Understanding the Common Service Data Model (CSDM) in ServiceNow
The Common Service Data Model (CSDM) serves as a unified framework that helps organizations manage and illustrate their services and related data…
A fast-growing municipality in the Mid-Atlantic region, this city serves over 250,000 residents and is one of the largest in its state. As the population surged, City leadership recognized the importance of modernizing how services are delivered—not just to the public, but internally as well. The City had long prioritized the digital experience for both employees and residents, and they knew it was time for the next chapter.
With Cherwell approaching end-of-life and costly renewal fees looming, The City faced a critical deadline. Their IT service management platform was no longer meeting the needs of a growing workforce—and each delay increased risk and cost.
As with many organizations at this kind of crossroads, The City had a decision to make: opt for a like-for-like shift to another ITSM platform or use the moment to rethink what service delivery could look like long term. Rather than default to the status quo, City leadership chose a more forward-looking path—investing in a platform that could scale with them and support their broader vision.
The goal wasn’t just a smoother IT experience. It was to build a modern foundation that could eventually support service delivery across multiple departments—from IT to Facilities to Parks and Recreation. But to make that vision real, they needed a partner who could help them move fast—and get it right the first time.
Every organization reaches a crossroad: stay the course with incremental change or take the leap toward real transformation.
This city chose the latter—and committed to making the most of their moment.
Beyond20 had already earned The City’s trust through their initial Cherwell implementation and ongoing support. That foundation allowed our teams to move fast. With only 14 weeks from kick-off to go-live, we assembled a cross-functional team and got to work.
We led a series of collaborative workshops to identify immediate needs and lay the groundwork for a scalable platform. Eager to make the most of the compressed timeline, The City’s leadership moved decisively. With clear alignment across teams, decisions happened quickly—and confidently.
Key elements of the implementation included:
Obstacles like holiday scheduling delays, integration complexities with OneIdentity, and access issues were addressed in real time with tight coordination and creative problem-solving between teams.
Go-live was smooth—so much so that City leadership called it the fastest and cleanest implementation in their history. Fourteen weeks from kickoff to production, without cutting corners.
The new system empowers employees through an intuitive portal, streamlines day-to-day operations like incident handling and asset tracking, and provides leadership with reliable data for informed decision-making.
Just as importantly, the foundation is already growing. The City is now exploring change and problem management, generative AI use cases, and future expansion beyond IT.
Best of all? Our relationship doesn’t stop there. With a ServiceNow System Administration Services (SNSA) contract in place, the Beyond20 team has kept working with The City to provide guidance, support, and a little extra staffing to make sure they’re not just keeping up—they’re getting ahead.
