System Center Service Manager Whitepaper

8/9/2019 System Center Service Manager Whitepaper

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/system-center-service-manager-whitepaper 1/12

MicrosoftCorporation

Published:April2008

ExecutiveSummary

TheServiceDeskfunctionistheprimarypointofcontactbetweenendusersandtheITorganizationor

serviceprovider.Itsprimarygoalisoftendescribedastorestoreservicetoandtofulfillrequestsfromusers

asquicklyaspossible.However,bestpracticesuggeststhattheServiceDeskbegivenabroaderrolebeyond

thatofatraditionalHelpDesk,arolethatspanstheprocessesofincident,problem,change,andassetandconfigurationmanagement.

Organizationsfacethreekeychallengesastheyadoptthisbroaderapproach:

1) TraditionalServiceorHelpDeskproductsandtechnologiesareinflexible,requiringexpensiveand

timeconsumingcustomizationsthatslowdowntheadoptionofnewercapabilities

2) SomeproductslackintegrationofServiceDeskfunctionalityintoabroadersetofITmanagement

productsandcapabilitiessuchasoperationalmonitoringandautomatedconfiguration

management

3) Stillotherproductslackdirectsupportfortheadoption,integrationandoptimizationofprocesses

thatareprimarilydrivenbybestpracticeframeworkssuchasMicrosoftOperationsFramework

(MOF)andITIL®.

SystemCenterServiceManager,scheduledforreleaseinearly2010,isbeingdesignedtohelporganizations

dealeffectivelywitheachofthesethreechallenges.

ThiswhitepaperoutlinesthevisionforServiceManageranditsplannedcapabilities.

SystemCenterServiceManagerVisionandPlannedCapabilities



SYSTEMCENTERSERVICEMANAGERVISIONANDPLANNEDCAPABILTIES

©2006MicrosoftCorporation.Allrightsreserved.Thisdocumentisdevelopedpriortotheproduct’srelease

tomanufacturing,andassuch,wecannotguaranteethatalldetailsincludedhereinwillbeexactlyaswhatis

foundintheshippingproduct.Theinformationcontainedinthisdocumentrepresentsthecurrentviewof

MicrosoftCorporationontheissuesdiscussedasofthedateofpublication.BecauseMicrosoftmustrespond

tochangingmarketconditions,itshouldnotbeinterpretedtobeacommitmentonthepartofMicrosoft,

andMicrosoftcannotguaranteetheaccuracyofanyinformationpresentedafterthedateofpublication.The

informationrepresentstheproductatthetimethisdocumentwasprintedandshouldbeusedforplanning

purposesonly.Informationissubjecttochangeatanytimewithoutpriornotice.Thiswhitepaperisfor

informationalpurposesonly.MICROSOFTMAKESNOWARRANTIES,EXPRESSORIMPLIED,INTHIS

SUMMARY.

Microsoft,ActiveDirectory,Windows,theWindowslogo,andWindowsServerSystemareeitherregistered

trademarksortrademarksofMicrosoftCorporationintheUnitedStatesand/orothercountries.

ITIL®isaRegisteredTradeMark,andaRegisteredCommunityTradeMark,oftheOfficeofGovernment

Commerce(OGC)andisregisteredintheUSPatentandTradeMarkOffice.

Allothertrademarksarepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.




Contents

ServiceManagerOverviewandProductVision..............................................................................................................4 Comprehensive,Easytouse,andCustomizableServiceDeskCapabilities................................................................ ....5 ACentralIntegrationPointforITServiceWorkflowsacrossSystemCenter............................................................. ....6 Built-inSupportforServiceManagementFrameworksincludingMOFandITIL®.....................................................7

ServiceManagerPlannedProductCapabilities..............................................................................................................7 UserFunctionality.................................... ........................................ ....................................... ........................................ ........................7 IncidentManagement.................................. ........................................ ....................................... ......................................... ..........7 ProblemManagement................................. ........................................ ....................................... ......................................... ..........8 ChangeManagement................................... ........................................ ....................................... ......................................... ..........8 AssetandConfigurationManagement................................... ....................................... ........................................ .................9 EndUserSelf-Service.................................... ........................................ ....................................... ......................................... ..........9 ServiceDeskPerformanceReporting....................................... ....................................... ........................................ .................9

