Fujitsu’s global strategic partnership with ServiceNow is reshaping how enterprises adopt artificial intelligence and drive digital transformation, delivering substantial and measurable returns on investment. This collaboration is designed to provide next-generation automation, embed responsible AI, and create sustainable digital solutions for complex business environments. The partnership aims to help businesses streamline siloed enterprise systems, applications, and complex processes through automation.
The collaboration has already demonstrated significant financial impact, with joint customers realizing an average 791% return on investment over the past year. Officially signed in 2024, the partnership builds on years of previous collaboration and is centered on a multi-faceted approach to innovation and customer success. It addresses the core challenge of maximizing the value of ServiceNow’s NOW Platform while leveraging advanced AI capabilities to drive innovation directly within the customer’s existing operational framework.
A Strategic Alliance for Digital Transformation
The partnership between Fujitsu and ServiceNow is built on three foundational pillars designed to foster innovation and deliver tangible results. These pillars ensure a deep integration of technologies and expertise, creating a comprehensive support system for enterprises undergoing digital transformation.
Customer Zero and Co-innovation
A key element of the alliance is Fujitsu’s role as a “Customer Zero” exemplar of the ServiceNow platform. By implementing and utilizing the platform internally, Fujitsu gains firsthand knowledge and insights that can be translated into innovative solutions for its customers. This hands-on experience allows Fujitsu to refine best practices and develop new offerings based on real-world usage. As part of this commitment to co-innovation, a new Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Center is set to open in Kawasaki City, Japan, in the second half of 2024. This center will serve as a hub for developing new cross-industry solutions, conducting marketing activities, and fostering mutual human resource development to ensure high-quality customer success.
Integrated Expertise
The partnership also involves the deep integration of Fujitsu’s Customer Advisory and Support Excellence (CASE) practice with ServiceNow’s Customer Excellence Group (CEG). This collaboration combines Fujitsu’s extensive industry knowledge and professional services with ServiceNow’s powerful platform and tools. According to Ian White, Global Head of CASE & Managed Services at Fujitsu, this creates a true partnership between ServiceNow, Fujitsu, and the customer, with the shared goal of maximizing the value of the NOW Platform. The insights and knowledge from global deployments will be made globally available later this year through CASE’s professional services, allowing for seamless translation into customers’ ServiceNow platforms.
Targeting Key Industries for Maximum Impact
To ensure a focused and effective rollout of their joint solutions, Fujitsu and ServiceNow will initially target the manufacturing sector. This strategic decision allows the partnership to address specific industry challenges with tailored solutions, with plans to expand to other industries in the future.
Manufacturing Sector as a Priority
The initial focus on manufacturing will bring to market solutions designed to manage overall Engineering Chain Management (ECM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) operations. As organizations in this sector evolve from decades of manual work and legacy systems, the partnership will leverage automation to streamline complex processes and break down operational silos. These efforts will concentrate on cloud-based offerings that contribute to streamlining customer operations and enabling data-driven management by combining ServiceNow’s solutions with Fujitsu Uvance, Fujitsu’s business model for solving societal issues.
Driving Measurable Business Outcomes
The collaboration is already delivering quantifiable results for customers, demonstrating the real-world value of this strategic alliance. These outcomes are not limited to financial returns but also include significant improvements in operational efficiency and automation.
Impressive Return on Investment
The most striking metric to emerge from the partnership is the 791% average return on investment for joint customers. This figure underscores the effectiveness of the combined expertise and technology in driving business value and supercharging enterprise AI adoption.
Efficiency and Automation Gains
As a user of ServiceNow’s platform, Fujitsu plans to leverage tools like Now Assist AI to enhance the efficiency and automation of its own business operations. The knowledge gained from this internal implementation will be used to streamline the development of new offerings for customers. For example, by using generative AI capabilities such as Fujitsu Kozuchi and Now Assist, Fujitsu anticipates a reduction in incidents by approximately 30%. In recognition of its contributions, Fujitsu was named the 2024 RiseUp with ServiceNow Worldwide Partner of the Year.
Executive Perspectives on the Partnership
Leaders from both ServiceNow and Fujitsu have expressed strong optimism about the partnership’s potential to drive innovation and create value for customers globally. ServiceNow Chairman and CEO Bill McDermott highlighted the immense opportunity presented by the collaboration. “Enterprises worldwide need a digital business model that frees up resources to fuel innovation,” he stated. “ServiceNow’s innovative, AI-first platform alongside Fujitsu’s deep industry expertise and global scale, will bring incredible value to our customers, turning their most complex operational challenges into opportunities for growth.”
Yoshinami Takahashi, Vice President and COO for Uvance at Fujitsu Limited, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the deepening integration of the two companies’ technologies and knowledge. “As we embark on this new strategic partnership with ServiceNow, we will deepen the integration of our respective technologies and practical knowledge, including in areas like generative AI,” he said. “The new cross-industry offerings created through this partnership will provide even greater value to more customers and society.”
Future Outlook and Global Availability
The strategic commitment between Fujitsu and ServiceNow, announced at ServiceNow’s annual customer event, Knowledge 2024, sets the stage for a new wave of innovation in enterprise AI. The partnership is poised to expand its offerings and reach, building on the initial success in the manufacturing sector to address the digital transformation needs of a broader range of industries. The establishment of the Fujitsu-ServiceNow Innovation Center in Kawasaki will be a critical component of this expansion, serving as a hub for ongoing collaboration and development. The professional services offered through Fujitsu’s CASE practice will be made available globally later this year, ensuring that customers worldwide can benefit from the integrated expertise of this powerful alliance.
