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Implementing service offerings

Another important aspect of private cloud automation is implementing as much self-service functionality for users as possible. Rather than having to always ring the service desk to log a job, self-service allows many routine IT requests to be initiated by the user through a web browser interface. In some cases, these requests can be resolved without requiring the direct intervention of a member of the IT team, and in others they can be resolved subject to approval.

This objective covers how to:

  Creating custom workflows

  Self-Service Portal

  Service catalog

  Request offerings

  Service offerings

  Catalog item groups

  Orchestrator and Service Manager

  Using Orchestrator runbooks with Service Manager

  Self-service provisioning of virtual machines

Summary

  • Custom workflows allow you to further automate Service Manager processes. You create custom workflows with the Service Manager Authoring Tool.
  • The Service Manager 2012 R2 Self-Service Portal is a SharePoint 2010 website that customers can use to submit requests for service offerings and request offerings using their web browser.
  • The service catalog is a collection of Service Manager items, assistance, actions, or groupings of items, assistance, or actions.
  • Request offerings are items or actions that you can make available to users through the service catalog.
  • Service offerings are collections of request offerings.
  • You use catalog item groups to restrict access to service manager catalog items.
  • You can configure a connector between Service Manager and Orchestrator, which allows Service Manager to make reference to and utilize Orchestrator runbooks.
  • You can trigger the runbooks from Service Manager by configuring runbook automation activity templates.
  • System Center App Controller provides users with self-service virtual machine deployment functionality for VMM 2012 SP1 and VMM 2012 R2.
  • By integrating VMM, Service Manager, and Orchestrator, you can configure self-service virtual machines as Service Manager request offerings.