Servicenow Releases Overview and Best Practices

Servicenow releases are significant updates to the platform that bring new features, improvements, and bug fixes.

These releases are typically rolled out quarterly, with each release building on the previous one to provide a seamless user experience.

The release process involves thorough testing and validation to ensure that new features work as expected and don't introduce any new issues.

Servicenow's release strategy is designed to minimize downtime and disruption to users, allowing them to focus on their work without interruptions.

By following best practices, organizations can maximize the benefits of Servicenow releases and ensure a smooth transition to the new features and functionality.

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ServiceNow releases two new versions per year, with the current Yokohama release delivered in early Q2 2025, following the Xanadu release in Q3 2024.

The next release, Zurich, is scheduled for Q4 2025.

Assessing the impact of new releases on existing functionalities is crucial before upgrading. This involves checking past experiences and history, reviewing changes in the new release, and using the Upgrade Preview module to estimate time needed for the upgrade.

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ServiceNow releases two new versions per year, with the current Yokohama release delivered in early Q2 2025. The upcoming Zurich release is scheduled for Q4 2025.

You should review the official ServiceNow documentation for the upcoming release to stay informed about what's changing, including new features, deprecations, and any known impacts on existing customizations or integrations.

To upgrade your current version to the new ServiceNow release, you'll need to assess the impact on your existing functionalities. This involves checking past experiences and history, reviewing what has changed in the new release, and using the Upgrade Preview module to see the impact on current configurations.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you plan your upgrade:

Upgrading to a new ServiceNow version is crucial for customer success, enabling you to take full advantage of innovations and deploy new products.

Staying current with ServiceNow releases ensures you get the highest levels of security, availability, and performance.

Moving to a new ServiceNow version provides various new functionalities, features, and fixes, and ensures continued platform support.

However, upgrading hides various risks and may cause a negative impact on users if not planned and executed professionally and diligently.

You should take into consideration the ServiceNow Upgrade Checklist for more information on migrating correctly.

ServiceNow releases new features and improvements twice a year, with patches and hotfixes rolled out in between to resolve specific issues and address security needs.

You don't have to upgrade with every release, but it's strongly recommended not to fall behind, as ServiceNow officially supports only the latest release and the one before it.

To stay within the supported window, upgrading about once per year is typically enough to avoid unexpected issues. This is because if your system is two versions behind, you'll stop receiving patches, security updates, and access to new features.

Before upgrading, it's essential to assess the impact of the new release on your existing functionalities. This involves checking past experiences and history, reviewing what has changed in the new release, and using the Upgrade Preview module to see the impact on current configurations.

To plan a successful upgrade, create a calendar view with dates and hours, and identify the number of resources required and their availability. Define and assign upgrade responsibilities, and use the Upgrade Monitor to review past experiences and plan time for tackling defects and bug fixing.

Here's a summary of the steps to prepare for a ServiceNow upgrade or update:

By following these steps and staying within the supported window, you can ensure a smooth and successful ServiceNow upgrade or update.

Preparing for a ServiceNow upgrade or update is crucial for its success. A successful upgrade depends on how well you plan ahead, especially when your instance includes customizations or complex integrations.

Review the changes in the new release and how they might impact your current setup before deployment. This will help you identify potential issues and make necessary adjustments.

Confirm that all issues have been addressed in your lower environments. This ensures that any problems are fixed before moving to production.

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The ServiceNow release notes are a valuable resource for understanding the changes in a new release. They provide a clear guide for completing all phases and tasks for a successful upgrade.

To assess the impact of the new release on your existing functionalities, check past experiences and history, review what has changed in the new release, and use the Upgrade Preview module. This will help you estimate the time needed for the upgrade and identify potential issues.

Here are the key steps to prepare for the production upgrade:

Upgrading your instance involves planning, testing, and validation. To plan effectively, make a calendar view with dates and hours, and identify the number of resources required and their availability.

