Glossary of Terms

Default Field Permissions

Portal Access users (machine users) use ticket field level permissions defined for the Default machine role. The Default machine role also applies to VSA users using a user role that does not include either the Service Desk Administrator or Service Desk Technician roletype. When a VSA user is using the Default machine role to view or edit a ticket, a Default Permissions Apply message displays at the top of a service desk ticket. If even the Default machine role does not provide access to a ticket, then an error message tells the user their role does not permit access to the ticket.

Desk Definition Templates

To help you get started quickly, new desk definitions are created in Service Desk by copying them from one of several desk definition templates, each configured to support a typical business process. The template you select determines whether tickets or KB articles are created, based on the desk definition.

• Blank KnowledgeBase - Creates a blank knowledge base desk definition that contains no pre-defined values for any standard fields.
• Blank Ticket - Creates a blank desk definition that contains no pre-defined values for any standard fields.
• ITIL ChangeRequests - A change request desk, based on ITIL guidelines, used to track detailed requirements for changes or enhancements to a product or service, usually in response to a problem. The ChangeRequest service desk is created from this template.
• ITIL Incident - An advanced service desk, based on ITIL guidelines. The Incidents service desk is created from this template. Integrates with pre-defined sample user roles, user pools, organization types, procedure variables, message templates, policies, coverage schedules, and holidays. Additional configuration is required to use this service desk.
• ITIL KnowledgeBase - A knowledge base desk based on ITIL guidelines. The Knowledge Base desk is created from this template. Serves as a repository of known errors and recommended solutions.
• ITIL Problem - A service desk, based on ITIL guidelines, used to track broadly-based product or service problems separately from immediate customer support issues. The Problem service desk is created from this template.
• Service_Desk_Standard - Provides basic automation with a simplified workflow. The Customer_SD_Automation service desk is created from this template. Minimal configuration is required to use this service desk.

Editing Template

An editing template serves three purposes:

1. The editing template defines the layout of the dialog used to edit a ticket or KB article.
2. An editing template may mask selected fields, even though the fields are defined by the desk definition. Using an editing template to mask a field overrides whatever field permission is set for that field.
3. The editing templates also sets default field permissions for editing a ticket or KB article. Whether assigned by role or by user, you can override the default field permissions set by the editing template to suit your business requirements.

An editing template is applied to a combination of desk definition and user role (or machine role) using Role Preferences or the Desk Definition > Access > Roles tab. An editing template can also be applied to a combination of desk definition and user using User Preferences. User Preferences has precedence over Role Preferences. The default editing template for all roles and all users working with a service desk is specified in the Service Desk > Desk Definition > New or Edit > General Info tab.

Field Permissions

Field permissions are set by role. For VSA users using roles linked to the Service Desk Technicians role type, field permissions determine what fields a user can view or edit within the ticket editor or KB article editor. Typical field permissions include: Editable, View Only, Hidden, or Required. Default field permissions are set by editing template.

Note: VSA users using a role linked to the Service Desk Administrators role type can see and work with any field in any ticket editor or KB article editor. Master role users also always have complete field permission access, regardless of roletype assignment.

Machine Group

Machines are always defined by machine group and machine groups are always defined by organization. You can define multi-level hierarchies of machine groups by identifying a parent machine group for a machine group. You can also move a machine group and all of its associated machines to a different parent machine group within the same organization.

Managed Machine

A monitored machine with an installed agent and active machine ID / group ID account on the Kaseya Server. Each managed machine uses up one agent license.

myOrg

myOrg is the organization of the service provider using the VSA. All other organizations in the VSA are second party organizations doing business with myOrg. The default name of myOrg, called My Organization, should be renamed to match the service provider's company or organization name. This name displays at the top of various reports to brand the report. Agents installed to internally managed machines can be assigned to this organization. VSA user logons are typically associated with staff records in the myOrg organization. myOrg cannot be assigned a parent organization.

