ServiceNow Inc. today said it’s buying Loom Systems Ltd., an Israeli startup whose software is used by companies such as Microsoft Corp. to monitor their information technology infrastructure.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Loom Systems has raised $15 million in funding from investors.

ServiceNow provides a cloud-based platform that helps companies automate the parts of their business that involve delivering a service, be it a customer-facing service such as technical support or an internal one such as getting corporate laptops for new hires. The platform is mainly used for IT-related tasks but not exclusively.

Loom Systems, in turn, has developed a monitoring solution called Sophie that uses machine learning to pinpoint infrastructure issues. Sophie aggregates logs and metrics from a company’s systems to create a centralized pool of operational data.

When the built-in AI algorithms find a problem, such as a malfunctioning server or an application with performance issues, Sophie generates a plain-English description to help administrators pinpoint the root cause. For common types of errors, the platform provides troubleshooting suggestions that detail how similar incidents were fixed in the past.

Loom Systems has racked up some big-name customers since launching in 2015. The startup’s software is used by the likes of Microsoft, the United Nations and Wipro Ltd., one of the world’s largest IT outsourcing providers.

ServiceNow will use Loom Systems’ technology to enhance its platform’s IT monitoring and technical support delivery capabilities. The company expects to close the deal by the end of the quarter.

Loom Systems’ machine learning-powered platform is part of a growing category of so-called AIOps products that harness neural networks to automate common IT tasks. The AIOps segment witnessed another acquisition on Tuesday when VMware Inc. announced it would buy Nyansa Inc. to obtain its network monitoring solution. The startup’s technology, VMware said, will boost its VeloCloud software-defined networking platform.

As for ServiceNow, additional acquisitions may be on the horizon. Speculation that the company will make more strategic purchases first emerged last October when Bill McDermott was appointed chief executive officer. McDermott had previously served as CEO of SAP SE, where he oversaw a number of major acquisitions, and at least one Wall Street analyst suggested the executive might pursue a similar strategy at ServiceNow. 

Image: ServiceNow