How automated security protects ServiceNow customers

Automated security: man working on a laptop in an office

Every second counts when it comes to protecting a company and its customers. That’s why the ServiceNow security operations team is on a mission to eliminate repetitive, manual steps from incident response through Playbook Automation.

Playbook Automation is a structured, decision-tree framework that mirrors the instincts and workflows of an experienced analyst across the analysis, containment, and eradication phases of security incident response. We’re harnessing the power of the ServiceNow AI Platform to respond faster and more consistently and intelligently to emerging threats.

Let’s explore how automated security has saved time, transformed careers, deepened collaboration, and elevated our global security posture.

Hours saved, focus gained

Before automation, ServiceNow security analysts were spending up to 35 minutes per incident on routine triage. Thanks to a major internal effort—dubbed "Chalkboard"—they identified the most repetitive, time-draining detection types and shifted them into automated flows. This resulted in roughly 2,470 hours saved monthly that analysts can use for high-impact, strategic work.

“We literally opened new career paths for our security analysts because of time-saving gains,” says Alex H., director of cybersecurity incident response. “Time savings from automation freed analysts to upskill and explore deeper areas of security.”

Time savings from automation freed analysts to upskill and explore deeper areas of security. -Alex H., Director, Cybersecurity Incident Response

From knowledge base to automation brainpower

Over the years, the ServiceNow cybersecurity team has built a vast library of knowledge base articles. With Playbook Automation, they’ve turned that collective expertise into fully automated responses, eliminating manual triage steps.

“Our job as analysts was to identify the steps—what, who, and how—and then sketch those out into automation workflows,” says Ramya D., senior manager of cybersecurity incident response. “Now, those steps are automated, which helps minimize the repetitive work for analysts. I feel alive when I’m here. I really love my job.”

Global teamwork, local impact

Our global security teams are weaving automation into every layer of response. “We’re integrating public cloud environments directly into our platform,” explains Shweta R., senior manager of security response for the global forensic function, based in Australia.

“Analysts can click a button to stop an affected virtual machine or take a snapshot—automatically. And we’re scaling it to work across dozens of instances, with the ability to handle larger environments over time,” she adds.

In Dublin, “automation takes care of the back-and-forth, letting us zero in on containment and resolution,” says Louise L., senior manager of incident response management. “That’s huge. We’re also building automation for insider threat detection—where scripts run in the background and generate a risk-scored report for investigators at their fingertips.”

Now, those steps are automated, which helps minimize the repetitive work for analysts. I feel alive when I’m here. I really love my job. -Ramya D., senior manager, cybersecurity incident response.

AI and human insight, working together

Automated security isn’t just about speed—it’s also about accessibility. After all, security is everyone’s job. That’s why Louise and her team are experimenting with AI-powered summaries that translate technical reports into everyday language.

“Not everyone speaks ‘security,’” she says. “We’re putting AI to work so that cross-functional teams can quickly understand risk and act—no translation needed.”

Our security teams are also empowering employees to take simple steps to protect the company and customers. “Even clicking ‘report phishing’ or denying an unexpected verification prompt saves hours—and prevents incidents that might otherwise keep us up at night,” Alex explains. “These little actions, done consistently, make a massive difference.”

What’s next?

“We’re already a rock star operational team, but we’re aiming to be world class,” Ramya says. “We're embracing AI, leading with automation, and testing everything first as customer zero before we roll it out to the world.”

Playbook Automation is just one of the many ways we scale trust, accelerate response, and empower people.

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