Integrating ServiceDesk Plus (SDP) with MDM
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus(SDP), is a helpdesk management solution from the stables of ManageEngine, available both on cloud and on-premises. This is the ideal integration from the MDM standpoint, as it lets you use MDM data for reactive management, in addition to the proactive management it already facilitates. With the SDP integration, you can have certain actions logged in as tickets in the SDP portal automatically and/or also have the high level asset data of devices synced for granular inventory management in your organization.This is applicable for both MDM On-Premises and MDM cloud.
Features supported
MDM combines its capabilities with that of SDP, providing better control over the managed devices. As every organization might have different needs from the integration, you have the option of selecting the features you want to utilize through this integration. Currently, MDM supports the following features:
Sharing asset data with ServiceDesk Plus(SDP)
With the granular asset management present in ServiceDesk Plus used for managing all the assets(such as routers, switches etc.,) in an organization, sharing the high level asset data of the devices managed using MDM, makes it easier to view all asset details from a central location. This data gets periodically shared with SDP giving the IT admins with better actionable insights, all from the convenience of the same portal used for managing other assets. Any action performed in SDP, based on the asset data is also logged in the portal leading to easier auditing.
Logging alerts as tickets in ServiceDesk Plus(SDP) portal
This another important feature available as a result of the integration with SDP, whereby certain alerts provided by MDM can be automatically logged in as tickets leading to enhanced insights as well as quicker actions. Currently, MDM supports logging alerts sent to users regarding blocklisted apps, as tickets in the SDP portal. This has been chosen primarily because of the inherent seriousness of how non-compliant apps present on a device, can lead to unauthorized data loss/access. Though MDM allows disabling of blocklisted apps, it is supported only for certain set of devices. For other devices though, MDM does allow you to notify the users regarding the blocklisted app and request them to remove the same. However, the compliance standards of your organization, might want to perform different actions for the users having devices with blocklisted apps including having it logged in the SDP helpdesk portal for future auditing and analysis. MDM lets the alerts sent for removing blocklisted apps logged in as tickets in SDP, proving the IT admin with details regarding the blocklisted apps present in the organization as well as the devices having these blocklisted apps, all in a centralized space - the SDP helpdesk portal.
Complete UI integrations with ServiceDesk Plus (SDP)
In addition to just sharing the data with the ServiceDesk Plus portal, Mobile Device Manager Plus also allows you to completely integrate the UI of both ServiceDesk Plus and Mobile Device Manager Plus. Doing so will allow the help desk technician perform various device management tasks, like associating profiles and distributing apps to devices, right from the ServiceDesk Plus console. This will allow the helpdesk technicians to quickly perform the different routine and mundane tasks, which in turn results in higher number of closed tickets and improves productivity.
Integration Procedure
Integrating MDM server with ServiceDesk Plus is quick and simple, whereby you can have the integration setup and working in a few minutes.To integrate with MDM cloud, follow the doc. For integrating with MDM on-premise, ensure the pre-requisites are fulfilled.
Pre-requisites
- Both Mobile Device Manager Plus(MDM) and ServiceDesk Plus(SDP) server must be running on the same network.
- The MDM server build number must be #92370 or higher and the SDP server build number must be #9414 or higher.
Initiating integration in MDM server
You need to initiate the integration from the MDM server as explained below:
- On the MDM server, click on Admin tab from the top pane and select ServiceDesk Plus, present under Integrations.
- Now, provide the following details regarding your SDP server:
- IP address/DNS Name: The location where your SDP server is hosted
- Port Number: The port number used by your SDP server
- Communication Protocol: Specify whether the communication is carried out in HTTP or HTTPS channel. If HTTPS is selected, you need to restart the machine which is hosting the server, for the changes to be reflected.
- Specify the features you want to facilitate using this integration. You can choose both Sharing asset data and Logging alerts as tickets or one of them.
- Once selected, the next step is to generate an API key as explained here.
API key generation
In the Mobile Device Manager Plus console
The API key is used to link the MDM server with SDP server, thereby completing the integration. Follow the steps below to generate API key:
- Navigate to Admin ->API key generation under Integrations.
- Click on Generate API key.
- Select the application for which the API key is to be generated. In this case, select ServiceDesk Plus.
- The API key will be generated and should be copied into the ServiceDesk Plus console.
In the ServiceDesk Plus console
The generation of this authentication key in the ServiceDesk Plus console is required only if you want to completely integrate ServiceDesk Plus and Mobile Device Manager Plus. It is not required to just share the asset data and log alerts in ServiceDesk Plus.
NOTE: You can create the authentication key, if you have logged into ServiceDesk Plus as an administrator.
- Go to Admin tab in ServiceDesk Plus.
- Under Users, select Technician.
- Click Add New to create a new technician and fill in the required details.
- Enter the name
- Enter the required description and specify the privileges required for the technician like, contact information, cost details, department details, assigning the group to technician and select permission.
- Check the Enable login for this technician checkbox. Enter the following details for the technician:
- Login Name
- Password
- Re-type Password
- Domain
- Select Enable Administrator Privileges (SDAdmin) option.
- Under API Key Details, click Generate/Regenerate to generate the authentication key.
Complete UI Integration Procedure
To integrate the MDM UI with ServiceDesk Plus, you'll have to configure MDM server settings in ServiceDesk Plus
- Click Admin ->Integrations ->Mobile Device Manager Plus.
- Enter the MDM server name, the port number and protocol settings.
- Select Enable MDM option.
- Click Save.
After enabling the MDM menu, ServiceDesk Plus users will be able to view the MDM menu on the SDP console.
Having integrated the UI of MDM with ServiceDesk Plus, the next step to do is to enable this menu for ServiceDesk Plus users. The MDM menu, by default, will be visible to all users with administrative privileges in ServiceDesk Plus (Build #9402 and above). However, when you configure the MDM Server settings, it will be visible only for whom the menu has been enabled.
To enable the MDM menu for users, follow the steps given below:
You should login to ServiceDesk Plus as a technician with Admin privileges in ServiceDesk Plus.
- From the ServiceDesk Plus Web console, select Admin --> Technicians
- Under the Login Details of the user, enter the login name and password of the required user.
- Choose what privileges should the user have in MDM:
- Admin privilege will have access to all the features
- Guest privilege will only have read-only access to Desktop Management functions.
- Select Enable login for this technician and then select Enable to access Desktop and MDM plugin functionality option.
- A new user is created for Mobile Device Manager Plus and/or Endpoint Central with the same login name and password as mentioned in the respective fields. A user may not be created if the license limit is exceeded in the respective product.
- Select the required privilege and click Save.
- Repeat the above steps for every user to whom the MDM menu has to be enabled.
MDM menu can be enabled only by the Administrator.
Modifying Integration Settings
There are certain scenarios where you might need to change the integration settings. Requirements such as enabling new features or modifying the server details in case of permanent server relocation are all too common. MDM allows modifying specific settings without affecting the integration as a whole. Follow the steps given below to modify the settings:
- On the MDM server, click on Admin tab from the top pane and select ServiceDesk Plus, present under Integrations.
- Click on the Server Settings tab and click on the Modify button.
- Modify all the required settings and then click on Save to save all the modified changes.
Removing SDP integration
You can also to remove the SDP integration, ensuring there is no further asset data and/or tickets specified on the SDP portal. However, the previously synced data and logged tickets can still be accessed in the SDP portal and must be removed manually, if need be. To remove the integration, follow the steps below:
- On the MDM server, click on Admin tab from the top pane and select ServiceDesk Plus, present under Integrations.
- Click on the Server Settings tab and click on the Remove button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the integration in MDM.