What makes a great Ivanti HEAT Administrator/Developer?

One of the most common Ivanti HEAT Implementation challenges identified by clients is “Admin Training“. What seems like an easy quick fix is actually more complicated. It takes more than just Ivanti Training Academy access, Ivanti Business Partner training, and guidance from a seasoned professional. The root cause is really finding the right individual.

But before we get to that, it is important to understand the history of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM, aka Ivanti Service Manager aka HEAT.

Back in the HEAT for Windows days, prior to the emergence of ITSM, long before Ivanti acquired Frontrange and the HEAT Product line, the HEAT product was much simpler. There was less configuration, less complexity, less features, less configuration tools, and the architecture was quite simple. In turn training was somewhat cut & dry. Just a few days of admin training and a couple more days of advanced training. Those days are over.

One thing that hasn’t changed, is the need for the right individual to perform Ivanti HEAT Administration. It’s not for everyone.

Fast forward to today, Ivanti Neurons for ITSM (aka Service Manager aka HEAT) has evolved extensively and in turn the learning curve has increased so much so that many HEAT Admins struggled with HEAT ITSM Admin, and struggle even more so with Ivanti Service Manager aka Ivanti Neurons for ITSM Admin.

Even Ivanti HEAT Developers/Consultants/Freelancers have struggled. There are many long-time Developers/Consultants/Freelancers that with 10 years experience are still considered junior. Ivanti Business Partners struggle finding and retaining Ivanti HEAT Architects and true senior developers/consultants worthy of bearing the title. Arguably we shouldn’t look at the title but evaluate skill set and competence based on # of years experience AND Ivanti HEAT Implementations and even that is not the best measurement as there is quite a range of experience/skill/competence to be considered. Simply put, some consultants are rock stars that get away with playing the same tune over and over again while others are rock stars that made a difference and “rocked” the world with something new that nobody else could or perhaps can pull off again.

So what makes a great Ivanti HEAT Administrator? First and foremost. Self-starters. This is quite a paradox really because the best HEAT Administrators are self-taught and didn’t require what many clients ask for, training. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has to start somewhere and needs a little bit of help, a push, and some documentation. Ultimately though the best Ivanti HEAT Administrators are self-taught and hit the ground running. There really is no substitute for experience. There is no rock-star school or training for the rock idols everyone wants to be like. There are just some basic lessons on how to play the guitar and the rest is up to the individual. No different than online help and the Ivanti Training Academy. You get it or you don’t.

However it’s not all or nothing. There are varies levels of HEAT Administration. Just like there are varies levels of rock stars, including those playing for fun in basements or at the neighbour hood pub.

What are the levels of Ivanti HEAT Administrators?

There are really three types of HEAT Administrators. 1. Those that take care of basic data administration (validation tables, picklists, employee team associations, role changes), create/modify saved searches and quick actions, research the occasional error, maybe dabble in more advanced configuration with the help of some knowledge articles or Ivanti support. 2. Intermediate Administrators that make basic form changes, create business rules, perhaps even relationships and basic data imports. 3. Advanced Administrators that make major configuration changes, introduce new features & functionality, advanced data import connections & integrations, workflows, automation, request offerings, etc. These admins are mostly self taught and have an ability to pick up configuration without much if any training.

Sounds easy enough right? In theory yes. In practicality it’s not as easy and there is one type of individual that trumps all of the Ivanti HEAT Admin levels and makes the Advanced Admin’s head explode with configurations & developments that everyone else, including Ivanti, said it couldn’t be done. Lets face it there are HEAT Administrators and then there are long-time seasoned developers & consultants that can carry out advanced administration in their sleep where others struggle. What’s as common as dirt to them is like an atomic bomb to others. Simply put, there are mechanics that perform oil changes, then there are those working from their home, or a small shop, or a big company, versus mechanics that travelled the globe with not one but several word class racing teams. Every level is important. What sets the levels apart are the results thanks to skill set, experience, competence, self-motivated, problem solver. You don’t become great at something because you take a training course. You problem solve and put in the time & effort to learn on your own. After all, practice is the mother of skill.