PlatformComponents.......................................................................................................................................................................10 Connectorframework.................................................................................................................................................................10 Workflowengine...........................................................................................................................................................................10 Webconsole................................. ........................................ ....................................... ......................................... ...........................10 Self-serviceportalwebsite.........................................................................................................................................................10 CommonDataWarehouseandReportingInfrastructure............................................................................................10 ConfigurationManagementDatabase(CMDB)...................................... ........................................ ..................................11 KnowledgeBase....................................... ......................................... ....................................... ........................................ ..............11

GettingStartedwithServiceManager...........................................................................................................................12




MicrosoftSystemCenter 4

ServiceManagerOverviewandProductVision

MicrosoftSystemCentersolutionshelporganizationsmanagetheirITenvironments,fromphysicaltovirtual,

acrossdesktops,devicesanddatacenters.TheSystemCenterfamilyofproductsisdesignedtoprovidea

singlewindowintoITservicestoallowproactiveplanning,deployment,management,andoptimization

acrossITplatforms.SystemCentersolutionscaptureandaggregatepracticalknowledgeaboutinfrastructure,policies,processes,andbestpracticessoITprofessionalscanbuildmanageablesystemsandautomate

operationstoreducecosts,improveapplicationavailability,andenhanceservicedelivery.

ServiceManagerwillextendtheSystemCenterfamily’scapabilitiesbyaddingacomprehensive,easytouse

andcustomizableServiceDeskproduct.ToensureServiceManagerenhancesthesupportoptimization

effortsofitscustomers,workflowsintotheproductthatdirectlysupportservicemanagementbestpractices

suchasthosefoundinMicrosoftOperationsFramework(MOF)andITIL®1.ServiceManagerisbeingbuilt

uponaprovenandextensibletechnologyinfrastructuresharedacrosstheSystemCenterfamily.Thiswill

enableworkflowintegrationacrosstheSystemCenterfamilyofproducts,andwillensuretheServiceManager

productcanbecustomizedtosupportanorganization’sspecificprocessesandrequirements.

Keytechnologiesintheproductinclude:

AworkflowengineforautomatingallorportionsofITprocessesandintegratingSystemCenter

solutions

Acommondatawarehouseandreportingplatformforintegratingbusinessintelligenceinformation

acrossSystemCenter

AconnectorframeworktosupporttechnologyintegrationacrossSystemCenter,otherMicrosoft

products,andcommonindustrymanagementtools

AConfigurationManagementDatabase(CMDB2)tosupportthemanagementofinformationabout

ITservicecomponentsandhowtheyrelatetooneanother

Aself-serviceportaltoprovideendusersaccessaninterfacetoITandreducehelpdeskcallvolume

byenablinguserstohelpthemselves.Aknowledgebasetocaptureandsharepracticalknowledge

forITprofessionalsandendusers

ThevisionforServiceManageristoachieveeachofthefollowinggoals:

1) Comprehensive,easytouse,andcustomizableServiceDeskcapabilities

2) CentralintegrationpointforservicemanagementworkflowsacrossSystemCentersolutions

3) Built-insupportforservicemanagementbestpracticeframeworkssuchasMOFandITIL®

Thesegoalsareexploredinmoredetailinthepagesthatfollow.

1FormoreinformationonITIL®,visitwww.itil-officialsite.com.FormoreinfoonMOF,visitwww.microsoft.com/mof .

2ACMDBisadatabaseusedtostoreinformationoncomponentsofITServices(knownasConfiguration

ItemsorCIs)includingattributesofCIandrelationshipswithotherCIs.

http://www.itil-officialsite.com/



http://www.microsoft.com/mof









Comprehensive,Easytouse,andCustomizableServiceDeskCapabilities

EachmemberoftheSystemCenterfamilyofproductsisdesignedtohelpITProfessionalsbetterserveusers

andthebusinessbyautomatingkeyservicemanagementcapabilities.SystemCentertodayprovidesawide

rangeofcapabilitiesthatsupportITProfessionalsincarryingoutservicemanagementtasks,including:

EndtoendservicemonitoringandcontrolwithSystemCenterOperationsManager

AutomatedconfigurationmanagementwithSystemCenterConfigurationManager ContinuousprotectionandreliabledatarecoverywithSystemCenterDataProtectionManager

DynamicvirtualandphysicalmachinemanagementwithSystemCenterVirtualMachineManager

Asshowninthefigurebelow,ServiceManagerwillintegratewithandextendthesecapabilitiesthroughthe

additionofkeyServiceDeskfunctionality,includingenduserself-service,incidentmanagement,problem

management,changemanagement,andassetandconfigurationmanagement,andreporting.

