Modern-day businesses demand agility, efficiency, and seamless user experiences. This is where ServiceNow steps. ServiceNow is a leading cloud-based platform that goes far beyond traditional IT service management. It enables organizations to automate end-to-end digital workflows across IT, HR, customer service, and several other departments. With its core belief that “behind every great experience is a great workflow,” ServiceNow empowers enterprises to streamline operations, reduce costs, and boost productivity from its single, unified platform.
The ServiceNow mission statement focuses on improving the world of work through intelligent workflows. This aligns with ServiceNow's purpose of delivering digital experiences that help people and businesses thrive in a constantly changing world.
While its capabilities are widely recognized, there are several lesser-known ServiceNow facts that might surprise even experienced users.
In this blog, we will discover the 7 unknown and fascinating facts about ServiceNow.
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ServiceNow's Original Name was Glidesoft
ServiceNow was initially developed as Glidesoft in 2003 by Fred Luddy, former CTO of Peregrine Systems. According to rumor, creator Fred Luddy liked the name after hearing a pilot say that the plane would be “gliding” towards its destination as he was coding. Glidesoft's Servicenow.com product was a unique offering, specializing in ITIL-based IT Service Management (ITSM).
It was revolutionary in the fact that it was the first On-Demand Web 2.0 solution (AJAX and SOAP enabled) that required only a browser and an internet connection.
"The world's greatest challenges are our biggest opportunities."
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ServiceNow has Been on the Gartner ITSM Magic Quadrant for 9 Years
Gartner named ServiceNow a Leader in the ITSM Magic Quadrant for the ninth consecutive year. Out of the 10 vendors evaluated, ServiceNow ranks highest in execution and furthest in vision. ServiceNow was able to achieve this position because it allows its customers to deliver resilient IT services on a single cloud platform, enhance IT productivity with faster platform-native AI resolutions, and serve employees with always-on IT services.
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ServiceNow Releases are Named After Cities
As everyone knows, ServiceNow releases two new versions every year and is named in alphabetical order of the world’s cities. But here is the fun part, this practice began in 2012 after the Aspen release. Before that, the versions were named after seasons like the Winter release in 2009. But that isn’t the funniest part, the name of the release was initially intended to be Amsterdam, but this was changed right before debut.
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The Knowledge Conference is an Anticipated Annual Event
At its yearly Knowledge conference, ServiceNow frequently recalls Fred Luddy’s words. The event’s name comes from the sharing culture its participants bring as they demonstrate workplace efficiencies utilizing the ServiceNow Platform. It is notable for the number of sessions and seminars presented by customers rather than ServiceNow employees.
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ServiceNow Accepts Powerful Integrations
Celonis and ServiceNow have formed a technological alliance. In this tactical move, ServiceNow integrates the real-time process execution capabilities of the Celonis execution management system into its low-code workflow platform. Apart from this, ServiceNow has also integrated with Jira, Azure, Salesforce, etc. This gives us a hint that ServiceNow is an extremely easy-to-integrate platform. Choosing the right ServiceNow licensing option based on your organization’s needs is key to maximizing the benefits of such integrations.
Apart from integration flexibility, other ServiceNow features like automation, AI-powered insights, and low-code development capabilities make it a powerhouse for digital transformation.
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The Market Value
As of April 3, 2025, ServiceNow has a market capitalization of $169.75 billion approximately. This marks a significant increase from its November 2022 valuation, reflecting the company's substantial growth over this period.
Market capitalization, commonly called a market cap, is the total market value of a publicly traded company’s outstanding shares and is commonly used to measure how much a company is worth.
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A Greener Future: ServiceNow’s Path to Net-Zero by 2030
ServiceNow has an ambitious goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This pledge covers emissions from its operations, business travel, and even remote work energy use. It’s part of ServiceNow’s broader sustainability strategy, and it is setting a high standard for climate responsibility in the tech industry. This initiative will not just benefit the planet but also strengthen ServiceNow’s values of innovation and accountability.
Now, let’s check out the recent ServiceNow statistics that provide insight into the platform’s global reach and positive influence.
ServiceNow Statistics
- As of 2024, approximately 80% of Fortune 500 companies are clients and users of ServiceNow.
- ServiceNow distributed $100 million in its Racial Equity Fund across 10 US communities.
- In 2023, ServiceNow introduced the Employee Empowerment Reward, granting each employee $100 to donate to a cause of their choice. This initiative contributed to a 25% increase in volunteer participation, with employees donating six times the amount of reward dollars compared to 2022.
- As of December 2024, ServiceNow employed approximately 26,293 individuals globally.
- ServiceNow has set an ambitious goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, demonstrating its commitment to environmental sustainability.
Relevant Links:
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Are you curious about why businesses are turning to ServiceNow?
Check out the 5 Reasons Why Your Company Should Use ServiceNow.
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Are you planning a ServiceNow implementation?
Never miss these 5 common challenges of a ServiceNow implementation and how to avoid them.
FAQs
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How does ServiceNow choose which cities to name its releases after?
Though the naming follows an alphabetical pattern, the city selections often carry subtle symbolic value, reflecting innovation, global culture, or internal company stories. However, the specific reasons are rarely disclosed publicly.
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Is it true that ServiceNow encourages low-code/no-code development even for non-technical users?
Yes! It’s one of the unknown facts about ServiceNow. ServiceNow invests in making app creation accessible to non-developers as well through its App Engine Studio, which empowers business users to create custom apps without deep coding knowledge.
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How does ServiceNow support companies in achieving ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) goals?
ServiceNow’s ESG module helps enterprises track, manage, and report on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives directly from the platform.
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Why was ServiceNow initially called Glidesoft, and what’s the story behind its name change?
Glidesoft’s transition to ServiceNow reflects its evolution from a niche ITSM tool to a broader enterprise workflow solution. The name change was part of a rebranding strategy as the platform scaled rapidly.
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What makes ServiceNow's Knowledge Conference so popular?
The Knowledge Conference is a major annual event where users and developers gather to share innovations, solutions, and best practices. It stands out because most sessions are led by customers showcasing real-world success stories.