ServiceNow Grabs ISV Partner Fairchild

Acquisition of MSP comes as company undergoes executive changes

ServiceNow, fresh off an executive shake-up late last month that saw a switch in CEOs, is buying Fairchild Resiliency Systems, an MSP and a ServiceNow independent software vendor (ISV) with expertise in business continuity management.

The Lowdown:  Fairchild is a longtime partner of ServiceNow, which specializes in deploying enterprise software in cloud environments. This is the first time ServiceNow has bought an ISV partner. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.

The Details:  ServiceNow and Fairchild have a rich history of partnering with each other, with the expectation that the integrations between their technologies will grow tighter once Fairchild is in the fold. Fairchild’s business continuity platform currently integrates with ServiceNow’s IT Service Management and Integrated Risk Management solutions, and Fairchild customers get access to ServiceNow’s Now Platform for business impact analysis. ServiceNow also uses Fairchild’s technology to support its own business continuity program. Fairchild, whose offerings are built on the Now Platform, also complements ServiceNow’s risk portfolio.

The Impact:  The acquisition comes as ServiceNow brings in a new CEO. The company last month announced the departure of CEO John Donahue, who is being replaced by Bill McDermott, the former top executive at giant enterprise software vendor SAP. Donahue is staying on with ServiceNow through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition before moving on to become CEO of global athletic gear maker Nike.

The Buzz:  “Fairchild’s BCM solution helps companies plan so that work can still happen during service and business process outages,” ServiceNow officials said in a statement. “With Fairchild, ServiceNow plans to extend its Risk portfolio by bringing together Fairchild’s business continuity capabilities with ServiceNow’s operational, vendor, and IT risk management capabilities to give organizations the visibility and flexibility they need to better manage risk and become more resilient.”