Coexistence
Keep ServiceNow. Get more value from it.
ServiceNow is excellent at managing work across IT. But identity work often needs to move beyond the ticket through to approvals, provisioning, fulfilment and lifecycle changes across multiple systems. Activate works alongside ServiceNow to automate that execution.
ServiceNow remains the place people request and track work. Activate handles the identity processes behind it, accurately and at scale.
Trusted at scale.
300k+
Automated enterprise tasks
107k+
Automated retail requests each year
52%
Ticket reduction in Government
Is this for you?
Activate Identity Automation Platform is designed for organisations that want to keep ServiceNow, while automating more of the identity work behind it.
Still deciding where identity operations should live? Read our guide for architects planning ServiceNow identity automation before go-live.
It may be a good fit when:
✔ Identity requests involve multiple systems or teams
✔ Onboarding, role changes or offboarding still create tickets
✔ Approvals and fulfilment depend on manual follow-up
✔ ServiceNow is the front door, but execution happens elsewhere
✔ Identity volumes or complexity are becoming difficult to manage
Works with the systems you already use.
Activate connects ServiceNow with the identity, HR and business systems involved in each process.
Requests can begin in ServiceNow. Activate coordinates the approvals, provisioning and fulfilment across connected platforms, then returns status and outcomes to the service workflow.
Proven in enterprise environments.
We frequently see enterprise IT teams trying to build complex identity workflows directly inside their ITSM, only to run into massive custom-coding bottlenecks.
By letting Activate handle the deep identity automation behind the scenes, organisations keep their ITSM clean while scaling up operations. Here is what that looks like in practice:
Government Lifecycle Automation.
See how a government body cut their required ServiceNow tickets by over 52% by automating workforce lifecycles.
Read the case study here.
Retail Identity Automation.
See how a national retailer uses Activate to handle over 107,000 automated provisioning requests annually.
Read the case study here.
Global Dairy Enterprise Access:
See how a global dairy enterprise seamlessly handles 300,000+ automated requests natively through their existing ITSM portal.
Read the case study here.
Keen to explore how a similar coexistence model could streamline your current ticketing workflows?
Let’s book a quick chat.
ServiceNow manages the work. Activate executes the identity process.
ServiceNow stays at the centre of service management, while Activate works behind it to automate onboarding, offboarding, role changes, access requests, approvals and fulfilment across connected systems.
When a process can be automated, Activate executes it. When human action is still needed, the work remains visible in ServiceNow.
You keep the platform your teams already use, while reducing the manual identity work moving through it.
Why organisations keep Activate.
BECAUSE REDUCING TICKETS ISN’T THE GOAL…
Completing identity work automatically is.
✔ Fewer tickets
✔ Faster fulfilment
✔ Less manual effort
✔ Better auditability
✔ More value from ServiceNow
Where coexistence delivers value.
JOINERS
Automate onboarding.
MOVERS
Automate role changes.
LEAVERS
Remove access consistently.
ACCESS REQUESTS
Automate approvals and fulfilment.
What the platforms do best.
WHAT ACTIVATE DOES:
Identity lifecycle orchestration
Access automation
Approval-driven fulfilment
Self-service identity services
WHAT SERVICENOW DOES:
ITSM and service workflows
Incidents and change
Operational visibility
Keep ServiceNow. Automate the identity work behind it.
See how ServiceNow can remain the front door for requests and approvals, while Activate carries out identity work across the wider environment.
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ITSM platforms add value when you need a broader operational workflow platform around the identity automation that Activate provides. Activate is purpose-built for identity automation. ITSM platforms add incident management, change processes and service visibility. For many organisations, the best outcome is not replacing one with the other, but using ITSM for managing work and Activate for executing identity work.
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In a co-existence model, Activate automates identity-driven services that are too complex, too manual, or too costly to handle through ticket-led workflows alone.
If customers are looking to replace their ITSM platform, Activate can also operate as a fully stand-alone system.
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No. ITSM platforms manage requests, workflows, and operational processes. Activate executes identity lifecycle and access outcomes across systems. There may be some overlap at the request layer, but the core value is different.
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An ITSM platform may be enough where identity is relatively simple and mostly workflow-based, and limited to straightforward requests, approvals, and manual fulfilment, ITSM can be sufficient.
When identity is a core operational layer involving multiple systems, approvals, entitlements, exceptions, and lifecycle dependencies, Activate adds the automation and control needed to operate at scale.
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Activate has it’s own powerful portal.
In Activate’s coexistence case studies, the ITSM platform is used as the main user portal while Activate manages approvals, notifications, and automated provisioning behind the scenes. -
The main outcomes are lower ticket volumes, less manual effort, faster fulfilment, and stronger lifecycle control. Customer examples in the source material show around 52.3% fewer ITSM tickets in one public sector use case, 107,000+ automated provisioning requests annually in one retail environment, and 300,000+ automated provisioning requests annually in one large enterprise environment.
Frequently asked Questions
Still have questions? Explore architecture, deployment models, configuration, automation and operational guidance at the Activate Knowledge Centre, or speak to one of our team.
Want to go deeper?
Activate Knowledge Centre explains the technical engine behind Activate’s Identity Automation Platform. Explore architecture, deployment models, configuration, automation and operational guidance.
