Release 1.10.2.0 of syscovery SavvySuite is now available for download for all customers with a software maintenance contract. In the following we have summarized some important topics of the new release for you.
Identity Management in the Web Application
As part of the successive conversion of the SavvySuite modules to the HTML5 web application, the first functionalities of the previous organization management have now been taken over under the name Identity Management. The target group is initially exclusively key users.
Search for persons
After entering the search criteria, the user receives a list of all persons who meet these criteria and to whom he has access. As usual, there is a detailed view for which you can configure which data should be displayed. Change processes can also be started from the detail view. It is no longer possible to make changes without a process, as was previously the case in the Classic web application.
Triggering Change Processes for Persons
After entering the search criteria, the user receives a list of all persons who meet these criteria and to whom he has access. In the wizard, the user first selects the desired change process, adds further data if necessary and starts the process.
Creating Persons
First, the user selects which person template is to be used. In the wizard, first name and surname are queried, if desired also date of birth and workplace type. After a duplicate check, in which the user is informed of any existing data records in his area of responsibility, any further data can be entered. The completion of the wizard starts the process.
Order history
Here you will find the implementation of the change proposal that received the most votes at the Customer Forum 2018.
Previously, the HTML5 web application (in contrast to the Classic web application) only allowed you to search for and display current order items. Now it is also possible to find already completed order items in the Key User application area. On the Equipment Details page, there is now an additional Order History area that can be expanded. Here, all processes that have been executed so far are listed and can be accessed by the user. The respective order item details can be accessed via a link.
Within the order item details, there is now an additional area Approval History, where all details for the approvals carried out are listed.
Inventory data evaluation
Within the scope of the SavvySuite customer forum 2016 in Worms, various changes were evaluated in a selection process. Most votes were cast for the proposal to carry out inventory evaluations. The article selection in the service catalogue should be based on the relevance for the service recipient. The assignment should be possible via user groups with matching task profiles.
Through the use of SQL Server R-Services, it is now basically possible to support hits for searches using statistical methods. It can be used in the following places:
- Application Area Self Service, Article Search in the Service Catalog, and Accessory Search
- Application Key User, article search for new order (receiver) and accessory search
No relevance criteria can be used for new orders via the article search in the catalog, since no service recipient is yet known.
A workflow analyzes the inventory data in the system regularly, for example once a week, and creates analysis data from this, on the basis of which the articles in the service catalog are sorted for the customer.
Decentralized catalog administration
The maintenance of the articles for the service catalog takes place in the SavvySuite administration application. This requires an installation on the administrator’s workstation. An administrator has thus the complete access to the entire application.
With different customers there is additionally the requirement that already existing articles are to be worked on by coworkers, who are not to receive otherwise any administrative rights. This option is provided by the new web application for decentralized catalog administration.
The installation is carried out as usual via the installation wizard or via script. As with the administration application, all users with an assigned administrator license are authorized to access the catalog.
In the first, now delivered expansion stage it is possible to search for articles in the service catalog and to edit the fields article name, description, comment and search terms. For employees of a foreign company, it is possible to select a target language in addition to the selected display language, into which the contents of the mentioned fields can be translated.
The transport takes place using system transport packages that have been created previously.
Enhancements in the Entitlement Area
Further functionalities have been added to the “simple” authorizations introduced in the last release in the new Web application.
- In the administration application, an additional tab now shows which equipment roles are available on an equipment and by which person(s) they are occupied. These assignments can also be recreated and removed.
- You can now define which authorizations can be assigned to each RM authorization object.
- For each RM authorization, you can now define which RM articles were used to create the equipment (for example, account) to which this authorization is to be assigned.
- A data owner of an RM authorization object can maintain data owners for this authorization object and authorizations.
The following cornerstones apply
- RM authorizations cannot be part of bundles or order proposals. Article dependencies cannot be defined for them.
- RM authorizations cannot be used in customer-specific forms.
- Attributes to RM authorizations cannot be used in the Web application.
- RM authorizations can always be ordered once.
Improvements
Various functions have been revised in the current release.
Executing a PIC with a Different User ID
Previously, the Pre-Installation Check (PIC) was performed automatically under the Windows authentication of the logged-in user. However, depending on the customer’s infrastructure, only a login with SQL Server authentication may be possible. This is now possible by optionally specifying account and password as additional parameters in the command call.
Additional checkpoints have been added, e.g. duplicate entries in the right table are now reported and it is checked whether all persons are linked to a person template.
Availability Groups
The use of SQL Server Availability Groups is now supported.
Easy Accessory Ordering
When a new order is placed, the system checks whether any accessories are available. If no accessories can be ordered according to the rules, the option will not be offered.
Setting up a representative
In the previous wizard it was difficult for inexperienced users to understand the various options available (representation, delegation) and to make the right choice for them. Therefore, the menu navigation has been simplified and made clearer.
Language at first login to SavvySuite
Previously, when a user logged on to SavvySuite for the first time, the system language used was read and compared with the languages available in SavvySuite. If the found language was not available, the alternative language was used. If the SavvySuite had English (en-US) as alternate language and German (de-DE) as language data and an Austrian (de-AT) logged in for the first time, the English values were displayed.
Now it is checked first whether a related language exists, in this example the de-DE language set would be used for Austria.
Visibility control of articles
For articles, it is possible to restrict the orderability for each anchor hierarchy level, for example, to define an article for subsidiary X or country Y as not orderable. The configuration in the administration application was previously done in a small list window, in which it was very tedious to select something from a list that sometimes contained more than 100 entries.