With 26+ years Ivanti HEAT Experience and 100+ Ivanti HEAT Implementations worldwide in the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, and the US, the topic of Ivanti HEAT Administration and Training is one that I’ve seen change over the years and encounter on a regular basis. Bottom line is that sometimes you need more than training. Perhaps it’s time that you considered getting an expert in to take your Ivanti HEAT System to the next level. After all there are three things to consider. 1. The things you know you know. 2. The things you know you don’t know. 3. The things you don’t know that you don’t know. With that said…

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR IVANTI HEAT ITSM NEURONS IMPLEMENTATION?

You are NOT. Not until you talk to me. Guaranteed!

Q & A. Separate Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) instance for AP? – Independent ITSM Podcast covering Ivanti Service Manager ISM HEAT Latest Solutions & Best Practices

Question from an ITSM client regarding their Ivanti Service Manager tenant: If needed, are we able to create a separate instance for the AP ticketing?

1. Q & A. Separate Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) instance for AP? 09:04
2. Do you really need a Project Manager for your Ivanti Neurons for ITSM/ITAM Implementation? 08:50
3. What makes a great Ivanti HEAT Neurons Administrator/Developer/Consultant? 11:03
4. Ivanti Developer or Consultant? 03:33
5. Is Ivanti a Professional Services Provider? 12:30

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Ivanti Service Manager 2021.3 Release

WOW. Plenty of new and exciting new and improved features for Ivanti HEAT 2021.3 and beyond!

From Enhanced Security Permissions and Role Management, with a role rollback option to Mobile Analyst configuration options and customizable Mobile UI for any and all roles, and one of my a19 best practices, using Global Constants to control new & enhanced features, Tablet device support for the Enterprise Self Service page, improved Self Service Performance for Request Offerings, Self Service Chat Improvements, Consumable Workflow enhancements.

One thing is for sure. Ivanti is focused on quality and HEAT (Ivanti Neurons ITSM) continues to be a market leader for over 2 decades now.

Upcoming Versions

2021.3 – Planned October 2021

2021.4 – Planned December 2021

Updated Architecture

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Machine Learning

What is IT Asset Management (ITAM)?

The International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM), answers the question, “What is IT Asset Management?” by defining ITAM as, “a set of business practices that incorporates IT assets across the business units within the organization.”

ITAM includes a review of current software and hardware used, ensures licensing compliance, and tracks how IT assets are being used and where changes may be needed. An ITAM audit may save you money by identifying software for which you are over licensed or an IT asset you are spending money on, but no longer using.

Is ITAM new?

No. ITAM has been around as long as IT has. The tools back in the day were just a lot simpler, for example back in the HEAT for Windows days in the mid 1990s, I developed Asset Tracking Systems for many clients such as Purolator Courier Services in Canada. Those Tracking Systems basically evolved over time, ITIL in the 1990s introduced the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), and in the last couple years we have seen some great enhancements again, and with that moved away from the term CMDB and started using ITAM.

Ivanti Asset Manager

IAM includes Hardware Asset Management, Software Asset Management, License Reconciliation, and Barcode Scanning and complements Ivanti Service Manager or runs stand-alone.

Where to next?

Simply put, Ivanti IT Asset Management (ITAM) goes beyond the old CMDB (Configuration Management Data Base) and offers an inventory of “What we think we have” versus “What we know we have“, that is “What was discovered”, and tools to make informed decisions, audit, reconcile and redistribute hardware and software assets.

Fast-forward to Ivanti Neurons and Edge Computing and you will see more shift-left solutions, features and functionalities.

Word of caution, out of the box, Ivanti Service and Asset Manager do offer you some basic configurations, however you will want to contact a seasoned Ivanti Consultant to implement the latest solutions that fit your company’s overall strategy, business processes, and roadmap.

Be sure to contact me for a FREE no obligation discovery session to take your ITAM Implementation to the next level!

Former Kifinti Solutions Consultant launches Ivanti HEAT ISM Podcast

Ivanti HEAT ISM Podcast covers popular Ivanti Service Manager (HEAT ISM), SDLC, ITSM, ITAM, and ESM Topics, latest solutions, best practices, and is available on Anchor, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple iTunes, Breaker Audio, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Listen Notes, and of course via RSS Feed

your Ivanti Podcast Host

LONDON – April 27, 2021 – PRLog — “Podcasts are a great medium to share information.  Podcasts are quick and easy to create, powerful, and also convenient to listen to on the morning commute, lunch break, or while travelling. Plus you can download Podcasts for offline listening.