Figure1:SystemCenterServiceManagerSolutionArchitecture

WhileexistingServiceDeskproductsoffersomeofthesefeatures,ServiceManagerwilldifferentiateitselfby:

EnablingintegrationacrossSystemCentersolutionsandothercommonindustrymanagementtools

DeliveringcoreServiceDeskfunctionalitywithworkflowsintegratedacrossSystemCentersolutions

Makingcustomizationastraightforwardprocesswithoutchallengesinfutureversionsorupdates

Providinganeasytouseandintuitiveexperienceforallusertypes





ACentralIntegrationPointforITServiceWorkflowsacrossSystemCenter

TodayMicrosoftSystemCenterdeliversintegratedmanagementcapabilitiesthatspanfromthedesktopto

thedatacenter,fromphysicaltovirtualresourcesanddoessoviaaknowledgedrivenapproach.Service

Managerwillextendthisapproachbyprovidingacentralpointofintegration,notonlyintermsofaplatform

level,technologicalintegration,butalsobyincorporatingintegratedworkflowsessentialtotheoptimizing

servicedeliveryandoperations.ThesamplescenariothatfollowshighlightshowServiceManagerintegrates

workflowsacrossSystemCenter,takingtimeandcostoutofservicemanagementprocesses.

AsServiceManagerwilluseintegratedandproveninfrastructurecomponentsfromacrosstheSystemCenter

family,thislevelofworkflowintegrationwillbedelivereddirectlywiththeproduct,ratherthanrequiring

additionalintegrationwork.FurtherintegrationwithotherMicrosoftproductsandcommonindustrymanagementtoolsisplannedviaManagementPacksandConnectors.

Toaccommodatethespecificrequirementseachorganizationwillhave,ServiceManagerwillbeextensibleby

customersandpartnersusingthesameplatformcomponentsusedtodevelopthebaselinefunctionalityof

theproduct.MicrosoftpartnersareplanningtofurtherextendServiceManager’scapabilitiesbycreating

ProcessManagementPacks.Thesewillbesimilar,bothintermsofdesignanddelivery,toOperations

ManagerMonitoringManagementPacksandConfigurationManagerConfigurationManagementPacks,and

willaddsignificantcapabilitiestoacustomer’sdeployment.

SampleScenario:IntegratedIncidentWorkflowacrossSystemCenterOperationsManager,ConfigurationManager,andServiceManager

WhenaapplicationservicemonitoredbyOperationsManagerstopsunexpectedly,OperationsManagerwilldetect

theapplicationfailureandgenerateanalert.Thealertwillbeautomaticallyconvertedintoanewincidentin

ServiceManagerandassignedtoanIToperationsanalyst.TheanalystwillusetheServiceManagerconsoleto

opentheincidentticketandviewtheknowledge(providedbyOperationsManager)usefulinhandlingthiskindof

incident.Theknowledgewillinstructtheanalysttofirsttrytorestarttheservicebyclickingonthetasklink

provided.TheanalystwillthensubmitthetaskthroughtheOperationsManagerinfrastructuretotheagentmanagingtheserverwheretheWindowsservicestoppedunexpectedly.Theresultsoftryingtorestarttheservice

willthenbereturnedtotheuserintheServiceManagerconsole.Inthiscasetheincidentwillnotberesolved

becausethetaskfailstostarttheservice.Tofurtherdiagnosetheincident,theanalystwhilestillintheService

ManagerconsolewillpivottoviewtheperformancedataandeventscollectedbyOperationsManager.After

furtherinvestigationandsearchingtheknowledgebaseprovidedbyServiceManager,theanalystwillthen

determinethattheincidentistypicallycausedbyamissingsoftwareupdate.WhilestillintheServiceManager

console,theanalystwillthenpivottoviewthesoftwareandupdatesinstalledontheserverasreportedby

ConfigurationManager.Afterconfirmingthattheupdateisinfactmissing,theanalystwillcreateanew

emergencychangerequestrelatedtotheincident.Theanalystwillthenaddareviewactivitytogetapprovalfrom

theEmergencyChangeAdvisoryBoardandanautomatedactivitytoaddthecomputertotherightcollectionin