The display has now been completely revised, an additional detail window is now used for selection, in which a search for different criteria and a multiple selection of elements is also possible. In addition, the detailed view of the list entries can also be opened if the administrator wants to look something up.
Additional cross references in the administration application
As in previous releases, additional cross-references have been integrated. It is now possible to display the linked RM orders, RM order items, equipment and tasks from a person object and open a detail window by double-clicking.
Improved Processing of Placeholders
If placeholders were previously used in the configuration of workflows, a content check was only possible when the workflow was executed.
Now it is displayed for each field which placeholders are allowed when the mouse is moved over them. Once inserted, the different placeholders (context variables, application settings, timestamps) are displayed in different colors. If the cursor is moved over a placeholder, its value is displayed, if available.
As usual, the new SavvySuite release is available for download in our Customer Interaction Center. After logging in, click on Knowledge Center -> Setup packages.
Release 1.10.7 – Ordering entitlements made easy
The new SavvySuite 1.10.7 has been released. We can report about two big topics and many small changes.
Entitlements can be ordered now
The Entitlement Management module is about managing permissions for a user. Up to now, this was done as follows: e.g. a project manager manages the access rights to the project share and gives read or write permissions to the project members.
Now we have also made it possible within Entitlement Management to proceed in the same way as for an ordinary article order. So a new project member searches for the project share in the catalog and requests write permissions. This starts an order process with approval as usual. The project worker can track the order item and see the entitlement along with all other inventory in her configuration item list.
Alternatively, a key user can also start this action. So the department secretary already orders the necessary SAP authorizations for the new employee who starts next week.
You do not want to use this new functionality yet, but only want to have the data owner authorizations assigned as before? No problem, the function can be completely switched on or off via an application setting.
Decentralized portfolio management
A customer request that has already been expressed several times has now been implemented: If allowed by the central catalog administrator, one or more persons per company can now control whether an article should be orderable for this company or not. To do this, a person is assigned the role of Portfolio Manager for the company in question. In Decentralized Catalog Administration, this person now receives a list of all articles for which a corresponding configuration option has been set up. By simply activating or deactivating a checkbox, the article is marked as orderable or not orderable for this company.
A new, additional license is required for holders of the Portfolio Manager role. Simply order the desired quantity of these licenses when requesting the license file for the new release.
News from the administration application:
For relations to order items and configuration items, the article number and article name are now also displayed to make it easier and faster to identify the items you are looking for.
At the bundle header is defined, which components it contains. Now it is also possible to search the other way around. An additional tab is now displayed at an article that is contained in a bundle, on which the bundle(s) are listed and can be opened as usual by double-clicking.
For a role it is defined, which combination of hierarchy level and position has this role. Now it is also possible to search the other way around. At a position it is shown for which hierarchy level this position has which role. Also at the places where a person is assigned a position or an organizational unit is assigned a position holder, the overview can now be called.
Until now, the IDs of work order templates were assigned automatically and were therefore quite cryptic and very long. Now the configurator can assign the ID itself and choose a more recognizable ID that simplifies configuration in other places.
Until now, only a one-line description text could be entered at a work order template. This was tedious and confusing for longer texts. Now a large, multi-line text field is available.
For assigning workflows to work order templates, all active workflows in the system were previously displayed, even if they were not usable for work orders. From now on, only workflows that are useful will be displayed.
News from Decentralized Catalog Administration:
Previously, it was only possible to create structural elements in the administration application that were to be used as categories in the service catalog. This is now also possible in the Decentralized Catalog Administration. Categories can be created, modified and deleted. The existing license for Service Catalog Manager now additionally receives the rights to this new functionality.
It is now also possible in Decentralized Catalog Administration to maintain the multilingual name fields for the structural elements that are used as categories of the service catalog. The existing license for Service Catalog Translators now additionally receives the rights to this new functionality.
In the results list of the article search, there is now a context menu for each article in which the possible actions are listed and called up directly. This makes the list clearer and the context menu easier to use, since only the available actions are displayed.
Until now, it was only possible in the Administration application to assign articles to a structural element used as a category in the service catalog. In the Decentralized Catalog Administration, it was previously necessary to find the article and then assign the category. From now on, in addition to the order proposals, article assignment can also be done directly on the structural element.
Catalog maintainers can specify the display sequence of articles and order proposals within a catalog category in Decentralized Catalog Administration. This sorting is now displayed more clearly, and it is now easier to move items by several positions.
Extension of the Web API
With the Web API it is only possible to export data from SavvySuite? No, it is now possible to import data via the Web API as well. For example, if a third party system is to be connected for fulfillment, an order item can be exported and will remain in a holding state until a response arrives via the Web API and updates the order item. Instead of project-specific configurations, the standard-compliant API can be used here in the future.
We have extended the scope of the export functionalities with additional data objects, as announced in previous releases. Now these data can be exported
Software requirements
Here we stay up to date: as of this release, the .NET Framework version 4.8 is required, version 4.7 can no longer be used.
New training offers
Apart from the new release, syscovery is also active. In addition to the previous offers, we now have three new online trainings for the Workflow Management module. In compact 4-hour units you will learn more about the following topics:
Basic concept of workflow management, creating and editing workflows, monitoring workflows
Introduction to the workflow context, creating branches, getting to know and using the first actions and transitions
Workflows for approval, approval review, equipment generation, acceptance and status change
There is a final certification exam for all three topics together. Dates and further details can be found on our german website in the trainings section.
Any questions?
