In mid-September, ServiceNow announced its new Rome product release, which aimed to supercharge the HR tech giant’s AI-powered service operations and support employers in implementing hybrid working with its new Employee Center.

Another central element of Rome was it updated the ServiceNow’s Now Platform Creator Workflow offering. Hot on the heels of this update, the HR tech giant has acquired Denmark-based Gekkobrain for an undisclosed sum.

Gekkobrain helps companies to modernize their systems of record and has particular expertise in enterprise resource planning (ERP). This means that Gekkobrain will further extend the power of the Now Creator Workflow product, including App Engine.

The acquisition of Gekkobrain will therefore help employers to better understand custom code in their ERP use, as well as modernize their ERP systems through automating and customizing workflows.

According to a ServiceNow blogpost, “we’re thrilled to bring the Gekkobrain team on board to help customers accelerate their digital transformation journeys with ease and confidence”.

Gekkobrain was founded in 2016 and operated across the European Union and Scandinavia. It works with customers like Volkswagen, Boge, Bang and Olufesn, Arla and Maersk on their ERP needs.

ServiceNow and acquisitions

This is far from ServiceNow’s first acquisition during the pandemic. The company has been busy acquiring small, innovative startups in the 2020s.

For instance, back in May 2021, ServiceNow bought Lightstep, also for an undisclosed sum. Lightstep is next-generation observability leader that will help companies to transform how software solutions are provided to customers.

“Today, observability primarily benefits the DevOps teams that build and operate mission-critical apps,” said Ben Sigelman, CEO and co-founder at Lightstep.

“We’ve always believed that the value of observability should extend across the entire enterprise, providing greater clarity and confidence to every team involved in these modern, digital businesses. By joining ServiceNow, together we will realize that vision for our customers and help transform the world of work in the process – and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” he added.

Even more recently, ServiceNow bought Berlin-based Swarm64 to also support on the complex workflows needed for the future of hybrid work. The aim of this acquisition is to “future-proof the Now Platform”, according to a ServiceNow blogpost.

It also brought new database talent into ServiceNow’s ranks, which is incredibly relevant given how crucial data and analytics are to HR and business success in the new realities of work.