On Premises

An on premises hardware/software installation of the VSA is a maintained by a service provider and typically used only by the service provider. See Software as a Service (SaaS).

Org

The VSA supports three different kinds of business relationships:

• Organizations - Supports machine groups and manages machines using agents.
• Customers - Supports the billing of customers using Service Billing.
• Vendors - Supports the procurement of materials using Service Billing.

The Org table is a support table shared by organizations, customers and vendors. Each record in the Org table is identified by a unique orgID. The Org table contains basic information you'd generally need to maintain about any kind of business relationship: mailing address, primary phone number, duns number, yearly revenue, etc. Because the Org table is shared, you can easily convert:

• A customer into an organization or vendor.
• A vendor into an organization or customer.
• An organization into a customer or vendor.

Note: myOrg is the organization of the service provider using the VSA.

Pools

Users can be assigned to pools of users, regardless of the roles they belong to. Tickets can be assigned to pools using the Assigned To field in the editor, or by procedure using the Assign Ticket Property > Pool command. When a user in that pool opens the ticket, the ticket is automatically reassigned to the individual user.

Resource Type

A resource type specifies a skill, material or cost and sets a default rate for a billable labor item or entry. Typically a resource type represents a skill performed by a staff member. A billing rate and standard cost is defined for each skill required to perform the service. The rate can be overridden when selected. Because the labor performed to deliver a service sometimes requires incidental charges for materials and costs, resource types can also be classified as either material or cost. For example, extra cabling or overnight shipping might be included as additional, billable labor entries, because they are required to deliver the service of installing a server. The classification of resource types typically reflects the production requirements of a company. Labor entries are classified by both resource type and by activity type.

Resource Type - Cost

A cost resource type for labor line item has a predefined cost and billing rate—which can be overridden—while a expense line item only specifies the name of the expense and the total amount billed.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Kaseya provides "software as a service" (SaaS) deployment of Virtual System Administrator™. Service providers contract with Kaseya to access a VSA hosted and maintained by Kaseya and can install a specified number of their customer agents. Service providers are allocated a unique tenant partition of a shared Kaseya Server and database. Within their assigned partition, service providers can only see their own organizations, machine groups, procedures, reports and tickets. Service providers in a tenant partition have full access to all the functions of the VSA except system maintenance, which is the responsibility of Kaseya. See On Premises.

Stop Notification and Email Send Delay

Pending email notification of selected tickets can be stopped using Stop Notification in Tickets. This option is used in conjunction with Email Send Delay in Role Preferences and User Preferences. For example, if Email Send Delay is set to 5 minutes for the role you are using, then you have 5 minutes to cancel any emails that are pending for a ticket using Stop Notification. Applies to ticket rows displaying a icon in the icon column of the ticket table. Stop Notification only stops currently pending email.

Task

Tasks organize a Service Desk ticket into a series of steps. Each task can be assigned a different assignee and tracked individually for completion. You can add notes and hours worked by individual task. All tasks for all tickets can be listed, sorted, filtered, searched and viewed using the Tasks Associated with Tickets page.

Ticket

A ticket tracks the detection, reporting, and resolution of an issue. Every communication and action taken on behalf of the issue can be recorded in the ticket record.

Ticket Requests

Ticket requests are created from either inbound emails or system events, such as alarm conditions. Incoming Email and Alarm Settings and linked service desk procedures determine how ticket requests are processed into tickets, what service desks are used to create the tickets, and whether ticket requests are canceled.

Work Order

A work order specifies the delivery of a non-recurring service (billable item). A work order lets you estimate and review costs before you create billable entries. Work orders can be converted from a sales order, but a sales order is not required. The four types of billable items you can include on a work order are labor, parts, expenses or general.

Work Types

Work types determine how time entries are integrated with other functions in the VSA. The work type options displayed in your VSA depend on the modules installed.

• Admin Tasks - A recurring operational activity not associated with any project.
• Work Orders - Only displays if the Service Billing is installed.
• Service Desk Tickets - Only displays if Service Desk 1.3 or later is installed.