There are open questions or you would like to have a look at all advantages and new features of the new the SavvySuite release 1.10.7 during a presentation? Then simply arrange an appointment with your syscovery contact. How about combining this appointment with a Feedback & Future Session, where you could suggest topics for the future development of the SavvySuite features? Maybe your proposal will be included in the competition of customer changes and will be implemented if it wins the vote.
Release 1.10.4 – New categories for article search
Release 1.10.4.0 of syscovery SavvySuite is now available for download for all customers with a software maintenance contract. In the following we have summarized some important topics of the new release for you.
Self service users in the web application
The new order page for Self Service users has been improved once again. The categories can now be sorted as desired and can also contain order proposals. This category structure is now also available in all other searches. The display of search result is weighted according to search terms and catalog assignment. A breadcrumb navigation (listing of the steps taken) provides an overview.
The overview page for order items has been completely redesigned. You can now see at a glance how many order items are still being processed and how many order items were successfully completed in a period of time you have selected. The latest 10 order items are listed below. With one click you can navigate to the corresponding lists.
The start page of the equipment has undergone a similar fundamental redesign. Initially, only equipment that is not an accessory or component is displayed here. From this overview, you can click on the equipment to reach the detail page, where all accessories and components are displayed in a structured way.
Key User in the Web Application
Have you already selected articles, but do not want to start the order yet? Or have you put together a bundle of articles that you would like to order again and again in this or a similar way? Then you now have the possibility to save the currently selected articles as a template and call them up in the future. In contrast to the Classic order basket template, templates can now also consist exclusively of accessories. Each user can define the templates individually for himself, other users will not see them.
Flexible process control for any equipment
Until now, you have defined business processes in the service class. Via inheritance to the articles, the processes were then available at the equipment – or not. From now on, it is possible to mark business processes at the equipment as locked if certain business processes are not to be triggered or are only to be triggered in a defined period of time (example: runtime end process only from the end of the minimum runtime).
Display invoice data
We transfer further functionalities from the Classic Web application to the HTML5 Web application. This time it was the turn of Invoice Management. Self Service users can now see what has been charged for their equipment. Compactly for the last month or detailed for up to 10 years backwards. Cost managers export the invoice data for their area of responsibility in a csv file, which they can then prepare in a spreadsheet as required.
In the Invoice Management module, there have also been changes in the license calculation. Please refer to the Release Notes to see if any measures are required for your system.
Articles in the catalog tree
The decentralized catalog administration executed in any browser also receives additional features. Now a catalog administrator can configure at which position (or positions) of the catalog structure an article should be attached and in which order articles or order proposals should be displayed in the catalog category.
In addition, Release 1.10.4 offers many more new features:
As usual, the new SavvySuite release is available for download in our Customer Interaction Center. After logging in, click on Knowledge Center -> Setup packages.
Release 1.10.3 – New catalog structure makes findig articles quicker
Release 1.10.3.0 of syscovery SavvySuite is now available for download for all customers with a software maintenance contract. In the following we have summarized some important topics of the new release for you.
New Order – Article Search for Self Service
At this point, we received repeated feedback from customers regarding the performance of the list structure of the articles. After the last hotfixes had already reacted and the display of all articles was prevented, a fundamental revision has been implemented in this release.
On the new order page for Self Service users there are now three areas how to search for an article:
As usual, one or more search terms can be entered here, the system completes typed word parts if possible. New: for performance reasons, it is no longer possible to start the search without entering search terms.
The first eight orderable order proposals (sorted alphabetically) are listed here.
This section of the page displays tiles for the first 19 top-level catalog categories. If there are more than 19 top-level categories, the rest will be grouped under “Other”.
New catalog structure
Previously, it was possible to define and display any catalog structure in addition to the four-level catalog structure. However, this was not displayed in the defined order, but sorted by hits.
As of this release, only the structure definition can be used in the new Web application. Any number of catalog levels can be defined here. Articles can be displayed anywhere in the catalog, even several times in different places. Both the order of the catalog categories and the order of the articles in each catalog category can be configured in the administration application.
Select further articles
Until now, it was only possible for a Self Service user to re-order an item at the same time in one order process. In some situations, however, it is helpful to be able to order several articles together, for example if two or three software installations are to be added on one computer. This is now possible. Within the wizard you can easily add more items to the order. A list allows the user to keep track of what is currently included in the order and can fill in attributes or remove items from the list.
External page views
In the SavvySuite web application, additional direct accesses to the order item detail page and the article detail page are supported:
Detail pages as bookmarks or links
Until now it was not possible to save a detail page as a bookmark or to forward the URL link due to the encryption of the GUID. This has now been changed. The detail pages can now be reached via bookmarks or forwarded links.
Article Search Procedure in the Web Application
Previously it was possible not to enter a search term when searching for articles and to click on Search article, all available articles were then displayed. This is no longer possible. A search without a search term leads to a corresponding error message.
If first a category was selected and then the article search is started, the previously selected category is ignored.
Procedure for Other Searches in the Web Application
Triggered by the change in the article search, the function of the previous Reset Search button, which previously reset both the filter setting used and the search term, also changes. In the future, the search term will remain, only the filters will be reset. Accordingly, the button has been renamed to Empty Filter.
The entry of a new search criterion with subsequent search previously resulted in all filters being automatically reset. This is now also omitted, the set filter criteria are retained.
Workflow Configuration of areas of validity in the Administration Application
If an area of validity was previously created, the workflow configuration always had to be created manually. This is no longer necessary. If only different prices are to be defined for the area of validity, no workflow configuration is necessary at all. If there is to be a different process configuration, the standard workflow configuration of the service class is initially copied to the area of validity and can then be adjusted individually. It is now also possible to return from a different configuration to the standard of the service class.
