ServiceNow and Rimini Street are teaming up to help organizations leverage their older enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for new artificial intelligence (AI) projects.
With a unified architecture and data model, this partnership aims to drive innovation in procurement, finance, supply chain, HR, customer service, and IT. ServiceNow sees this collaboration as a way to shift from traditional case management to advanced AI-enabled workflow management. Hartmut Mueller, ServiceNow’s chief transformation officer, emphasized their goal of connecting various business systems and using the data they contain to enhance operations.
For organizations, it’s all about justifying the investment in new platforms. Eric Helmer, Rimini Street’s chief technology officer, pointed out that the role of the chief information officer (CIO) has transitioned from merely maintaining systems to directly influencing the organization’s financial success. Today’s CIOs need to drive innovation and explore AI solutions that can transform their businesses.
However, as noted at the Gartner Symposium, AI initiatives can be costly and often disappointing. A Gartner survey found that a staggering 90% of CIOs think cost management is limiting their AI’s potential. With many software providers integrating AI features, IT budgets are increasingly stretched.
ServiceNow and Rimini Street are taking a different approach. By maintaining legacy ERP systems beyond their mainstream support, Rimini Street allows organizations to tap into valuable data that can enhance machine learning capabilities. Helmer highlighted that the age of the ERP system doesn’t matter as long as it contains the necessary data for AI applications.
Though ServiceNow is known for case management, it offers tools for modernizing existing IT assets—be it improving user interfaces, automating workflows, or implementing AI and predictive analytics. Helmer claims that organizations can achieve generative AI capabilities within months without needing to upgrade to the latest ERP version.
Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow, described many enterprise systems as outdated, stating that their partnership with Rimini Street provides a unified platform that maximizes existing software investments and accelerates transformation. This means IT leaders can automate and improve workflows across various applications without undergoing costly modernization.
Historically, opting for third-party software maintenance support was reserved for a few adventurous IT leaders. However, ServiceNow’s presence as a premier sponsor at the Gartner Symposium, alongside major players like AWS, PWC, and SAP, reflects its ambitions in the corporate IT landscape. If successful, this partnership may offer businesses a persuasive reason to maintain their current ERP systems while avoiding expensive upgrades.