National Bank Enhances IT Asset Management and Configuration

Among the top 50 largest banks in the United States—and with over $90 billion in assets under management—this financial institution lacked a clear, standardized path for asset management and procurement. To keep offering its full-service banking, trust, and investment services to thousands of customers nationwide, developing a single point of entry for hardware and software assets was imperative.

For many large financial institutions, IT assets and configuration items (CIs) allow organizations to operate smoothly and predictably. But when procurement processes are confusing and outdated, errors and data inefficiencies are common. In the highly regulated financial industry, eliminating these gaps is essential—not only for internal operations but also for customers and clients who depend on trust and security. 

In partnership with Thirdera, this financial institution successfully validated and cataloged a robust network of IT assets, streamlined asset procurement, and automated the entire process to eliminate discrepancies and improve escalation.

Key Challenges

	The bank lacked a standard path for ordering, receiving, and tracking hardware assets (including end-of-life device retirement). This created a significant business issue since new products could enter the corporate network at any time. Unpredictable procurement led to unnecessary risk since there was no centralized tracking.
	Input errors were common since team members manually entered serial numbers for hardware assets. The lack of validation within the configuration management database (CMDB) led to doubt and uncertainty. The organization was wasting resources by not taking full advantage of device reuse and repurposing.
	Invalid computer configuration item (CI) status caused improper software licensing requirements. And with no central tracking for licenses purchased by the company, departments were needlessly hemorrhaging resources and money.
	Staff were attempting to manage asset gaps through antiquated processes involving Excel spreadsheets, emails, and other manual data entry systems. It was impossible to maintain, and the auditing process became increasingly labor-intensive, taking up to three weeks to prepare data for analysis and response.

A significant red flag that alerted leaders to a need for change happened when the bank failed its internal audit of existing assets and CI tracking capabilities. An incomplete and lackluster CMDB was attributed to missing data elements for certain device types and a lack of automation stemming from manual, time-consuming updates. There were also confusing data gaps in the management of specific device types, including mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and network devices.

Unfortunately, the organization’s previous Coupa to ServiceNow integration for procurement was also script-heavy and complex. Integration performance issues occurred regularly because of the sheer volume of data returning to ServiceNow. To make matters worse, there was no support available from ServiceNow because the integration was entirely custom.

These complexities were cause for concern not only from a regulatory standpoint but also from a cost optimization perspective. The organization wanted to be sure it was getting maximum value from its significant ServiceNow investment.

Our Solution

Recognizing the need to streamline and improve its IT asset management workflows, the organization turned to Thirdera for its ServiceNow expertise. Thirdera’s optimization took into account the complex asset management needs of such a large, distributed organization in the highly regulated financial space. In addition to improving employee productivity, compliance, and security were also of critical importance. 

By implementing ServiceNow with support from Thirdera, this financial institution can ensure that inventory is checked and validated across the organization before making new purchases. By enabling asset sharing across the enterprise, Thirdera’s ServiceNow implementation also allows more efficient use of investments and inventory within ServiceNow.

Specific ServiceNow applications and integrations implemented by Thirdera include:

• IT Asset Management (ITAM)
• Software Asset Management (SAM)
• Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
• Horizontal Discovery
• Service Catalog

Additionally, enhanced automation between ServiceNow and Coupa (the bank’s procurement tool) creates an automated end-to-end workflow. When vendors submit Advanced Shipment Notices (ASNs) in Coupa, it automatically triggers the creation of new assets with serial numbers directly in ServiceNow. Utilizing Coupa Spoke enhances pre-built flows and actions, eliminating performance issues common with extraneous or complicated data sets.

Another significant win was the development of intelligent data dashboards that directly reflect asset management status in real-time. These data points provide at-a-glance ITAM program status updates to C-level executives and board members. With drill-down capabilities for data stewards and practitioners, it’s easier to pinpoint shortcomings, validate asset management abilities against a single source of truth, and leverage data certifications to automate recurring and predictable auditing and remediation responsibilities.

The Result

With better automation in ServiceNow, the bank can now easily identify and compare asset records while standardizing data sources to eliminate critical errors. Thirdera’s approach has reduced the time to identify crucial CMDB gaps from two to three weeks to just three hours, saving the business valuable time and resources.

By moving away from manual workflows, the bank is also able to improve internal device tracking, resolve escalation issues, and get a better grasp of auditing requirements. As a result, team members can boost productivity, satisfy stakeholders, and establish more trust in compliance policies.

Thirdera’s implementation has not only reshaped the way the institution approaches IT asset management, but it has holistically improved end-to-end CMDB data quality in a way that sets the business up for future longevity, growth, and success.

About Thirdera

As the largest global pure-play ServiceNow partner, Thirdera is a trusted Elite ServiceNow partner focused solely on improving and innovating the way our customers leverage the ServiceNow platform. Our experts possess authoritative capabilities and skillsets spanning the entire Now Platform. This extensive platform expertise allows us to understand our customers’ needs and deliver tailored solutions that solve business challenges.

Contact us today to discuss your next project, and enter a new era of ServiceNow partner experience.