Overview and Challenge
As a spin-off of Autoliv, Veoneer is a leader in automotive safety systems, developing both software and hardware for state-of-the-art Restraint Control Systems. Serving some of the largest car manufacturers globally, the company employs around 2700 people across 11 countries. As it continues to scale, Veoneer faces challenges in managing IT operations, ensuring compliance, and enhancing employee experience.
Initially, Veoneer utilized ServiceNow for Asset and Incident Management. However, their previous setup was fragmented, relying heavily on manual processes, including emails and spreadsheets. They needed a comprehensive, automated system to manage IT requests, incidents, and compliance and a user-friendly portal for employees.
A Platform for Growth with the Right Partner
To meet these demands, Veoneer sought a trusted partner capable of delivering end-to-end ServiceNow solutions. Devhd was selected for our deep expertise, agility, proven track record in driving automation and established relationship with Autoliv, Veoneer’s parent company, dating back to 2016.
As a relatively young company, Veoneer also needed to build critical infrastructure, such as Active Directory and an Employee Center, from scratch while streamlining processes with custom applications.
The Solution: Streamlining IT Services and Governance
Devhd focused on creating a solid ITSM foundation, ensuring Veoneer’s platform was optimized for automation and future scalability. Key initiatives included:
- Active Directory & Employee Center Integration: Providing centralized user management from scratch.
- Custom ITSM Portal: A branded, user-friendly portal allowing employees to easily request IT services. Customizations included approval lists and ticketing systems for improved efficiency.
- Virtual Agent & Teams Integration: Streamlining communication and task automation.
- Systems Integration: Ensuring that Veoneer’s ServiceNow instance communicates seamlessly with various critical systems, enabling automation and reducing manual efforts across IT services.
Integrations included:
o GitLab and SecOps Solutions: Automating ticket creation and updates, significantly reducing manual input from developers.
o Service Graph Connector for SCCM: Bringing in data from Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) to enhance asset and configuration management.
o SolarWinds Integration: Streamlining monitoring and incident response by integrating SolarWinds data into ServiceNow.
o Jira Integration: Enabling bi-directional updates between ServiceNow and Jira, reducing time spent on managing tickets across platforms.
o REST Integrations with Various Systems: Implemented REST APIs to connect ServiceNow with multiple third-party applications, enhancing automation and ensuring real-time data exchange.
Leveraging ServiceNow’s Workflow & Integration Hub
One of the most impactful transformations was the automation of 70% of IT service requests using ServiceNow's Workflow and Integration Hub. Key automation examples included:
- Active Directory Integration: Real-time user account creation, updates, and deactivation.
- Automating Access Management: Managing access to shared folders and specialized accounts (e.g., SFTP, VPN).
- Optimizing HR Processes: Real-time updates from HR are reflected in Active Directory, eliminating delays and manual errors.
A critical enabler of this automation was a custom solution developed by Devhd, which included two default workflows—one for approval and one for fulfillment. These workflows enabled Veoneer to rapidly configure new catalog items, significantly reducing the time required for creation and fulfillment. The simplicity of the configuration is key, as administrators need only to complete data within specialized sections of each catalog item form to set up approvals, integrations, fulfillment, and notifications. This approach provides enhanced visibility over the entire process, while the customization via scripting allows for both straightforward and complex logic, tailoring the system to Veoneer’s specific needs.
Another important challenge for Veoneer was the labor-intensive nature of manual onboarding and offboarding processes. HR personnel had to input data across multiple systems, which often led to delays and potential security risks due to slow account deactivation. To solve this, Devhd designed a global application that fully automates these processes. By linking their HRM system to Active Directory we ensured real-time data synchronization, which reduced manual errors, enhanced security by promptly deactivating user accounts, and drastically cut down the time and effort required.
Ensuring a Healthy and Trustworthy CMDB
A reliable CMDB was essential for supporting Veoneer’s IT operations. Devhd utilized the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) framework to implement and structure the CMDB effectively. The team integrated configuration items (CIs) from multiple sources, including systems like SCCM, SolarWinds, Puppet, and Microsoft Intune. By using automated connectors (e.g., Service Graph Connectors) and import sets, we streamlined the CI population process and minimized duplication risks. The system was designed to reconcile CI attributes in real-time, ensuring a healthy and trustworthy CMDB that provides accurate, up-to-date information across all IT services.
This improvement significantly boosted the integrity of Veoneer's configuration management, while maintaining consistency and reliability in the data. Automating CMDB population under the CSDM framework also enhanced asset management and operational consistency across the enterprise.
With this solid foundation, Veoneer’s team is better equipped to manage configurations, track assets, and resolve IT issues, all while benefiting from a system that continuously reflects the true state of its infrastructure.
“We focused on ensuring that configuration items (CIs) were accurately identified and managed throughout their lifecycle, maintaining integrity, and securing the relationships necessary for controlling our services. With ServiceNow, we could automate processes and align our CMDB structure with key business needs, supporting our commitment to operational excellence, security, and compliance,” says Natalia Klaus, ServiceNow Platform Owner at Veoneer.
Automating Governance with AGR and SOX Compliance
Operating under Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) regulations, Veoneer required rigorous access controls. Initially, they struggled with a heavily customized SOX application that complicated changes and compliance management.
Devhd developed a comprehensive Account Governance and Re-approval (AGR) solution that automates controls around SOX applications. This dynamic re-approval app ensures continuous evaluation and revalidation of access, ensuring compliance and simplifying management.
Enhancing Real-Time Monitoring with AuditUP
Veoneer also faced challenges tracking unauthorized changes within SOX-relevant data fields. A key addition to Veoneer’s ecosystem was AuditUP, a custom application developed by Devhd (available on the ServiceNow Store) to ensure platform-wide governance and compliance.
AuditUP provides real-time monitoring of user activities, tracking changes across tables, fields, and configurations. Unauthorized changes would trigger alerts, creating an event that was then logged and processed. This solution reduced the manual workload required for monthly and annual SOX audits and required for monthly and annual SOX audits but also ensured full visibility into platform activities.
Benefits of AuditUP:
- Instant detection of unauthorized events, improving compliance.
- Enhanced visibility into platform administration activities.
- Reduced manual work for SOX audits and monthly controls.
- A fast, easy-to-implement solution with global enterprise usage.
Continuous Improvement
Devhd has empowered Veoneer to continuously enhance its IT operations by driving automation, strengthening governance, and optimizing IT service management processes. Through custom workflows, seamless integrations, and automated request management, Veoneer now automates 70% of IT requests, significantly reducing manual efforts. Real-time compliance solutions, including AuditUP for SOX governance and a healthy CMDB, provide greater visibility and accuracy across the enterprise. These improvements enable Veoneer to focus on innovation and strategic growth, supported by a foundation for ongoing enhancement.
We're thankful for Veoneer’s ongoing trust in our team over the years.
“Partnering with Devhd has been key in ensuring our IT processes are both efficient and compliant with SOX regulations,” says Natalia Klaus, ServiceNow Platform Owner at Veoneer. “With solutions like AuditUP, we’ve been able to keep everything aligned while strengthening our security framework. This collaboration has given us the tools to maintain control and visibility over our ServiceNow platform, and we take great pride in how we’ve successfully scaled our operations while maintaining high standards of compliance and security”.