Personally I like to download a few hours worth of Podcasts whenever I’m travelling or stuck somewhere and want a break from reading or watching videos.

I decided to create the Ivanti HEAT ISM Podcast as an extension to my Ivanti HEAT ITSM Blog as podcasts are more powerful than a blog entry and allow me to quickly share relevant Ivanti HEAT ISM Information,” says Gregor Anton, a former Kifinti Solutions Consultant.

Gregor is a unique and distinctive authority in the Enterprise Service Management space with his consulting and development experience and extensive insight to best practices going back to 1996 with the HEAT and now Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) and Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM) products.

Providing HEAT ITSM Best Practices and now Ivanti Best Practices, with his tried, tested, and true implementations, and upgrades, Gregor now focuses on his company, a19 Consulting, his a19 Ivanti Best Practices System, a19 Ivanti Mobile Applications (Android, iOS), Ivanti ITSM Blog, and now Ivanti HEAT ISM Podcast.

Gregor has been developing, streamlining, and implementing best practices and latest solutions for fortune 500 companies and Frontrange Business Partners (Change Control, Avante Solutions, Kifinti Solutions) and Ivanti Business Partners (Kifinti Solutions, DDS IT), worldwide.  The testimonials speak for themselves.

The ITxM Space (ITSM, IT Service Management, ITAM, IT Asset Management) has never been more exciting, as is the transformation to ESM (Enterprise Service Management).

Are you getting the most out of your Ivanti Implementation?
You are NOT.  GUARANTEED.
Not until you contact a19 Consulting to take your Ivanti Implementation to the next level!

PS:  Have an Ivanti Topic or Question you’d like us to cover?  Submit at http://podcast.a19consulting.com/

Trust the Process

As you may have noticed, the last few Ivanti HEAT ITSM Blog posts had a common theme. UAT, Test Scripts, Pitfalls of UAT.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is without a doubt the most critical stage of the SDLC. This is where “the rubber hits the road”, and the customer and subject matter experts (SMEs) validate the business requirements.

This is also where typically some customers and SMEs tend to panic, get confused, worry, or simply get overwhelmed by the project at hand. Rightfully so, there is usually a lot at stake and the customer wants to make sure their business requirements are met, as does the consultant.

On one side, the customer and SMEs look up to the consultant for guidance drawn from years of experience, on the other hand, customers and SMEs also tend to think they know better.

So who is right?

Over 2 decades with HEAT Consulting, Business Analysis, and Project Management have taught me and reinforced, is that the customer isn’t always right and neither is the consultant. Looking at who is right is wrong! Instead of building a law case and looking to disprove one another, everyone needs to TRUST THE PROCESS.

If you have made it to UAT so far. Best Practice is to always review the steps taken (process) to-date.

• Scope of Work was Signed Off by Customer
• Business Requirements Elicited & Reviewed by Customer and Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Prototype Reviewed & Signed Off by Customer
• System Testing performed by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Script Module implemented by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Script Examples provided by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Test Scripts created by Customer and SMEs
• UAT Test Scripts imported into UAT Module by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Kicked Off
• UAT Training Provided by Ivanti HEAT Consultant

…and the steps (milestones) ahead:

• UAT Testing by Customer
• UAT Test Scripts review by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Remediation (to address failed tests and gaps) by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• UAT Sign-Off
• Go-Live (Rollout) Prep by Customer/SMEs, and Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Go-Live (Rollout) by Customer/SMEs, and lead by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Go-Live (Rollout) Support by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Post Go-Live (Rollout) Remediation by Ivanti HEAT Consultant
• Minor Enhancements (if needed and within scope)
• Major Enhancements (if needed and within scope)

In Summary, using the analogy of purchasing a car, the buyer (customer) has done their research and made a list of must-haves, and nice-to-haves (business requirements), identified the car type, model, and budget (scope) with the help of the dealership (Ivanti HEAT Consultant), and now it’s time to take the car (system) for a road test (UAT). This is where “rubber hits the pavement”.