ConfigurationManagersothatthecorrectsoftwareupdateswillbeautomaticallyappliedoncetherequestis

approved.TheEmergencyChangeAdvisoryBoardwillthenbenotifiedimmediatelyandinthiscasewillapprove

theChangeRequest.TheautomatedactivitywillimmediatelystartandcommunicatewithConfigurationManager,puttingthecomputerintherightcollection.ThesoftwareupdatewillthenbeappliedbyConfiguration

Manageratthenextopportunity.Whenthechangerequestiscompleted,theanalystwillbenotifiedviaemail

automatically.Theanalystwillthenagaintrytostarttheservicebyrunningthetask.Thistimetheresultwillbe

successfulandtheOperationsManageralertandcorrespondingServiceManagerincidentwillbeautomatically

resolved.





IncidentManagement:managing

Incidents(instancesofunplanned

interruptionstoorreductioninthe

qualityofservices)end-to-end

throughouttheirlifecycle,withthe

primaryobjectiveofrestoring

servicetousersandfixingerrorsin

theinfrastructureasquicklyas

possiblesoastominimizenegative

businessimpact.

Built-inSupportforServiceManagementFrameworksincludingMOFandITIL®

OneofthekeymotivationsforshiftingfromatraditionalHelpDesktoabroaderServiceDeskapproachisto

improvethedeliveryofservicestoendusers.Whiletechnologyhasaclearroletoplay,meetingthis

challengeisclearlynotsomethingtechnologyalonecansolve.Intheend,ITprofessionalssupportand

deliverservices.TooptimizeITservices,organizationsoftenutilizetheirownprocessesbasedguidancefrom

servicemanagementframeworkssuchasMOFandITIL®.Automation,integrationandcustomizationofthese

servicemanagementprocessesworkflowsareakeyfactorinsuccess.

ServiceManagerisdesignedwithkeyprocessworkflowsthatsupportMOFandITIL®builtdirectlyintothe

product.ServiceManagerwillprovidedirectsupportforkeyprocessesforincident,problem,assetand

changemanagement,ensuringthateachactiontakenintheseareascomplieswiththebestpractices

recommendedintheseframeworks.Aseachimplementationoftheseframeworksisuniquetotheprocesses,

technology,andstructureoftheorganizationconcerned,ServiceManagerwilldelivertheabilitytoeasily

customizeworkflowsandprocesses.

ServiceManagerPlannedProductCapabilities

ServiceManager’splannedcapabilitiescanbeviewedastwoseparatebuttightlyintegratedareas:user

functionalityandplatformcomponentssupportingthisfunctionality.Thesectionsthatfollowlistand

describeServiceManager’splanneduserfunctionalityandtheplatformcomponentsthatsupportit.

UserFunctionality

IncidentManagement

ServiceManagerwillsupporttheIncident

Managementprocessbyprovidingout-of-the-

boximplementationofcoreITIL®/MOF

functionality.Theproductwillhelpreducecall

handlingtimebyproviding:

Instantaccesstorelated

configuration,assetandsystem

healthinformation.

TheabilitytomaptheServiceDesk

systemtothebusinesswithuser-

definedqueues,servicelevelmetrics,

andescalationpolicies.

Built-inperformancedashboardsand

trendingreportsfortrackingofteamand

overallprogressinrelationtobothincidentsand

performancegoals.

AsingleunifiedsearchenginedesignedtohelpServiceDeskanalystsfindanswersquicklyand

accuratelywithindisparateknowledgestores.

Automaticincidentcreationandrouting,from

servicesmonitoredbyOperationsManager2007andConfigurationManager2007,enablingthe

trackingofresolutionofone-timeandrecurringincidentsusingproblemrecords.





ProblemManagement:isolating

andeliminatingtherootcauseof

problems(theunknownunderlying

causesofoneormoreIncidents),

providinginformationonproblems

andknownerrors,preventing

incidentsfromhappeninginthe

firstplace,andminimizingthe

negativebusinessimpactofthose

thatdo.

ChangeManagement:minimizing

thebusinessdisruptionofchanges

(additionandremovalof,and

modificationstoITservicesand

theircomponents),andensuring

that,“whatchanged?”canbe

traced.

ProblemManagement

InServiceManager,auserwillbeabletoeasilycreate

anewproblemrecordfromanincidentorattach

anincidenttoanexistingproblem.Anactionlog

willbeusedtocapturetheactionstheITteam

hasundertakentodiagnoseandresolvethe

problem.

