This is how I started using ServiceNow...

Prior to working with ServiceNow, I was an HP developer. I worked on the whole HP suite of ITSM products such as HP Service Manager, HP Connect-IT, HP Asset Manager, and HP uCMDB. I had implemented HP products at large enterprise corporations, projects that took more than a year to complete. Big projects, big expectations, lots of work.

I had all my HP certifications and was one of the best in the world with those products. Consulting was going great and was sought out by companies for my expertise. Then I was on an interesting call that changed my life.

The Sales Call

I was in a sales call on April 15, 2011. The HP account manager was nervous that the client wouldn't buy HP. He kept mentioning ServiceNow.

Did the client mention ServiceNow?
Do you think they might go to ServiceNow?

I had never heard of ServiceNow, and thought it was so strange the sales person was so concerned about it. So after the call I got on the ServiceNow demo site. It didn't take long to realize that ServiceNow was just a better platform.

Career Change

I had a choice. Either stay using HP or switch to ServiceNow. I was making good money doing HP development and jobs were still coming in. However just by seeing ServiceNow, I knew I had to switch.

For hours every night after that sales call, I would build ServiceNow customizations on my own at home. Customizations I used to build in HP Service Manager, I would build in ServiceNow. Before I took the ServiceNow admin class, I knew how to do most customizations and the class was just confirming what I was doing was correct.

I was excited to get that first project. Would I be able to get one? I was really hoping so!

First Project

It didn't take too long, and I got on my first ServiceNow project. I have to thank Kathee Douville and Chandra Masloski for giving me the chance. Kathee for convincing the first client to hire me, and Chandra for believing in my efforts. Chandra was a great person, she has since passed away. She gave me a lot of great advice, and helped me believe in my potential.

After that first ServiceNow project, ServiceNow exploded in popularity. I have since been on hundreds of ServiceNow projects and it was 100% the right choice. None of which would have happened if I had stuck using HP.

When I look back at my old HP code, it is now like a foreign language. It is amazing to me that I used to know that. So on this five year anniversary, I am reminiscing and appreciating that it was so awesome that ServiceNow found me. It truly changed my life!

What is your "Switch to ServiceNow" story?

Mike