Actions for Workflow Configuration
The actions contained in the basic SavvySuite delivery for use within workflow configurations have been enhanced:
Additional cross-references
As in previous releases, additional cross-references were implemented this time as well. This makes it much easier to trace processes or configurations or to track the process in the event of an error. Additional cross-references are now available for the following relations:
SC
Subordinate Catalogs Level -> Superior Catalogs Level
Order proposal -> Superordinate element
RM
Order -> Person
Order item -> Organizational element
Approval item -> Order item
Approval item -> RM Approval workflow
OB
Person -> Approval item
Person -> Organizational unit of the position
Representation of lower-level and higher-level organizational units
Organizational unit -> Position
WF
Workflow Monitoring -> System Workflow
WM
Task template -> Task
Task template -> Task configuration
Task template -> Workflow
Task Configuration -> Task Template
Task -> Task template
Editing Images in Decentralized Catalog Administration
In addition to the previous options to change article names and descriptions, article images can now also be uploaded or inserted from the existing image database.
Article description in the editor
Previously, the use of formatting (bold, enumerations, etc.) for the description text of articles was only possible to a limited extent, the catalog administrator had to insert the HTML tags manually. Now a comfortable editor is available, in which the usual formatting can be set menu-driven.
As usual, the new SavvySuite release is available for download in our Customer Interaction Center. After logging in, click on Knowledge Center -> Setup packages.
SavvySuite exchange of experiences or job market?
The “Große Liebfrauensaal” of the conference center “Das Wormser” was filled as never before with about 40 participants. On 21 and 22 May 2019 syscovery had invited to the sixth customer forum in Worms.
As in previous years, Dr. Peter Schwamb, Managing Director of syscovery GmbH, opened this year’s event with his key note. He examined the topic of agile organization identified by Forrester as a top trend. How do the SavvySuite and the syscovery consulting team support your company in becoming more agile?
SavvySuite Kundenforum 2019
The participants also knew the next programme item from the previous year. In order to get an idea of who they were dealing with, the participating companies briefly introduced themselves and described the scenarios in which they used the SavvySuite. In addition to many familiar faces, a new customer from Switzerland was warmly welcomed. The fact that the shortage of skilled workers is also a problem in IT was heard from several participants, who also included the information that there are still vacancies to be filled in their presentation for the introduction round.
Uwe Sacherer thankfully addressed the topic of advertising in his next presentation. He reported on various feedback & future sessions in which colleagues from product management visited our customers to take a closer look at difficulties and challenges and encouraged them to take advantage of the offer in the future as well. Topics that were raised several times, he now examined in more detail: language and language conversion; how to proceed when inactive employees are still assigned to active equipment; order placement by the deadline; and importing and distributing variable costs.
In the lunch break, participants were treated to a small buffet with offers such as “Moroccan bulgur salad with eggplant, peppers with mint coriander dip”, cocktail empanadas or shrimps in a dough coat. At the bar tables in the foyer, the opportunity was eagerly taken to speak personally with other customers or syscovery employees, with whom one exchanges e-mails or makes phone calls for the rest of the year.
Bastian Wolf
In the next talk, Bastian Wolf, the head of SavvySuite product development, informed about the new features in release 1.10.2, which was released in January. The web-based decentralized catalog administration was newly introduced. Additional functionalities in the new web application were mainly available for key users in Identity Management and Entitlement Management. There were improvements in setting up representatives and ordering accessories. In the administration application, the support for the configuration of workflows was improved and the possibility of inventory data evaluation for improved catalog display was implemented.
The subsequent customer presentation by Harald Brech, Deutsche Telekom IT GmbH, dealt with anonymizing and pseudonymizing. He presented the concepts he uses to delete personal data that is no longer required or to store it in compliance with the law. From the general conditions to the analysis of previous processes and the technical implementation, the participants gained an intensive insight into the recently implemented project.
Block five was another regular component of the customer forums. Customers who had taken part in Feedback & Future Workshops were asked in advance to develop suggestions for changes. Five suggestions from three customers were presented.
Dr. Peter Schwamb und Uwe Sacherer
The customer representatives described their ideas, Uwe Sacherer supplemented the syscovery implementation proposals:
In a neck-and-neck race, proposal 5 with 19 votes overtook proposal 1 with 16 votes at the end. It will now be implemented for the next release.
On the way to the evening program, a flexible navigation system was required, as two roadblocks had to be turned around. Also the local taxi drivers had their problems. Happily arriving in Worms-Herrnsheim, the group learned a lot about vinegar production and was allowed to try a few things. After a short hike the evening ended with a dinner in Herrnsheim Castle.
Bastian Wolf
At the beginning of the second day, Bastian Wolf intensively dealt with the possibilities offered by bundles for designing the service catalogue. The focus was on variants of the process configuration and possibilities for changing the bundle composition.
Peter Suhling then examined critical infrastructures from the perspective of an ISO 27001 auditor.
In Block 8, Reinhard Kehl, Head of Consulting, dealt with the quality of master data in an implementation project. He explained why the data quality is critical for an implementation project and how the consultants analyse the data in practice “on dry land” with a simulation in advance. Using the example of missing address data, he demonstrated the possibilities of dealing with the situation at short notice in order to still be able to meet deadlines.
During the lunch break, after enjoying a tomato mozzarella burgers or carrot and coconut soup with ginger and similar delicacies, several customers took the opportunity to take a look at the latest release of the Savvy Suite on the demo notebooks or to ask questions that had arisen in the discussion about the various implementation options. The experts of syscovery were available for all questions.
