Documentation forSolarWinds Service Desk

Setup: Labs

Introduction

This document explains how the SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) Labs module works and how administrators can use it to their advantage. With Labs you can allow your IT teams to test new features prior to 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 > Global Settings > Labs

Organization > Global Settings > Labs

How to use Labs

Features in Labs are temporary. You do not need to test each feature. If you feel your organization would 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 decide to activate more than one feature simultaneously to maximize the benefit of new Labs offerings.

As new features prove successful, they will be permanently integrated into the platform. Likewise, they will be deleted if they are not found to benefit end users.

Features currently in Labs

Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform (previously Orion nodes)

SWSD offers many capabilities to help streamline processes. Automatic mapping of SolarWinds Platform nodes combines two features that offer insight.

  • Discovery of SolarWinds Platform assets and bringing them to SolarWinds Service Desk Change Management Database (CMDB).

  • SolarWinds Platform alerts (that meet certain predefined conditions) are automatically converted into Incidents in SWSD.

SWSD 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 SWSD as a CI, SolarWinds Platform will generate an alert and automatically attach the Node 348 CI to the Incident during its creation.

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

GenAI features available in US and EU [EMEA] datacenters only

Premier plan only.

Data Masking

Enable in Labs

  1. Navigate to Setup > Labs > SolarWinds AI - AI Data Masking and switch the toggle to On.

    Optionally, under Select users, you can change the option from All Users to Specific Users.

  2. Navigate to Setup > Global Settings > GenAI Settings, and verify that SolarWinds AI is available.

    If SolarWinds AI is not yet available, click Request Gen AI, and then wait for it to become available before proceeding.

    By submitting the request, you enable the Machine Learning feature on your account. The results will be confined to your account, ensuring compliance with the SolarWinds data security policy.

  3. After SolarWinds AI is available, scroll down to AI Data Masking, and click the dropdown arrow to the right.

  4. Place a checkmark next to Mask sensitive information (PII/PCI) . . . .

    ESM customers: You can enable the feature for your service providers by navigating to Setup > Global Settings > GenAI Settings, and verifying that SolarWinds AI is toggled to On .

    After Data masking is enabled, an administrator can grant unmasking permission to the Service Agent User (SAU) role. When granted to the SAU role, any agent can unmask data. The Agent role with Manage > All can see PII data in attachments. Add the restriction to Manage > Data Masking under GenAI to mask PII data.
About the feature

Data masking uses GenAI 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, SolarWinds Service Desk (SWSD) protects sensitive information from unauthorized access and maintains data privacy.

Data masking protects sensitive information from unauthorized access and maintains data privacy. Masking applies only to attachment content, not the file name. When enabled, data masking applies on all channels: Teams, Slack, Virtual Agent, and mobile.

Attachment file types

Data masking does not apply to attachment file names. As needed, rename files before attaching to prevent the sharing of 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

Only masked files are sent.

What data is masked

Personally identifiable information (PII) refers to any information that can be used 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) that can 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.

Masking for user input text

All PII/PCI text input by a user is masked. Only authorized users unmask the data.