Case Study

How a Global Bank Modernized Operations & Set the Foundation for Future-Ready Networking

Modernizing operations across 1,500+ business-critical applications and a multi-vendor stack – with regulator-grade governance, ServiceNow at the front door, and orchestration as a shared capability across the team.

Challenge

Over 1,500 business-critical applications. 10-20 segmentation requests expected daily. Manual onboarding, segmentation, and compliance reporting were eating time the SLAs didn’t allow for – and every change added risk.

Solution

Itential orchestrates micro-segmentation with Zero Networks, ServiceNow-fronted change workflows, multi-vendor device onboarding, and pre/post-check upgrades – with low-code that opens automation to engineers across the team.

Impact

Micro-segmentation: 3 hours → 30 seconds. F5 & Fortinet onboarding: 6 hours → 5 minutes. Firewall upgrades: 6 weeks → 2 weeks. Automation now a shared capability across engineering and ops, not a domain silo.

The Challenge

Manual Ops in a Fast-Moving World

For one of the world’s largest banks, manual network processes couldn’t keep pace with business demand. With over 1,500 business-critical applications, a complex multi-vendor environment, and growing regulatory pressure, every network change carried risk – and delays.

Whether onboarding devices, managing segmentation policies, or generating compliance reports, the team was bogged down in time-consuming, error-prone work. The team expected 10 to 20 micro-segmentation requests a day – a volume there was no way to meet manually without missing SLAs. As change volume grew, so did the risk and time cost. Automation wasn’t a nice-to-have. It was essential.

We expected at least 10-20 segmentation requests a day – and there was no way to meet SLAs handling that manually.

Director, Network Engineering

Global Bank

Why Itential

Why the Bank Chose Itential

Multi-vendor reality, ServiceNow-driven operations, regulator-grade governance, and a need to make automation accessible beyond network engineering – the seven criteria that mattered came together in Itential.

Orchestration, Not Just Automation

Scripts and point automation tools couldn’t bridge a multi-vendor stack with regulator-grade governance. The bank chose Itential because seven capabilities lined up with the operating model they needed – from ServiceNow as the front door to low-code that opens automation to the whole team.

Governance & Compliance Built In

Pre/post-check validation, approval gates, and audit trails run as part of every workflow – the governance regulators expect, captured automatically as work happens. Every change follows a consistent, compliant process whether it’s a segmentation request, a device onboarding, or a firewall upgrade.

ServiceNow as the Front Door for Every Request

ServiceNow is the front door for every network request. Itential orchestrates underneath – saving time on every single ticket and keeping the team in the system of record they already trust. The change process didn’t change. The work underneath it just got faster.

Multi-Vendor Orchestration Across the Stack

Cisco, F5, Fortinet, Zero Networks, Nautobot, Power BI – one orchestration layer across the vendor mix. The integration tax that blocked end-to-end workflows in a multi-vendor environment disappears, and the team builds services instead of stitching together vendor-specific tooling.

Low-Code Workflows for the Whole Team

Drag-and-drop workflow building put automation in the hands of engineers across the team – not just network specialists. The same canvas handles micro-segmentation, device onboarding, compliance reporting, and event-based troubleshooting. Automation stopped being a domain silo.

Zero Networks Integration for Micro-Segmentation

Direct integration with Zero Networks turned what was a 3-hour manual segmentation request into a 30-second orchestrated workflow. Validation checks and feedback loops run as part of the orchestration itself – not as separate processes engineers have to chase.

Compliance Reporting & Standardized Upgrades

Multi-vendor compliance reporting and standardized upgrade workflows replace error-prone manual processes. The regulatory posture strengthens as automation coverage grows – and the audit evidence is captured in the workflow execution history, not in a separate compliance project.

Consistent Monitoring From Day One

Automated device onboarding eliminates the blind spots that were leading to missed alerts and monitoring gaps. New devices show up the same way, every time, with consistent monitoring applied as part of the onboarding workflow. The visibility regulators expect, built into provisioning.

The bank didn’t need another script library or a vendor-specific tool. They needed orchestration that could standardize multi-vendor operations, front every request through ServiceNow, and open automation to engineers across the team – not just developers. Itential was the answer.

The Solution

Standardizing Network Operations at Scale

Itential is in production across the bank’s network operations – orchestrating micro-segmentation, device onboarding, multi-vendor compliance reporting, network device upgrades, and event-based troubleshooting. One platform, one set of governance controls, every domain.

Micro-Segmentation with Zero Networks

Direct integration with Zero Networks plus ServiceNow as the front door turned a 3-hour manual segmentation process into a 30-second orchestrated workflow. Validation checks and feedback loops run as part of the orchestration – consistent, accurate, and at the volume the SLAs demand.

Multi-Vendor Device Onboarding

F5 and Fortinet onboarding compressed from 6 hours to under 5 minutes – with consistent monitoring applied as part of the workflow. The blind spots that were leading to missed alerts disappeared, and the same workflow runs across the multi-vendor estate.

Network Device Upgrades with Pre/Post-Checks

Standardized upgrade workflows across Cisco, F5, and Fortinet with pre/post-check validation built in. Firewall upgrade timeline projected at 2 weeks instead of 6 – with the governance and audit evidence the regulators expect captured automatically.

ServiceNow-Driven Change Management

ServiceNow is the front door for every change request, with Itential orchestrating execution underneath. The system of record the team already trusts stays the system of record – and every request gets logged, approved, and audited the same way.

Automated Compliance Reporting

Automated compliance reporting built on Nautobot and Power BI – the audit evidence regulators expect, captured automatically as workflows run. Multi-vendor reporting replaces error-prone manual processes that used to consume engineer time on routine reviews.

Event-Based Troubleshooting

Event-based troubleshooting workflows catch issues earlier and route them to remediation. The team focuses on the complex problems that need engineer judgment, while routine triage runs automatically with full diagnostic context.

Itential was brought in to front all requests through ServiceNow – saving time on every single one. That’s the value.

Director, Network Engineering

Global Bank

The Outcome

Real Results: Speed, Scale, & Simplicity

Time costs slashed across the highest-volume workflows, risk reduced through consistent execution, compliance posture strengthened through built-in audit evidence. The bank’s network team unlocked a faster, safer, and more scalable operating model.

30 sec

Segmentation Fulfillment (Was 3 Hours)

Micro-segmentation requests now fulfill in seconds – the SLA load the team couldn’t meet manually, met automatically.

5 min

Device Onboarding (Was 6 Hours)

F5 and Fortinet devices onboard in minutes – with consistent monitoring applied from day one.

2 wks

Firewall Upgrades (Was 6 Weeks)

Firewall upgrade timeline projected to compress with standardized workflows and pre/post-check validation.

1,500+

Apps on the Network

Business-critical applications running on the network the team is now orchestrating end-to-end.

10-20

Daily Segmentation Requests

Daily segmentation request volume the team can now handle automatically – with consistent, audit-ready execution.

From Tactical Automation to a Culture of Orchestration

Automation is no longer siloed within domains, and teams no longer rely on slow, error-prone manual operations. Orchestration is now a shared capability across engineering, ops, and beyond – the foundation for a network that’s ready for what’s next.

For us, we take all our priorities and bucket them into two goals: increased efficiency and reduced risk. Those are my team’s primary goals out of any automation. Itential lets us do both – everything has to be done with an automation mindset moving forward.

Director, Network Engineering

Global Bank