Analystswillbeabletomarkproblemrecords

asknownerrorstomakethemmorevisibleto

otheranalyststryingtoresolveincidents.This

willreducetheamountoftimespent

investigatingerrorssinceananalystwillbe

abletosimplylinkincidentstoaproblem,for

example,linkingmultiplenetworkoutage

incidentstoanetworkswitchbeingunavailable.

ChangeManagement

ServiceManagerwillsupporttheChangeManagement

processby:

AccuratelycreatingRequestsforChange

(RFCs3),includingallrequireddetailssuch

asthereason,priority,andimpactofthe

change,aswellaslinkstoaffected

ConfigurationItems(CIs)4.

InitiatingRFCsdirectlyfromincidents,fillinginRFCinformationquicklyusing

pre-definedtemplatesforcommontypes

ofRFCs.

Providingconfigurablereviewstagesand

manualorautomaticactivitiesthatgive

structuretoITprocesses.

Allowingmeasurementoftheperformanceand

effectivenessoftheprocess

throughprocess-specificdashboardsandreports.

FeaturingautomaticupdateoftheCMDBviaautomaticdiscoverywhenRFCsarecompleted,

helpingensureitsintegrityasthedefinitiveconfigurationrecord.

3ARequestforChange(RFC)isaformalproposalforaChangetobemade.AnRFCincludesdetailsofthe

proposedChange,andmayberecordedonpaperorelectronically.ThetermRFCisoftenmisusedtomeana

ChangeRecord,ortheChangeitself.

4AConfigurationItem(CI)isacomponentthatmustbemanagedtosuccessfullydeliveranITservice,and

canincludeservices,hardware,software,locations,people,anddocumentation.





AssetManagement:maintaining

thevalueandownershipof

financialassetsandmanagedITcomponents,includingITServices,

hardware,software,sites,people,

anddocumentation)andthe

relationshipsamongthemasthe

basisforfact-baseddecisionsand

actionandcontrolofITservices

andcosts.

EndUserSelf-ServicePortal:acentralized,easy-to-useinterface

foruserstoobtaininformation,resolveincidents,andfulfillrequeststhemselves,withoutrequiringtheinterventionofServiceDeskanalysts,resultinginareductionincallstotheServiceDesk.

AssetandConfigurationManagement

ServiceManagerwillhelpmanageassetswithmore

thanjustinventory.Theproductwillprovide

workflowstohelpITprofessionalsmanagethe

lifecycleofassetsfromprocurementtodisposal,

andtheabilitytorelateCIstoincidents,RFCs,

problems,andknownerrors,providing

integrateddatathatgivesnotjustaclearand

accuratepictureofactualinventoryof

software,hardware,andapplication

componentassets,buthowtheyrelateto

otherkeycomponentsofITservicesand

workflows.Thisinformationwillbe

automaticallypopulatedfromwhatis

discoveredbyOperationsManager,

ConfigurationManagerandActiveDirectory.

ServiceManagerwillincludeCMDBvisualizationand

customizablelevelsofcomponenttracking,providinga

clearviewintotheconfigurationandthe rightlevelofgranularityofinformation.Additionalfeatures

includeCIchangehistory,detailedassetmodels,andcomparisonreporting.

EndUserSelf-Service

ServiceManagerwillfeatureanEndUserSelf-Service

Portalwithkeycapabilitiesincluding:

Acentralized,easytouseinterfaceforend

userstogetinformationonthehealthof

theirservices,relevantannouncements

fromITandthestatusoftheirrequests. ReductionincallstotheServiceDeskby

enablingenduserstoresolvetheirown

incidentsthroughtheabilitytosearch

theknowledgebaseandconsultalistof

commonissuesandresolutions.

ReductionincallstotheServiceDeskby

enablingenduserstofulfilltheirown

requests,suchasarequesttoinstallauthorized

applicationssoftware.

ServiceDeskPerformanceReporting

ServiceManager’sintegrateddataandreportingcapabilitieswilldirectlysupportServiceImprovement

Programs.Reportingcapabilitieswillspanincident,problem,change,configurationandassetmanagement.

Asset,changehistory,inventory,andcomparisonreportingwillbebuiltintotheproduct.

Reportingfeatureswillincludetrendreports,ad-hocreporting,performancemetrics,dashboards,all

integratedacrosstheSystemCenterfamilyofproducts.





