Documentation forService Desk

Setup: Labs

Introduction

This document explains how the Service Desk Labs module works and how administrators can use it. With features in Labs, you can allow your IT teams to test features before a general release.

Using Labs, you can get feedback from your user community about the benefits and challenges of each Labs feature. If a feature does not behave as expected, you can toggle it off until the matter is resolved or removed. 

Navigation

ITSM customers ESM customers
Setup > Setup > Labs

Organization > Setup > Labs

How to use Labs

Features in Labs are temporary. You do not need to test each feature. If your organization might benefit from a new feature and/or enhancement, go to Setup > Labs. In the list of available features, toggle the feature to On.

Some features in Labs are interconnected. You may activate more than one feature simultaneously to maximize the benefit of new Labs offerings.

As new features prove successful, SolarWinds will permanently integrate them into Service Desk. Likewise, if a feature is found to not be beneficial, it will permanently deleted.

Enable features in Labs

  1. Navigate to Setup > Labs.

    ESM customers: navigate to Organization > Setup > Labs.

  2. In the list of available features, toggle the feature(s) of your choice to On.

Features currently in Labs

GenAI can auto-generate a process workflow for service catalog items and change catalog items

GenAI must be enabled globally before you can enable this feature in Labs. See GenAI settings, then see Enable features in Labs.

Prerequisite: The AI Generated service catalog item and change catalog item setting must be enabled for GenAI to generate one. See GenAI settings.

During the process of generating a service catalog item or change catalog item process workflow, Service Desk:

  • Extracts relevant information from the recorded processes, including textual content.
  • Recognizes and understands the sequential steps or processes outlined in your document:
    • By identifying your decision points within the processes and presenting them in the generated workflow to capture conditional logic.
    • By analyzing dependencies between different steps or processes to represent the workflow structure.

Methods for generating a workflow process for a service catalog item or a change catalog item

Two options are available for generating a workflow process for a service catalog item or a change catalog item using GenAI:

Option 1: Generate a workflow process from a Word or PDF file

  1. From the service catalog item or change catalog item index table, click Generate in the upper right corner.

  2. From the dropdown list, select Generate by file (PDF, Word).

    • If Service Desk can interpret the contents of the Word or PDF file, it generates a service catalog item or change catalog item process workflow.

    • If not, a message displays: Unable to Generate from the uploaded file because AI couldn't understand the text in the file.

      If AI was unable to generate, consider editing the contents of your file.

Option 2: Generate a workflow process from free text

  1. From the service catalog item or change catalog item index table, click Generate in the upper right corner.

  2. From the dropdown list, select Generate by free text.

  3. In the Prompt dialog, provide the information you want in the service catalog item or change catalog item process workflow.

  4. When finished, click Generate.

    A Create service catalog item or change catalog item dialog appears.

  5. Change the title as needed.

  6. Added Description and Scope.

  7. Under Process, edit the contents as needed.
    NOTE: If you click Regenerate, previously made edits are lost.

    SolarWinds recommends that you not delete the file used as your source. If you do, Service Desk deletes the entire process workflow.

  8. Click Create.

Downloadable 360 reports

When enabled in Labs, 360 reports let customers view key insights into their own incident and service request management, showcasing the efficiency and effectiveness of their IT operations. The reports are available for download and can be customized to run based on date range.

After an organization level administrator enables the feature in Labs and makes it available to everyone in the organization, ESM administrators can then choose to make the reports available to some, all, or none of the users in their service provider account.

To generate a report, navigate to Analytics > Reports > 360 Report. For more information on customizing reports, see Analytics: Reports.

Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform (previously Orion nodes)

Service Desk offers many capabilities that help streamline processes. Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform nodes combines two features that provide insight.

Service Desk supports the automatic mapping of the relevant Configuration Item (CI) to an Incident record created from a SolarWinds Platform alert. For example, if Node 348 goes down, and Node 348 is listed in Service Desk as a CI, SolarWinds Platform will generate an alert and automatically attach the Node 348 CI to the Service Desk Incident during its creation.

The benefit of integration between SolarWinds Platform and Service Desk

Integration between SolarWinds Platform and Service Desk is optional.

For customers who want Configuration Items to be automatically attached to Incident tickets created by alerts, SolarWinds recommends that you first integrate SolarWinds Platform with Service Desk. The integration pulls in all nodes with their node numbers, which ensures that the node numbers are attached to Incident tickets when an alert creates them.

If you do not need CIs to be attached to tickets created by alerts, you can skip this step altogether.

See Create a SolarWinds Platform nodes connection for instructions.

For more information, see SolarWinds Platform Integration: Automatic Mapping of SolarWinds Platform nodes.