Upgrading to a new ServiceNow release can have a significant impact on your operations, requiring careful planning and resources to ensure a smooth transition. This involves completing or temporarily halting current IT projects to give full focus to the upgrade.

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To minimize disruption, it's essential to assign clear roles and responsibilities to your team, communicate timelines to all stakeholders, and test thoroughly in non-production environments before going live. Assigning single owners to actions and providing a clear action list can also help prevent ambiguity.

Upgrades can temporarily affect ongoing work, especially if your instance is highly customized or integrated with other systems. To mitigate this, limit the introduction of point-to-point integrations and invest in a backup and restore solution that you control.

Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

Upgrading to a new ServiceNow release can have a significant impact on your operations, but the extent of the impact depends on various factors.

Temporary disruptions to ongoing work are common, especially if your instance is highly customized or integrated with other systems. To minimize disruption, it's essential to freeze ongoing or new developments while the upgrade is being tested and implemented.

Assigning clear roles and responsibilities to your team and communicating timelines to all stakeholders can help ensure a smooth upgrade process. Testing thoroughly in non-production environments before going live is also crucial to identify and fix any issues.

Upgrades can also introduce new potential points of failure, such as point-to-point integrations. To mitigate this risk, consider replicating ServiceNow data within a centralized repository instead of relying on integrations.

Here are some key factors to consider when assessing the impact of an upgrade:

By understanding these factors and taking proactive steps, you can minimize the impact of an upgrade and ensure a successful transition to the new release.

To check your current ServiceNow release, simply head to the ServiceNow Support page. You can verify what release is running on any of your instances.

You can also prepare a release schedule, which is a good idea to plan your resources accordingly. This can help you stay on top of your ServiceNow management.

To make informed decisions, it's essential to have a clear understanding of your current usage. Checking the ServiceNow Support page can provide you with the necessary information to do so.

To ensure a successful ServiceNow upgrade, start by following the upgrade planning checklist based on best practices. This will help you track and plan the upgrade step-by-step.

The checklist provides a clear outline of the tasks to complete for a successful upgrade, with specific release dates listed for each step. For example, the release name "Aspen" was in 2011, while "Fuji" was in Q1 – 2015.

Before moving to a new release, consider the following steps: read the release notes, plan your upgrade, and create a project plan for cloning, upgrading, and testing. This will help you stay current and take full advantage of the innovations made available through ServiceNow releases.

Here is a summary of the release dates for each ServiceNow release:

The next ServiceNow release after Yokohama is Zurich, planned for Q4-2025.

ServiceNow is constantly innovating, and we can expect many exciting new features in Zurich.

San Diego, the previous release, had a general availability date of late March 2022, and it promised to help organizations work smarter, faster, and better.

Our experts at Do IT Wise are already digging into the release notes for Zurich, and we'll be sharing our top picks in our next article.

The new features in Zurich will undoubtedly bring new opportunities for businesses to improve their operations.

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The ServiceNow Vancouver release is packed with features that can significantly improve your business operations. One of the standout features is the improved platform performance, which will make a huge difference in your day-to-day operations.

The Vancouver release introduces new features to enhance your business operations, including improved workflow management and automation capabilities. These updates will help streamline your processes and increase productivity.

The ServiceNow Vancouver release includes new features to improve your platform's performance and business operations, such as enhanced reporting and analytics tools. This will enable you to make data-driven decisions and drive business growth.

The Vancouver release also offers improved incident management and problem management capabilities, allowing you to respond quickly and effectively to issues that arise. This will help reduce downtime and improve overall service quality.

By leveraging the new features and updates in the ServiceNow Vancouver release, you can take your business operations to the next level and achieve greater success.

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To ensure a successful upgrade, start preparing early with the upgrade planning checklist based on best practices. This checklist will guide you through the process and help you track and plan the upgrade.