PlatformComponents

PlatformComponentssupportingSystemCenterServiceManager’scapabilitiesandworkflowswillinclude:

Connectorframework

Workflowengine

Webconsole

Self-serviceportalwebsite

Commondatawarehouseandreportinginfrastructure

CMDB

KnowledgeBase

Thepagesthatfollowoutlinethesecapabilities.

Connectorframework

ServiceManagerwillprovidedataintegrationthroughacommonConnectorFramework.Connectorswill

includethoseforConfigurationManager2007,OperationsManager2007,andActiveDirectory.Partnersand

customerswillbeabletocreatesolutionsforsupportof3rdpartymanagementenvironments.Awizard

basedinterfacewillenableeasyconfigurationofconnectors.

Workflowengine

ServiceManagerwillshareacommonworkflowenginewithSystemCenterOperationsManagerandSystem

CenterEssentials.Customizationwillbeavailabletoensurecustomerscantailorthebestpracticeworkflows

availableinServiceManagertomeettheirspecificneeds.Workflowsforcoreservicemanagementprocesses

includingincident,problem,change,andassetandconfigurationmanagementwillbeprovidedoutofthe

box.ExamplesincludetemplatesandworkflowsforStandard,Minor,Major,Significant,andUrgent

changes,.

TheworkflowenginewillsupporthostingandexecutionofrelevantWindowsWorkflowFoundation

workflowsandPowerShellscripts.Thiswillhelpcustomersleverageexistingworkflowandscriptlibrariesto

quicklyauthornewprocessautomationworkflows.

Webconsole

Theproductwillprovidebrowser-basedaccessforITprofessionals,inadditiontoitstraditionalconsoleaccess

option.Userswillbeabletoviewincidents,changerequests,problems,configurationitems,andsearch

knowledgeconvenientlyovertheIntranetorInternet.Thewebconsolewillusethesamerole-basedsecurity

andauthorizationinfrastructureasthemainadministrativeconsole.

Self-serviceportalwebsite

ServiceManagerwillalsoincludeastandardASP.netwebsitetohosttherelevantSharePointwebpartsthat

willmakeupthewebuserexperiencefortheproduct.Thiswilldeliverasimplesetupandmaintenance

process,andstillallowtheoptionofembeddingself-servicewebpartsinexistingSharePoint-basedwebsites.

CommonDataWarehouseandReportingInfrastructure

SystemCenterServiceManagerwillprovideacommondatawarehousefortheSystemCenterfamilyof

products,enablingintegratedcross-productreporting.Thedatawarehousewillbeextensibletoallownewtypesofworkitemsorconfigurationitemstobestoredforreporting.

Reportingwillbeintegratedintothemainadministrativeconsoleinthesamewayascanbeseenin

OperationsManager2007.LeveragingthecapabilitiesofSQLReportingServices,userswillbeabletocreate

favoritereports,schedulereports,andautomaticallygeneratereportsthataresentbymail,uploadedtoa

SharePointsite,orstoredonafileshare.Userswillbeabletolaunchareportfromthecontextofaparticular

CIorworkitemandruntasksinthecontextofthereportstodrilldownondetailsortorundiagnostics.





ConfigurationManagementDatabase(CMDB)

TheCMDBplaysacriticalroleinensuringconsistencyacrossincident,problem,change,andassetand

configurationmanagementworkflows.ServiceManagerwilluseanenhancedversionofthedatabase

schemausedbyOperationsManagerandSystemCenterEssentials.Thiswillenabletighterintegrationand

betterdatasharingacrosstheSystemCenterfamilyofproducts.Richmodelsofassetsandtheirrelationships

andconnectorsforConfigurationManager2007,OperationsManager2007,andActiveDirectorywillbe

providedout-ofthebox.ServiceManagerwillprovidetheabilitytofederateitsCMDBwithotherSystem

Centerdatastorestoestablishaunified,reconciledviewoftheenvironment.Toallowtailoringtomeetthe

specificneedsoftheorganization,thedatabaseschemawillbeextensiblebypartnersandcustomers.

KnowledgeBase

ServiceManagerwillincludeaknowledgebaseforendusersandITprofessionalswhichwillfeature:

Easyaccesstodetailedexpertknowledgefortroubleshootingandproblemsolving.

TheabilitytoleveragetheMicrosoftProductGroupsandMicrosoftPremierSupportServices

KnowledgeBases.

InclusionofproceduresandprocessesdefinedbyMOF.