Reinhard Kehl
In the last lecture of the day, Bastian Wolf looked into the future. After a short preview of the release 1.10.3.0, which is already in development, he dealt with the question how a smooth transition from the Classic Web application to the new HTML5 Web application could look like. Then there were some other improvements that are planned for the near future. His concluding remark that future changes will also be strongly influenced by the feedback of our customers in the Feedback & Future Workshops closed the circle to the first presentation.
With a vinegar presentation in their luggage and many new food for thought, the participants started their return journey. Not least due to the crosses on the evaluation forms, the participants gave very positive feedback and announced that they would be happy to return next year.
Release 1.10.2 – Adding Identity Management features and Decentralized Catalog Administration
Release 1.10.2.0 of syscovery SavvySuite is now available for download for all customers with a software maintenance contract. In the following we have summarized some important topics of the new release for you.
Identity Management in the Web Application
As part of the successive conversion of the SavvySuite modules to the HTML5 web application, the first functionalities of the previous organization management have now been taken over under the name Identity Management. The target group is initially exclusively key users.
Search for persons
After entering the search criteria, the user receives a list of all persons who meet these criteria and to whom he has access. As usual, there is a detailed view for which you can configure which data should be displayed. Change processes can also be started from the detail view. It is no longer possible to make changes without a process, as was previously the case in the Classic web application.
Triggering Change Processes for Persons
After entering the search criteria, the user receives a list of all persons who meet these criteria and to whom he has access. In the wizard, the user first selects the desired change process, adds further data if necessary and starts the process.
Creating Persons
First, the user selects which person template is to be used. In the wizard, first name and surname are queried, if desired also date of birth and workplace type. After a duplicate check, in which the user is informed of any existing data records in his area of responsibility, any further data can be entered. The completion of the wizard starts the process.
Order history
Here you will find the implementation of the change proposal that received the most votes at the Customer Forum 2018.
Previously, the HTML5 web application (in contrast to the Classic web application) only allowed you to search for and display current order items. Now it is also possible to find already completed order items in the Key User application area. On the Equipment Details page, there is now an additional Order History area that can be expanded. Here, all processes that have been executed so far are listed and can be accessed by the user. The respective order item details can be accessed via a link.
Within the order item details, there is now an additional area Approval History, where all details for the approvals carried out are listed.
Inventory data evaluation
Within the scope of the SavvySuite customer forum 2016 in Worms, various changes were evaluated in a selection process. Most votes were cast for the proposal to carry out inventory evaluations. The article selection in the service catalogue should be based on the relevance for the service recipient. The assignment should be possible via user groups with matching task profiles.
Through the use of SQL Server R-Services, it is now basically possible to support hits for searches using statistical methods. It can be used in the following places:
No relevance criteria can be used for new orders via the article search in the catalog, since no service recipient is yet known.
A workflow analyzes the inventory data in the system regularly, for example once a week, and creates analysis data from this, on the basis of which the articles in the service catalog are sorted for the customer.
Decentralized catalog administration
The maintenance of the articles for the service catalog takes place in the SavvySuite administration application. This requires an installation on the administrator’s workstation. An administrator has thus the complete access to the entire application.
With different customers there is additionally the requirement that already existing articles are to be worked on by coworkers, who are not to receive otherwise any administrative rights. This option is provided by the new web application for decentralized catalog administration.
The installation is carried out as usual via the installation wizard or via script. As with the administration application, all users with an assigned administrator license are authorized to access the catalog.
In the first, now delivered expansion stage it is possible to search for articles in the service catalog and to edit the fields article name, description, comment and search terms. For employees of a foreign company, it is possible to select a target language in addition to the selected display language, into which the contents of the mentioned fields can be translated.
The transport takes place using system transport packages that have been created previously.
Enhancements in the Entitlement Area
Further functionalities have been added to the “simple” authorizations introduced in the last release in the new Web application.
The following cornerstones apply
Improvements
Various functions have been revised in the current release.
Executing a PIC with a Different User ID
Previously, the Pre-Installation Check (PIC) was performed automatically under the Windows authentication of the logged-in user. However, depending on the customer’s infrastructure, only a login with SQL Server authentication may be possible. This is now possible by optionally specifying account and password as additional parameters in the command call.
Additional checkpoints have been added, e.g. duplicate entries in the right table are now reported and it is checked whether all persons are linked to a person template.
Availability Groups
The use of SQL Server Availability Groups is now supported.
Easy Accessory Ordering
When a new order is placed, the system checks whether any accessories are available. If no accessories can be ordered according to the rules, the option will not be offered.
Setting up a representative
In the previous wizard it was difficult for inexperienced users to understand the various options available (representation, delegation) and to make the right choice for them. Therefore, the menu navigation has been simplified and made clearer.
Language at first login to SavvySuite
Previously, when a user logged on to SavvySuite for the first time, the system language used was read and compared with the languages available in SavvySuite. If the found language was not available, the alternative language was used. If the SavvySuite had English (en-US) as alternate language and German (de-DE) as language data and an Austrian (de-AT) logged in for the first time, the English values were displayed.
Now it is checked first whether a related language exists, in this example the de-DE language set would be used for Austria.
Visibility control of articles
For articles, it is possible to restrict the orderability for each anchor hierarchy level, for example, to define an article for subsidiary X or country Y as not orderable. The configuration in the administration application was previously done in a small list window, in which it was very tedious to select something from a list that sometimes contained more than 100 entries.
The display has now been completely revised, an additional detail window is now used for selection, in which a search for different criteria and a multiple selection of elements is also possible. In addition, the detailed view of the list entries can also be opened if the administrator wants to look something up.
