Barbara Whelan, ServiceNow, Christopher McDonald, ServiceNow, Claire Flynn, Ergo, Caroline Hackman, UCD, Shelah McMahon, Ergo
Client
University College Dublin (UCD)
Technology
IT Service Management (ITSM), Managed Services, ServiceNow
About UCD
University College Dublin (UCD) is one of Ireland’s leading universities, serving a diverse academic community. As a large Higher Education institution, UCD works to deliver efficient, scalable digital services while managing budget constraints, compliance requirements, and complex administrative and IT operations.
The university faced a significant challenge when their incumbent IT managed services provider exited the Irish market, requiring a fast, low‑risk transition to a new partner without disrupting critical university operations.
Ergo secured a four-year managed services contract with UCD to deliver a ServiceNow-based IT Service Management (ITSM) platform and a front-line service desk solution. This engagement supports 30,000 users across the UCD campus and represents a significant transformation of their IT operations.
UCD’s Digital Priorities
- Delivering quick, seamless, and accessible digital services for students and staff
- Simplifying cross‑department workflows to reduce administrative effort
- Strengthening governance, security, and compliance
- Enabling scalable digital innovation without adding internal overhead
Ergo’s Unique Approach
Ergo’s partnership with ServiceNow makes it a top reseller and service provider, delivering ITIL-aligned, tiered managed services through a certified ServiceNow instance. Building on this expertise, Ergo has partnered with UCD to deliver their priorities through a Managed Service model for ServiceNow, designed to:
- Remove barriers to entry by providing dedicated, tailored ServiceNow instances.
- Accelerate adoption through a standardised, automated onboarding playbook.
- Enable flexibility and scalability with a roadmap aligned to UCD’s evolving needs.
- Integrate seamlessly with their existing tools like Jira for enhanced workflow management.
- This approach allows UCD to consume ServiceNow value without building internal expertise or investing in a full Centre of Excellence.
Solution Overview
- Faster Time to Value: A 60% reduction in transition time means UCD’s community gains quicker access to modern, improved digital services.
- Smooth Transition: Tickets and knowledge base articles were migrated without disruption.
- Knowledge Transfer Workshops: Conducted discovery sessions to understand existing workflows, customizations, and reporting structures.
- Customised ServiceNow Instance: Tailored workflows configured application and governance controls reflect how UCD operates.
- Security: Ergo established a governance framework featuring secure instance segmentation, ITIL 4 – aligned service catalogue, performance and QA protocols, and a change management committee for roadmap oversight.
- Integration with Jira: Streamlined workflows across IT and business teams.
- Continuous Improvement Framework: A plan that includes roadmap development, regular update cycles, and the use of technologies like GenAI for creating knowledge articles and integrating Microsoft Copilot
- Ongoing support and optimisation to ensure long‑term success for UCD
Direct Benefits to UCD’s End Users and Student Population
- Faster issue resolution and shorter support wait times
- Better self‑service through clearer, AI‑enhanced knowledge articles
- Greater transparency via real‑time request status updates
- More reliable digital services with stronger SLA management
- Cohesive user experience across departments and campuses
- Improved support for digital classrooms, research systems, and hybrid learning
This comprehensive project resulted in:
- A secure, scalable, and efficient IT service management ecosystem that supports UCD’s long-term growth.
- Stronger governance and compliance with institutional and regulatory requirements.
- Enhances the overall user experience for students, faculty, and staff.
- Enables future‑ready innovation powered by ServiceNow and Ergo managed services.
“The transition of the UCD IT Helpdesk service to a new managed service partner, Ergo marks an important milestone in strengthening our support capabilities. The Ergo team has integrated quickly and effectively, and their professionalism, responsiveness, and service quality have met, and in many cases, exceeded our expectations resulting in a smooth transition and a high level of satisfaction. We look forward to building on our successful transition and working together on future goals and even greater successes.”
Customer Services Project Manager - UCD IT Services
Lydia Hatton, ServiceNow, Eoin Hanratty, UCD, Marta Borelli, UCD, John Clancy, Ergo.
Ergo and ServiceNow teams joined UCD’s brilliant IT team on campus to celebrate the go-live
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