IFS has announced the latest release of IFS assyst. Version 11.5 introduces a new automated discovery tool for its Configuration Management Discovery DataBase (CMDB). The power of a CMDB can only be realised if it has a complete map of the organisation’s assets.
Full details of the new feature were not available as of writing. The release notes are available to customers here on the new IFS assyst Community. The Community enables users to share and solve issues, ask questions asynchronously about IFS solutions, propose enhancements, and share best practices.
The new tool should help organisations to improve asset data accuracy. It will boost compliance of those assets, maximise utilisation of Assyst, help drive adoption of the solution, and deliver a better user experience.
The challenge for many CMDBs is that they fail to map enough of an organisation’s assets and, in so doing, not deliver a return on the investment. Gartner believes around 75% of CMDBs fail to deliver value as a result of this failure
Martin Schirmer, President, Enterprise Service Management, IFS assyst, commented: “With the new 11.5 release, we are directly addressing the obstacles organizations face when it comes to managing CMDBs in complex environments. By providing enterprises with enhanced visibility through a single automated solution, they will be better placed to understand and take full advantage of their assets, ensure compliance, improve processes, and ultimately transform services for customers and employees.”
What else is in the update
This release includes several other improvements. This includes further integration with other IFS Cloud capabilities. The replacement of IFS internal employee and IT Service Management (ITSM) portals and external partner portals brings all capabilities within a single platform.
Other features in assyst 11.5 include:
- Ability to discover applications running in Azure cloud and other cloud-native applications, i.e. containers on Kubernetes running on AKS
- Automatic discovery of deployed software and effortless population of the CMDB
- Quick access to information to eliminate silos
- Self-service for end-users to easily resolve their own problems
- New service-level agreement (SLA) tracking capabilities.
- Ability to customize self-service portal layout and content based on users or user groups and show or hide offerings
- Hard segregation capabilities in terms of access and visibility of data, depending on user groups, e.g. this is a key requirement for HR use cases involving sensitive information
- Improvement in the accessibility of the self-service portal
None of the new features is separately priced, and they are included in the current licensing model.
Schirmer continued: “In today’s competitive landscape, it is becoming more important to create a total experience for customers and employees. Through continually updating our ESM solution, we are dedicated to helping our customers provide seamless experiences across all digital touchpoints. Ultimately, with efficient processes, visibility, and automation we can enable everyone to do their best work, no matter where they are based.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
It is disappointing that further information about the release is not available. The new automated discovery tool sounds interested. However, there is no information on how it works. What devices does it discover for organisations? Can it map cloud installations? Will it discover employee devices connected via VPNs? What software does it detect, and can it map licenses and versions? What differentiates it from other discovery tools? How much better was it than the previous iteration? The new SLA tracking capabilities also sound interesting, but SLAs can have multiple dimensions. What is the feature able to track?
The good news for assyst customers is that IFS continues to invest in the solution. It is also integrating it with the capabilities found within IFS Cloud to create a more powerful business solution. What will 11.6 bring?