Additional cross references in the administration application
As in previous releases, additional cross-references have been integrated. It is now possible to display the linked RM orders, RM order items, equipment and tasks from a person object and open a detail window by double-clicking.
Improved Processing of Placeholders
If placeholders were previously used in the configuration of workflows, a content check was only possible when the workflow was executed.
Now it is displayed for each field which placeholders are allowed when the mouse is moved over them. Once inserted, the different placeholders (context variables, application settings, timestamps) are displayed in different colors. If the cursor is moved over a placeholder, its value is displayed, if available.
As usual, the new SavvySuite release is available for download in our Customer Interaction Center. After logging in, click on Knowledge Center -> Setup packages.
You are not alone!
This year syscovery invited to the fifth SavvySuite customer forum in Worms on June 12 and 13, 2018. This year, more than 30 participants gathered in the Great Liebfrauensaal of the “Das Wormser” conference centre, another increase compared to the previous year.
Dr. Peter Schwamb
The first presentation, the key note by syscovery CEO Dr. Peter Schwamb, dealt this year with the hype surrounding the EU DSGVO. He described to the participants where SavvySuite is affected by this regulation and how it supports customers.
This was followed, as usual, by a round of introductions in which the participants briefly introduced themselves and their colleagues, but also the SavvySuite usage scenario. New customers from Austria and Switzerland who attended for the first time were particularly warmly welcomed. Moderator Uwe Sacherer presented a wine gift to a particularly loyal regular customer who had never missed a customer forum before.
Klaus Kirchner
During lecture number two Klaus Kirchner took the participants on an excursion into the world of SavvySuite Entitlement Management. He presented the revised concept for data owners and authorizations for the new release, which does not require structuring higher levels and is therefore very easy to implement. He also showed this in practical examples of a configuration in the demo system.
The lunch break was not only an opportunity to exchange ideas with other customers. Many syscovery employees, who previously only knew their customer contacts by phone, could now get to know each other personally and assign a face to the voice.
Bastian Wolf
Bastian Wolf, head of SavvySuite product development, presented the new features of Release 1.10.1. In addition to the enhancements already mentioned in the EM module for the new Web application, there were also extended price displays, a completely revised wizard for self-service orders, in which work steps are now only displayed if they are required, and improved links between various data objects in the administration application.
The first customer lecture led the participants into the world of the demigods in white, to a university hospital with further affiliated hospitals. He showed how a self-written application used for many years, which was configured “to the customer’s liking”, was replaced by the SavvySuite, an “off-the-shelf” software, so to speak. The results of the one-year project were so positive that the SavvySuite is now to be introduced at other customers of this IT provider.
Uwe Sacherer
Block five was another regular component of the customer forums. The Feedback & Future Workshops conducted by syscovery Product Development with various customers resulted in five suggestions for changes to the SavvySuite, presented by Uwe Sacherer:
With 25.5 points, proposal four ended up well ahead of the 12 points of proposal five and the nine points of proposal one. It is now being implemented for Release 1.10.2.
The evening program began for the drivers with a phenomenon almost unknown in Worms – the traffic chaos around the closed roundabout on Andreasstraße. On foot we walked “Between Day and Darkness” to curious and legendary sites of the city of Worms. Punctually at the beginning of the tour the rain stopped, so that the group came dry through the old town of Worms. The evening ended in Osthofen in the restaurant Vis-a-Vis with rump steak or asparagus risotto and a glass of Rhine-Hessian wine.
Reinhard Kehl
On the second day, Reinhard Kehl, Head of Consulting, dealt with the New-Employee-Process. How can a seamless interaction between identity, service request and password management processes be achieved?
Customer presentation number two came from a new customer from Austria, who initially only handles hardware and software deployment via SavvySuite. As with almost all other customers, a central challenge was to strike a balance between the desired standardization on the one hand and the need to respond to the specific wishes of all customer organizations on the other. The three participants made their way back to Austria with the reassuring realization: we are not alone!
After Klaus Kirchner’s excursion to the EM module on the first day, an intensive look at the Invoice Management module of the SavvySuite was on the agenda. Thus the participants received new suggestions and ideas, how article prices and internal activity allocation can be used.
The lunch break with fresh cheese rolls in crepes coats with rocket and fig mustard, asparagus radish salad with turkey schnitzel and similar delicacies offered the opportunity to have a look at the latest release of the Savvy Suite or to answer questions that had arisen in the discussion about the various implementation possibilities. The experts of syscovery were available for all questions.
Sherzod Ubaydulloev
The question of how identity management and request management processes can be linked was already discussed at the beginning of the day. Sherzod Ubaydulloev’s lecture showed the implementation in detail. Which systems are involved – how is the process implemented? The best practice proposal followed an actual implementation in a project.
In the last lecture of the day Dr. Peter Schwamb went on a journey through time. Which topics were on the agenda of the last releases, how were they implemented? Integrated in this picture, he took a look at the points to be realized at short notice in the current release, at the further strategy for the conversion of the Classic Web functionalities for the HTML5 web application and at future ideas without previously defined realization plans.
Supplied with a small present and plenty of discussion material, the participants set off on their journey home. Almost all participants were very satisfied with the event and took home some suggestions for possible modifications of the SavvySuite.
Networking at the fourth SavvySuite Customer Forum
This year’s SavvySuite Customer Forum took place in Worms on 16 and 17 May 2017. Due to holidays and trade fair dates, the event was held about a month earlier this year than in previous years. syscovery invited its customers to Worms for the fourth time. As in the previous year, the customer forum took place in the “Das Wormser” event centre.