UAT. This is where some customers tend to experience a little anxiety and suddenly question their very own requirements and the very system they helped build, see Common UAT Pitfalls for more details, while other customers shine and jump into the drivers seat and master the road test (UAT).

Acquiring a new car (System/Major Functionality Changes/Upgrades) can be overwhelming for many reasons, covered in the Common UAT Pitfalls Ivanti HEAT ITSM Blog Post. But like anything else in life, you need to do a self check and trust the process.

You’ve made it this far, sure the new car can be overwhelming, but once you hop into the driver seat (take responsibility) and go on that road-test (UAT), familiarize yourself with the new vehicle, adjust the mirrors, seat, study the controls (learning curve) and see how the vehicle handles (learning curve), you soon start parallel parking, emergency breaking tests, city driving, highway driving, and so on.

The road-test (UAT) is the time to stop kicking tires and take action. Trust the process and go for that test-drive. The goal is to report back any issues (UAT Test Scripts), collaborate with the family, (UAT Meetings with UAT Lead to review UAT Test Script Results), and ask questions (UAT Test Script Module has comments for the consultant), and not only CONTINUE with the road test (UAT Test Scripts), but go on several road tests (many tests per UAT Test Script), and before you know it, you master the new car (system).

The last thing you want to do is stop the road-test every time you are unsure (learning curve), have a question (Learning Curve / UAT Meeting), or feel something is not right (UAT Test Script Result). You keep driving and report back your findings (UAT Test Script results) and collaborate with the family (UAT Team) to see if your findings are issues or just a learning curve (new controls, new way of doing things), or terminology (gas tank versus fuel tank), or it’s a major change, like driving on the right side of the road to the left side (major system upgrade), which requires more test drives. Or maybe you’ve never driven a car before and you are upgrading from a motorbike, bicycle, or walking on foot (legacy systems, Excel, Word, handwritten notes). Assumption is that you’ve taken your driving test and have a valid license of course (experience in the business, and have used Windows and web-apps before). Nowadays web applications are intuitive, as is learning to drive a different type of car (sports car, SUV, mini-van, luxury car). The days of long thick training manuals and days of classroom training are in the past although training videos can be provided as needed to fill any major training gaps. In other words, a learner’s license and some time with an experienced driver are just as efficient as a 2 week intensive course. At this stage of the implementation all SMEs are typically well versed with handling a car (Windows, Web Applications).

The learning curve will vary and you must TRUST THE PROCESS. You’ve made it this far, and should feel confident you have the support of the internal teams and external Ivanti HEAT Consultant, however ultimately you need to do the test-drive. The Ivanti HEAT Consultant has already done his. Now is the time to roll-up-your-sleeves-get-to-work-test-test-test with the goal of testing and providing concise precise results back to identify any gaps and more importantly, CELEBRATE THE WINS, mark test results as passed. So focus on the EASY TESTS FIRST, you know the parallel parking, driving in the parking lot, city driving on a slow day, before you go on a multi-lane highway or off-road in the Rocky Mountains on one of the toughest terrains.

You will get there, just keep testing, and know that the combination of your planning of must-haves (business requirements), intimate knowledge of your business processes, and the extensive experience and guidance by the Ivanti HEAT Consultant will get you there!

Software Asset Management 101

Software asset management (SAM) is a business practice that involves managing and optimizing the purchase, deployment, maintenance, utilization, and disposal of software applications within an organization.

Ivanti Asset Manager

Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM) is a much talked about “new” product that was released with ITxM 2018.3 and actively promoted with ITxM 2019.1.

ITxM 2019 in fact consists of Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) and Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM).

Ivanti Asset Manager has been around for a while and Ivanti Service Manager, formerly known as HEAT, has done Asset Management since its early HEAT for Windows days in the 1990’s.

Software Asset Management followed a little later with the HEAT ITSM using Software Inventory and Software Product Configuration Items (CI).

