServiceNow aims to enhance its IT operations offerings. With Lightstep on board, ServiceNow will empower its customers with advanced application performance monitoring capabilities, enabling them to proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate into major problems that could disrupt websites or applications. In the competitive landscape of application performance monitoring, Lightstep joins the ranks of companies like Datadog, New Relic, and AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco in 2017). The strategic acquisition aligns with ServiceNow's commitment to providing comprehensive solutions for optimizing IT operations.


2021. ServiceNow acquired RPA startup Intellibot



IT service management vendor ServiceNow recently joined the growing trend of embracing robotic process automation (RPA) by acquiring Intellibot, a startup based in India that specializes in RPA solutions. This acquisition aligns with the current industry focus on automating workflows across organizations. RPA offers a means to automate legacy processes, particularly those involving repetitive and mundane tasks typically performed by humans. With this purchase, ServiceNow gains the capability to integrate RPA directly into its platform. Furthermore, the company remains flexible by allowing customers to leverage RPA bots from other vendors if desired.


2021. ServiceNow adds new no-code capabilities



ServiceNow recognizes that the concept of distributed work has propelled the notion of enabling every employee to engage in software building. In light of this, the company has introduced a new domain known as Creator Workflows, aimed at empowering workers to construct customized workflows tailored to their specific requirements. Within this domain, ServiceNow offers a primary development environment that facilitates a user-friendly experience, allowing individuals to intuitively drag and drop the necessary components for constructing workflows that align with their needs. Additionally, templates are available to further streamline the process, providing a framework for common tasks and enhancing ease of use.


2021. Microsoft launches employee experience platform Viva


Microsoft has introduced Viva, a new "employee experience platform" that reimagines the traditional intranet sites commonly provided by large companies to their employees. Viva encompasses essential features such as internal communication access, seamlessly integrated with SharePoint, Yammer, and other Microsoft tools. Moreover, Viva offers team analytics capabilities and integrates with LinkedIn Learning and other training content providers, including SAP SuccessFactors. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced Viva Topics, a feature designed for internal knowledge sharing within organizations. With Viva, Microsoft aims to enhance the overall employee experience by providing a comprehensive and integrated platform.


2020. ServiceNow is acquiring Element AI, startup building AI services for enterprises



ServiceNow, the prominent cloud-based IT services company, has made a significant acquisition as part of its long-term strategy to establish a dominant presence in the realms of automation and artificial intelligence for enterprises. The company has acquired Element AI, a startup specializing in AI-driven IT services for businesses. This move exemplifies ServiceNow's ongoing efforts to build a modern platform that aligns with the evolving needs of the digital era. Although ServiceNow was established in 2004 and is not considered a traditional legacy business, it strives to position itself as the leading provider of "digital transformation" solutions. This term has gained prominence in the enterprise IT services landscape as organizations urgently adapt to conducting more online, leveraging cloud technologies, and operating remotely in response to global health challenges and future uncertainties.


2020. ServiceNow updates its workflow automation platform



Today, ServiceNow unveiled the latest version of its workflow automation platform, showcasing a range of new solutions tailored for specific industries. Telcos and financial services organizations, in particular, are among the verticals receiving increased attention. This strategic emphasis on verticals represents a continuation of ServiceNow's ongoing expansion beyond its initial focus on core IT management functionalities, which defined the company in its early stages. Furthermore, ServiceNow has introduced additional features to enhance companies' resilience during challenging circumstances, along with the integration of new machine learning-based tools.