Introduction to Orchestration
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- UpdatedAug 1, 2024
- 3 minutes to read
- Xanadu
- Orchestration
Orchestration automates simple or complex multi-system tasks on remote services, servers, applications, and hardware.
An Orchestration process can cross all management disciplines and interact with hosted services and all types of infrastructure elements. These capabilities provide a powerful system for managing IT and Business processes quickly and reliably.
Orchestrated solutions aide collaboration among teams by providing reusable data and versioning for both the workflows and the activities within them. Subject matter experts can create activities that are reusable to numerous workflow developers. When an activity requires a change, developers can see the downstream implication of the change immediately by knowing which workflows use the activity. Well-designed orchestrations never fail and apply human tasks to address errors as they arise.
Orchestration tools
- Activity packs containing ready-to-use activities.
- Activity Designer, which enables developers to create custom activities without an over dependence to create scripts to orchestrate to third-party systems.
- Ability to create activity packs using Scoped Applications.
- A Databus for following the flow of data across orchestration activities.
- Client Software Distribution
- An application that automates software delivery from the Service Catalog. Provides OOB support for SCCM. Partner solutions support Macs using JAMF. Other third-party solutions provide support through the extension framework.
- Configuring Password Reset
- An application for users to reset their password in Active Directory. It can expand to communicate with other third-party systems.
- Orchestration ROI
- Enables users to evaluate estimated costs and actual costs for tasks, automate these tasks, and track the ROI of these tasks.
Systems that Orchestration can automate
Orchestration can automate tasks such as employee onboarding, user access rights, server management, managed file transfers, and Security Operations Orchestration. For example, you might use the Active Directory and Exchange activities provided in the base Orchestration system to set up network accounts and mailboxes for new employees.
- Any system exposing web services (SOAP, REST)
- Any system accessible from the command line (such as a UNIX system accessible through SSH, a Windows system enabled for PowerShell remoting or WMI)
- Numerous proprietary services: Windows
Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange mail servers, InfoBlox, and F5 Networks. Note: For a full list of Activity Pack service offerings, see Orchestration Core Activity Packs.
- Any filesystem accessible by SFTP
- Any database with a compliant JDBC driver
- Additional Activity Packs are also available with other ServiceNow products, such as Security Operations

Orchestration workflow
When an Orchestration activity starts within a workflow, Orchestration launches a Discovery probes and sensors and writes a probe record to the ECC Queue. The workflow pauses as the MID Server picks up the request and executes the probe. When the probe reports back, the workflow resumes as the results are analyzed. The workflow can exit or continue at this point.