Theabilityforuserstocustomizeoraddtheirownorganization-specificknowledgetoService

Manager. Inclusionofknowledgefromothersources,forexample,knowledgefromSystemCenterOperations

Manager,orwebsites,suchasMicrosoftTechNet,throughintegrationswiththeServiceManager

consoleandportal.

AccessibilitybybothITprofessionalsandendusers.

Knowledgebasesearchusingeitherfulltextsearchorspecificcriteria.

ServiceManager’sknowledgebasewillresidewithintheCMDB.Knowledgewillbedeliveredandpopulated

automaticallyinthreeways:viaManagementPackssuchasthoseseeninOperationsManager,viathe

ProcessManagementPacksdiscussedearlierinthispaper,orviamanualentry.

InadditiontosearchingtheknowledgebasestoredintheCMDB,userswillbeabletosearchother

knowledgestoressuchasIntranetSharePointdocumentlibraries,orInternetsitessuchaslive.com,

support.microsoft.com,ortechnet.microsoft.comusingcustomizable“SearchProviders”.Userswillbeableto

provideasinglesearchtermtosearchboththeCMDBknowledgebaseandtheexternalknowledgesources

viatheSearchProvidersatthesametime.Anyknowledgearticle,whetherintheCMDBorinanexternal

source,willbeabletobelinkedtoworkitemsorconfigurationitems.Lastly,bothendusersandIT

professionalswillbeabletoprovidefeedbackonknowledgearticlesandtheproductwillprovidereports

basedonthisfeedbackthatcanbeusedtoimprovethequalityoftheknowledgebaseovertime.





GettingStartedwithServiceManager

SystemCenterServiceManagerwillprovidecomprehensive,easytouse,andcustomizableServiceDesk

capabilities,acentralintegrationpointforservicemanagementworkflowsacrosstheSystemCenterfamilyof

products,andbuilt-insupportforservicemanagementbestpracticeframeworkssuchasMOFandITIL®.

ServiceManagerwilldifferentiateitselfby:

EnablingintegrationacrossSystemCentersolutionsandothercommonindustrymanagementtools

DeliveringcoreServiceDeskfunctionalitywithworkflowsintegratedacrossSystemCentersolutions

Makingcustomizationastraightforwardprocesswithoutchallengesinfutureversionsorupdates

Providinganeasytouseandintuitiveexperienceforallusertypes

OrganizationsthatimplementServiceManagerwillbenefitbyleveragingtheirexistinginvestmentsin

Microsofttechnologies,inparticular,throughintegrationoftechnologiesintheSystemCenterfamilyof

products.Otherbenefitswillincludeimprovedalignmentofservicesupport,animprovedproductivityand

experienceforendusersacrosstheorganization,practicalknowledgeforfact-baseddecisionsandactions,

andtheplatformformeasurablecontinuousimprovement.

WhilefullreleaseoftheServiceManagerproductisnotplanneduntilearly2010,nowisthetimetobegin

preparingforimplementationbyestablishingasolidsystemsmanagementfoundationthroughtheSystemCenterfamilyofproductsandexploringhowMOFcanimproveITthroughouttheITserviceslifecycle.

FormoreinformationonServiceManager,includingcurrentreleasetimelinesandopportunitiesforearly

adoption,visittheServiceManagerwebsiteatwww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/svcmgr/default.mspx,and

theSystemCenterblogathttp://blogs.technet.com/systemcenter.

FormoreinformationontheSystemCenterFamilyofproducts,visit:

SystemCenterConfigurationManagerwww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configmgr/default.mspx

SystemCenterOperationsManagerwww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/opsmgr/default.mspx

SystemCenterDataProtectionManagerwww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/dpm/default.mspx

SystemCenterVirtualMachineManagerwww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/scvmm/default.mspx

SystemCenterEssentialswww.microsoft.com/systemcenter/essentials/default.mspx

SystemCenterMobileDeviceManager2008www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/mobile/default.mspx

SystemCenterCapacityPlanner2007www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/sccp/default.mspx

FormoreinfoonMOF,visitwww.microsoft.com/mof

FormoreinformationonITIL®,visitwww.itil-officialsite.com/home/home.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/svcmgr/default.mspx



http://blogs.technet.com/systemcenter



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configmgr/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/opsmgr/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/dpm/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/scvmm/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/essentials/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/mobile/default.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/sccp/default.mspx






http://www.itil-officialsite.com/home/home.asp














Documents

System Center Service Manager Whitepaper