Dr. Peter Schwamb, Managing Director of syscovery, welcomed about 30 participants to the Liebfrauensaal at 11 am.
In his key note, he took a look at current developments in the area of cloud technology and noted that this offering is slowly establishing itself on the market.
Afterwards, the participants introduced themselves briefly. The longest journey this year was from Zurich and Sofia.
The first presentation was dedicated to the release 1.9.4, which was released in December 2016. Some participants had already made experiences with the new release, the others received the information about the new features from the head of Savvy Suite product development, Bastian Wolf. In addition to minor improvements in the display of tasks and mandatory fields, Microsoft’s Edge browser is now also supported. In the area of key users, there were improvements in the triggering of collective changes in the Web application and extensions for new orders from the catalog and for accessories.
During the lunch break, while enjoying wraps and mini-burgers, customers met with syscovery staff who would otherwise only contact them by e-mail or telephone. Thus one could finally assign a face to the telephone voice and get to know each other personally.
The first customer presentation was held by a customer from Zurich. He used many key figures to describe the development of the system since its introduction five years ago. Initially 250 articles in the service catalogue have now grown to 7,000, and six responsible employees have since become one. The next big step is to switch to a cloud-based system.
Another regular component of the customer forums is the presentation of the change proposals for the next release. Customers who participated in the Feedback & Future Workshops with syscovery product development during the year were able to submit suggestions for changes. These were consolidated and elaborated in 5 proposals. Uwe Sacherer explained the proposals on the following topics
With 18 points, the proposal number 1 for the introduction of an additional option for self-service users came in second place. With 21 points, the winner and thus scheduled for implementation in the next release, proposal 2 is to list the price display in detail for each item in the order wizard and on the approval item detail page.
During the coffee break there was the opportunity to clarify questions that had arisen on two demo systems and to try out the latest developments for oneself. The experts of syscovery were available for all questions.
The last customer presentation of the day was about centralized workplace management. The speakers described the challenges and progress of introducing standardized products in a very large organization with many national companies.
The day ended with a visit to the Spohr winery in Worms-Abenheim, where a bottle or two of wine was tasted in addition to various delicacies (e.g. asparagus tarte flambé). Between chops and oven slippers with strawberries, one or two SavvySuite configuration questions were discussed.
Uwe Sacherer opened the second day of the customer forum with an overview of the latest module of SavvySuite, Work Order Management. Various sample processes were run through in the administration application and the Web application. The possibilities of serialization, integration of different workflows and escalation were explained in theory and demonstrated in practice.
The next presentation was about the connection of SavvySuite to the Microsoft System Configuration Center Manager (SCCM). Sherzod Ubaydulloev compared the possibilities of software management via device membership in an AD group and management via direct control of the SCCM via the PowerShell connector. Various options for using individual packages or collections were explained and evaluated.
The topic cloud was the focus of Klaus Kirchner’s lecture. He explained the motivation of syscovery to implement a transfer to the cloud for the in-house SavvySuite, in this case Microsoft Azure. This was about the flexibility of not having to take hardware with you for worldwide training, scalability and certification. On the basis of statistical evaluations and model calculations, however, he also showed that such a change is also purely financially worthwhile.
As usual, the participants used the lunch break for a lively exchange of experiences. The new concept with finger food instead of a hearty meal met this purpose and was highly praised by the participants.
As usual, the conclusion was a look at the roadmap. This time Bastian Wolf not only reported on the medium-term topics (key user functionalities in the OM/IDM module; decentralized catalog administration). He also looked at the current development of Release 1.10. Here he dealt in more detail with the following topics
Around 2:30 pm Peter Schwamb said goodbye to the participants. Almost all participants were very satisfied with the event and took home one or two suggestions for possible extensions of the SavvySuite.
Translated using https://www.deepl.com/translator
Hewlett-Packard GmbH
Intensive information exchange at third Savvy Suite customer forum.
This year’s Savvy Suite customer forum took place in Worms, Germany, on June 7 and 8, 2016. This was the third time the event has taken place, which practically makes it a tradition. Once again, the organizers were pleased with the increased number of customers who registered. For the first time ever, the customer forum took place in the “Das Wormser” event center.
Managing director Dr. Peter Schwamb in his key note address
In his key note address, syscovery managing director Dr. Peter Schwamb looked back on his presentation from 1999 and compared the customer requirements from back then to their present-day implementation.
Following Schwamb’s presentation, participants briefly introduced themselves. Out of all the participants, a participant from Sofia, Bulgaria traveled the furthest to attend.
The first customer presentation focused on Workplace Management. The presentation vividly illustrated the challenges and obstacles involved in introducing standardized products into a very large organization with many national subsidiaries. Many participants jotted down new ideas while the solution approaches were being presented.
When it was time for a lunch break, several syscovery employees joined the customer forum participants. This enabled both parties to finally put faces to the voices they were used to hearing on the phone, and it was an opportunity for everyone to get to know one another.
Bastian Wolf presenting the new features of release 1.9.3
Like in previous years, the customer forum was also used to present the newly published 1.9.3 release. The head of Savvy Suite development, Bastian Wolf, explained the new key user functions in the new web application. He also presented the modified configuration options for attributes in the administration application. These were the modifications which received the most points during the voting session in the 2015 customer forum.
The next presentation scheduled was supposed to be a progress report on a customer project regarding workstation virtualization. Unfortunately, the presenter had to cancel on short notice, so the head of Savvy Suite Consulting, Reinhard Kehl, presented the key points of the project. These included the connection of multiple separate networks and Active Directories, logical separation of customer data, standardization of services as well as the organizational integration of different participants.