The checklist is based on real-world experiences, including the Aspen upgrade in 2011, which marked the beginning of a new era for ServiceNow. Each subsequent upgrade, such as Berlin in 2012, has refined the process and improved the overall experience.

Here are some key release dates to keep in mind:

Perspectium's tools, such as DataSync and Snapshot, can also help you navigate the upgrade process with confidence.

Moving to a new ServiceNow release can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, you can do it with confidence. The general availability of the new San Diego release is expected for late March 2022, so it's essential to start preparing now.

Before you start, take into consideration the following steps: read the release notes provided by ServiceNow for every release and plan your upgrade, determine which ServiceNow instances are in-scope for upgrade, and create a project plan for cloning, upgrading, and testing.

Staying current enables you to take full advantage of the innovations made available through ServiceNow releases, deploy new products, and get the highest levels of security, availability, and performance. However, upgrading to new release families is crucial to customer success, and it's essential to plan and execute it professionally and diligently from both managerial and technical perspectives.

The ServiceNow Upgrade Checklist can be a valuable resource to help you migrate correctly. By using this checklist, you can ensure that you complete all the tasks for a successful upgrade.

Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when planning your upgrade:

By understanding the release schedule and planning your upgrade accordingly, you can move to a new ServiceNow release with confidence.

ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that allows organizations to manage digital workflows.

It was founded in 2004 by Fred Luddy.

The platform is designed to help businesses automate and streamline their processes, improving efficiency and productivity.

ServiceNow's flagship product is the ServiceNow Platform, which provides a suite of tools for IT service management, customer service, and more.

The platform has become a leading player in the IT service management market.

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ServiceNow offers tailored capabilities for different industries, including healthcare and finance, to align with industry-specific requirements and challenges.

These industry-specific solutions help organizations future-proof themselves against disruption, which is especially important for regulated sectors.

New features are designed to address the unique needs of each industry, making it easier to implement and use ServiceNow.

By leveraging these industry-specific solutions, organizations can streamline their operations and improve efficiency, which can lead to cost savings and better decision-making.

ServiceNow continues to release new features and capabilities for various industries, ensuring that organizations have the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

ServiceNow has a strong history of delivering updates to ensure maximum performance and improve functionalities.

Since the Kingston release in Q1 2019, ServiceNow plans two feature releases per year in two non-consecutive quarters.

Releases are free, as they are part of any ServiceNow subscription or licensing agreement.

In between these feature releases, ServiceNow provides patch releases with a collection of all known problem fixes to date.

These patch releases are automatically deployed to customer instances.

ServiceNow delivers updates on a regular schedule, with two feature releases per year, and additional patch releases in between.

Staying within the supported release families is crucial for ongoing reliability and security.

You'll only receive patches and hotfixes if your current version is within the supported range. If your instance is on an older, unsupported version, those updates won’t be available to you.

This means that skipping the latest ServiceNow release can put your instance at risk of security vulnerabilities and technical issues.

Security Enhancements are a crucial part of keeping your data and systems safe. Releases often include stronger access controls, ensuring that only authorized individuals in key roles can access sensitive data or systems.

With improved threat detection tools, organizations can identify and respond to security threats more quickly.

You'll only receive patches and hotfixes if your current version is within the supported range. If your instance is on an older, unsupported version, those updates won’t be available to you.

Staying within the supported release families is crucial for ongoing reliability and security. It's not just about new features, but also about keeping your system safe and running smoothly.

If you skip the latest ServiceNow release, you'll miss out on important security patches that keep your system protected from potential threats.

Servicenow releases often bring significant improvements to the user interface, making it easier for employees to navigate and interact with the system. These updates enhance the visual design, offering a more intuitive and appealing interface.

New releases typically include enhancements that improve navigation and usability, such as easier access to frequently used features. This reduces the time employees spend searching for what they need.

The user interface improvements also contribute to a better user experience, making it more enjoyable for employees to use the system.

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