Data masking

Premier and Advanced plans only. Advanced plans are limited to system fields (title, description, and comments). Premier plans have no limitations.

When you enable data masking, Service Desk masks sensitive information so only users with the proper permissions can see the data.

About data masking

Data masking uses a classification model to hide/redact sensitive data to comply with regulatory and privacy guidelines for PII (personally identifiable information) and PCI (payment card industry). By masking PII and PCI data, Service Desk protects sensitive information from unauthorized access and maintains data privacy. You can use custom fields to mask sensitive data beyond PII and PCI.

Only authorized users can unmask the data.

Where data masking applies

Data masking is applied across communication channels and to multiple fields and file formats.

PII/PCI data that does not match the standard pattern may remain unmasked.
Communication channels
  • MS Teams
  • Slack
  • Virtual Agent
  • Mobile app
Attachment file types
Data masking does not apply to file names. As needed, rename files before attaching to prevent sharing sensitive data in file names.
  • Plain text file types, including but not limited to:
    • Text (.txt)
    • CSV (.csv)
    • JSON (.json)
    • XML (.xml)
    • Log files (.log)

  • Other file types, including but not limited to:

    • Portable Document Format (PDF)
    • Word (.docx)
Outgoing email

Service Desk sends only masked fields and files. To unmask data, email recipients need to go to Service Desk.

User input text

Service Desk masks all PII/PCI text input provided by a user. Only authorized users can unmask data.

Custom fields
Data masking for custom fields is available in Labs with the Premier plan.

After enabling the data masking feature, you must configure each custom field you want protected. When properly configured, Service Desk treats all data in the custom field as sensitive. It is protected so that only authorized users can unmask the data.

Data masking for custom fields supports two custom field types: Text and Text Area.

To enable data masking on a specific custom field:

  1. Be sure that data masking is enabled for Labs by following the instructions under Enable data masking and set permissions.

  2. Navigate to Setup > Service Desk > Custom Fields.

  3. Select the specific custom field where you want to enable data masking, and then mark the check box: Mask the data in this custom field.

  4. Remember to set role-based permissions as described in Set unmasking permissions for the user roles your company wants to allow to unmask data:

What data is masked

Personally identifiable information (PII) refers to any information designed to identify an individual, either on its own or when combined with other information. PII can include, but is not limited to:

  • Full name
  • Social Security Number (SSN)
  • Driver's license number
  • Email address
  • Home address
  • Telephone number
  • Date of birth
  • Biometric records
  • Any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual

Payment card information (PCI) refers to any information related to payment cards (such as credit or debit cards) designed to be used to process transactions. PCI typically includes, but is not limited to:

  • Primary Account Number (PAN): The full credit or debit card number.
  • Cardholder Name: The name printed on the card.
  • Expiration Date: The date when the card expires.
  • Service Code: A 3- or 4-digit code used to specify restrictions or special conditions on the card.
  • Card Verification Value (CVV/CVC): A security feature for credit or debit card transactions, typically a 3- or 4-digit number printed on the card.

Enable data masking and set permissions

  1. Navigate to Setup > Labs > Data Masking.

    ESM customers: Navigate to Organization > Setup > Labs > Data Masking and switch the toggle to On.

  2. Select the Data Masking feature you want to enable and switch the toggle to On. Available features are:

    • Data Masking - Attachments: Masks sensitive information in supported attachments (.txt, .csv, .json, .xml, .log, .pdf, .docx).
    • Data Masking - Inputs: Masks sensitive information (SSNs, credit cards, PII, email addresses, phone numbers) in user inputs, including titles, descriptions, comments, and custom fields.

  3. Set unmasking permissions for the user roles your company wants to allow to unmask data:

    1. Navigate to Setup > Account > Roles & Permissions.

    2. To the right of the role where you want to add the permission, click Add Permission.

    3. In the pop-up, select Action: Manage, and then click the dropdown under Subject and scroll to the bottom to select Unmask Data.

    4. Apply the permission to the roles you want to allow to unmask sensitive data.

      Any role with Manage > All permission can see sensitive data in attachments and fields. If you want to prevent specific roles from being allowed to unmask data, add a restriction to that role. See Add permissions for more information.

  4. If you are a Premier customer and want to enable data masking for specific custom fields, see: To enable data masking on a specific custom field:

Agents can unmask data

These options are available for agents to show or hide sensitive data:

  • At the field level, hover over the field and click .
  • At the object level (for example, incident, service request, problem, audits), click Show sensitive data.

Clicking displays sensitive data if the account allows inline editing (see Inline Edit on records and Inline Edit On Service Catalog Items).