The day ended with the presentation of customer suggestions that were collected throughout the year through Feedback & Future workshops with the customers. Uwe Sacherer explained the four suggestions regarding order proposals, attribute texts and inventory evaluations. The runner-up, with a total of 16 points, was the suggestion to allow order proposals consisting exclusively of accessory items. The winning suggestion, with 25 points, which is scheduled to be implemented in the next release, is the suggestion to provide administrators with an analysis option which analyses existing configuration items in Savvy Suite and creates recommendations for catalog offers or order proposals based on target groups.
After a very unique and interesting tour of the St. Peter’s Cathedral with Provost Tobias Schäfer, the day ended without so much as a drop of rain (despite thunderstorm warnings) and with participants enjoying a glass of wine and other Rhine-Hessian delicacies.
One of our longtime customers opened the second day of the customer forum with a report on a project that is currently being implemented. The goal of the project is to gradually replace an aging software program created by the customer for automating actions in the Active Directory. The first step was the connection of AD components in the cloud using the Savvy Suite’s PowerShell connector.
In the next presentation, Dr. Bernd Mügge compared the use of mobile device management for different customers. In this process, the MobileIron and IBM MaaS360 software solutions were connected via the PowerShell connector or via SOAP web services. There were differences, especially when it came to billing, but also in the processes offered and in the number of permitted end devices.
As usual, the participants used the breaks as an opportunity to share their experiences. Participants were invited to try out the new release for themselves on two demo systems. The syscovery experts were there to answer all kinds of questions.
Ramin Mashaykhi gave visitors a more in-depth look into the technical details of the PowerShell connector in his presentation on automated provisioning. The flexibility for different application scenarios and the transparency of the processes for the operation team have been significantly increased as a result of integrating work orders. Participants took a complete list of best practice suggestions with them as they left.
The following customer presentation was dedicated to a completely different topic. Audience members took a quick journey through time back to 2005. The IT service provider at the time earned an annual flat rate from its client. Since then, Savvy Suite has ensured that IT services can now be invoiced individually and on a cost-driver basis and have drastically reduced the efforts for invoice control on the customer side and for forecasting on the IT side.
Klaus Kirchner closed the session by discussing the outlook for planning Savvy Suite further developments. Key topics here include further cost cutting as well as governance and security. Specific plans have been made for the use of additional key user functions and the use of Work Order Management in the new web application. The support of additional languages and the decentralized catalog administration are on the agenda in the long term.
Positive response to the second customer forum
After the premiere of the syscovery customer forum in June 2014, when all participants wished for a regular continuation of the event, the time had come. The second syscovery customer forum took place in Worms on 16 and 17 June 2015. The organizers were able to welcome more visitors than in the previous year to the event, which again took place in the rooms of the Parkhotel Prinz Carl.
After introductory words by syscovery managing director Peter Schwamb, the participants introduced themselves briefly. Peter Schwamb thanked two customers “from the very beginning” who have been using the Savvy Suite for 10 years now.
The first two presentations dealt with the innovations of the current Savvy Suite release 1.9.2.0, which has been available since December 2014 and has just been updated with the hotfix 1.9.2.2. Bastian Wolf’s demonstration of the new web application with distributed roles on iPad and iPhone was very well received.
After the coffee break, during which the participants took the opportunity to try out what they had just seen for themselves in a demo environment, there was a practical report from the Identity Management area. Using a concrete example, the integration of the Savvy Suite with the company’s systems leading for organizational data was shown, obstacles and solutions were presented.
At the beginning of the second day, Sherzod Ubaydulloev gave a live presentation to the amazed forum participants on how to configure a newly installed system in half an hour so that there are only two minutes between order creation in the Savvy Suite and virtual machine creation in VMware using the new PowerShell connector.
This rather technical demonstration was followed by a testimonial from a major customer. In just a few weeks, it checked for approximately 1.2 million privileges from 54,000 roles in 60 systems, for approximately 1.2 million privileges, whether the more than 210,000 privileged users should retain this role or be withdrawn from it. Here, too, many empirical values and findings could be gathered which the other participants were very interested in.
In 2014, it was the workflow package that was implemented in the new release 1.9.2.0 and already brings significant benefits to some customers. In the run-up to this year’s event, Uwe Sacherer again prepared customer requests, feedback from the consulting team and the results of the Feedback & Future Sessions and transformed them into five change proposals. The participants discussed eagerly and voted: the attribute package won this year. The configuration of the use and display of attributes in service classes should become simpler, clearer and faster. This concept was able to prevail against the proposal to extend the approval configuration with 18 to 13 points. This proposal had already become second last year and was therefore allowed to compete again.
During the lunch break, some participants had the opportunity to get to know syscovery employees in person, who they only knew from telephone or e-mail.
Many details about the use of the Savvy Suite in public administration were given to the participants in the next lecture. They experienced a very vivid description of the special challenges and hurdles that the project offered to merge the data from Savvy Suite and SAP Asset Accounting. Here, too, experiences and tips were shared.
In the concluding presentation, Klaus Kirchner took a look at the near and far future of the Savvy Suite. Both the current projects for key users in the new web application and the simplification of the configuration of web services in the administration application were highlighted. In the medium term, the focus will be on extended offerings for the operating teams and a focus on identity management.
In the concluding feedback round, the participants praised the content of the event as well as the open and constructive communication both within the circle of participants and with syscovery employees. For the first time, participants stated that their expectations had been significantly exceeded. In his closing remarks, Peter Schwamb invited the participants to participate in the Customer Forum 2016, but left the venue open.