Software Asset Management

For more info on Ivanti’s Hardware Asset Management click here

IAM Business Objects

To someone new to ISM/IAM the SAM implementation looks like something of a “Frankenstein hodge podge”. There is a combination of Legacy, DSM, and IAM business objects, and relationships. That is by design. Upgrades from HEAT SM, DSM, and ISM to IAM vary, as do discovery tools and sources, plural, (more on that on a future post) and so do requirements as per business processes and standard operating procedures (SOP).

Getting Started with SAM

Strategy. Architecture. Processes. There really is not quick and easy way to just “install”SAM. Careful consideration, planning, and data analysis is required to determine where you are today, where you want to go, and the steps to take you there. While there are some common practices and implementation methods, every organization has variances that must be considered, carefully. What are your sources? What data are you capturing, where and how? What processes are manual versus automated. How are you tracking your licenses and entitlements today, what details, and at what level. Vendors, Manufacturers, Versions, Features, License Keys, etc. What does you procurement process look like? Alerts, renewal reminders? It’s best you start simple with data analysis, process analysis, document workflows, processes, entity relationships (ERD), and build a proof of concept, followed by a prototype to validate each step of the process.

If your Software Asset Management really is a simple slam-dunk, then all of the above steps will be very quick, but I can almost certainly guarantee you from experience that there are always variances. The devil is in the details as you say. And usually with the most complex and expensive software titles and products.

a19 ITxM Audit
Ivanti Service & Asset Manager

Before you tackle the gargantuan task of software asset management be sure to contact a19 Consulting Professional Services and put yourself in the hot seat with the a19 Software Asset Management audit.

Ivanti Asset Manager 101

Asset Manager is a much talked about “new” product that was released with ITxM 2018.3 and actively promoted with ITxM 2019.1.

ITxM 2019 in fact consists of Ivanti Service Manager (ISM) and Ivanti Asset Manager (IAM).

Ivanti Asset Manager has been around for a while and Ivanti Service Manager, formerly known as HEAT, has done Asset Management since its early HEAT for Windows days in the 1990’s.

ITxM is a leap forward combining the best of both the Asset Manager product and HEAT’s Asset Management capabilities with a roadmap to dominate the ITxM space.

Key features

• Asset Roles
• Android Based Asset Scanning
• Improved Asset Interface
• Improved Integration for Discovery Tools such as EPM and SCCM
• Improved Asset Reports & Dashboards
• Improved Asset Life Cycle Statuses
• Simplified Asset Types, including Consumables
• Inventory Stock Management
• Contracts and Purchase Orders
• Improved Vendor Management
• Improved Software Library
• Improved Audit & Compliance Capabilities
• Improved Costing Reporting Capability (Total Cost of Ownership)
• Request Offerings (2019.3)
• Improved Asset Workflows

ITxM in essence becomes your single source of truth with a holistic view of your assigned assets, discovered assets, tracked against purchase orders, contracts with workflow and approval processes.

Lots of great functionality and features that on the surface provide a great demo and glimpse into what your Asset Management Strategy could look like, but overkill in practice.

For this reason I have developed an Asset Manager Best Practice System in working with dozens of clients over the last couple decades.

If you are serious about making your Asset Manager Strategy a success, be sure to contact me.  I’m here to help!

 

 

 

 

Ivanti Service Manager – On-Premise – Release Schedule – ITxM 2019

Ivanti ITxM 2019.1 – Available for Download

Ivanti ITxM 2019.3 – Planned November 30, 2019

Release Description

For Ivanti Service Manager customers:

There is no change or update to the installation process, you will update your Service Manager system as usual; ignoring the Asset Manager installation components.  If you are interested in reviewing or purchasing the Ivanti Asset Manager solution, please contact your Account Manager.

For Ivanti Asset Manager customers:

When you run the installer you will have a choice to install Asset Manager or Service Manager.  If you only purchased Asset Manager, select this option and continue through the installation routine, ignoring the Service Manager components.  If you are interested in reviewing or purchasing the Ivanti Service Manager solution, please contact your Account Manager.

For customers who have purchased BOTH Ivanti Asset Manager and Ivanti Service Manager:

Asset is a package that sits on top of the service content.  To get both Asset and Service, in the installer choose Asset Manager.  You will need to assign roles to user to get access to appropriate functions between Service and Asset.