SupportConnect - CA Service Management Newsletter, Version 06.01
  

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Computer Associates
E-News
CA Service Management Newsletter
Version 06.01
June 28, 2006

In This Newsletter
Product News
> General Availability of r11.2 for Unicenter® Asset Portfolio Management
> 508 Compliancy Now Supported by Unicenter® Service Desk r11.2
> General Availability of r5.3 for CA SupportBridge™ Products
> Unicenter® Service Catalog r11.1 and Unicenter® Service Accounting r11.1 Generally Available

Product Updates
> Important Note for Unicenter® Service Desk 11.2 HP Users
> CA Change Management Integration Now Available With Unicenter® Service Desk r11.2
> Service Support Product Technical Documentation
> Latest Published Fixes

General Information
> CA Positioned in "Leaders" Quadrant in Magic Quadrant for IT Service Desk Market
> CA Service Management Products in the News

Special Events
> CA Service Management Event Calendar
> Support Automation Overview and CA SupportBridge™ Product Demonstrations
> Webcast Replay: The Evolution of Support: The Pervasive Service Desk

Product News
General Availability of r11.2 for Unicenter® Asset Portfolio Management
We are pleased to announce that Unicenter Asset Portfolio Management r11.2, gen level 0604 is now available for Ingres, SQL Server, and Oracle databases.

New features for include:

Hardware Reconciliation
Enhanced Software Compliance Views
Database Extensibility
New Web GUI
LDAP Support
Common Asset Screen
Improved Location Model
Improved Reporting

See the Product Announcement.

Localization of the product in French, German, and Japanese is coming this summer. Our latest English version will be re-released with certification of SQA 2005 in the same box. Please order r11.2, Gen level 0607 in July.

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508 Compliancy Now Supported by Unicenter® Service Desk r11.2
Unicenter Service Desk and Unicenter® Service Desk Knowledge Tools r11.2 provide unparalleled accessibility to the full capability of the products' web-based interface for use by our blind and limited vision user community. Changes have been made in support of Section 508 and WCAG* guidelines to improve compatibility with a wide array of operating system accessibility options and screen reader technologies. We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to our beta testers in the federal government and private organizations that not only helped us ensure compliance with the guidelines, but whose unique perspective was crucial in providing a high degree of usability for our users.

The Unicenter Service Desk, Unicenter Service Desk Knowledge Tools, and Unicenter® Service Desk Dashboard r11.2 provide DBMS support for Ingres, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle databases. Additionally, Unicenter Service Desk and Unicenter Service Desk Knowledge Tools provide OS support for Windows, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX. For more information, see: supportconnectw.ca.com/public/unisp_dshbd/infodocs/unispdshbdr112-prodann.asp.

* Section 508 refers to "Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d)".
WCAG refers to "Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines" which were developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) which was formed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

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General Availability of r5.3 for CA SupportBridge™ Products
In January, CA extended their Leadership in Service Management with the acquisition of Control F-1 Corporation, a privately held provider of support automation solutions that automatically prevent, detect, and repair end-user computer problems before they disrupt critical IT services. See the Press Release. In March 2006, we released the SupportBridge products to CA customers in version 5.3.
  • CA SupportBridge™ Live Automation -
    Call Optimization Through Automated Diagnosis and Repair
  • CA SupportBridge™ Self Service Automation -
    Call Deflection Through Automated Self Service Support
  • CA SupportBridge™ Self Healing -
    Call Prevention by Monitoring and Publishing fixes to End-Users
ca.com/Solutions/ProductFamily.aspx?ID=5697

There is a new sales email address: supportbridgesales@ca.com. Our dedicated telesales team is available to respond to all CA SupportBridge sales and product queries.

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Unicenter® Service Catalog r11.1 and Unicenter® Service Accounting r11.1
Generally Available
While each of these products is a standalone solution, they are also tightly integrated and run on a common database. Ingres database is included for use, but now with r11.1, Microsoft SQL Server is also supported.

Key product highlights:
  • Service Catalog Best Practices Content
  • End-User IT Requests with Automated Approval and Fulfillment Processes
  • Common Look and Feel for Improved Ease of Use
  • Enhanced Resource Usage Measurement and Service Costing
  • Extensive Integration includes:
    • Unicenter® Service Desk
    • Unicenter® Asset Portfolio Management
    • Unicenter® NeuMICS® Accounting & Chargeback
    • Option
  • Content Import/Export
Please visit ca.com/solutions/SubSolution.aspx?ID=4572 for more information about these and other CA Service Management solutions. Downloads are available from SupportConnectSM or contact your local sales representative for more information on licensing entitlements. Assistance is also available in North America by calling 1-800-841-8743.

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Product Updates
Important Note for Unicenter® Service Desk 11.2 HP Users
On HP systems, you must mount the DVD with the following parameters in order for the DVD to be readable. The actual format of the "mount" command is as follows:

mount -r -F cdfs -o rr /dev/dsk/<name of device> <mountpoint>

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CA Change Management Integration Now Available With
Unicenter® Service Desk r11.2
The integration of CA Clarity with Unicenter Service Desk 11.2, CA Harvest Change Manager 7.1, and Clarity 7.5.3 comprises a composite system for end-to-end change management that automates the entire change life cycle - from change request creation, prioritization, impact assessment, review and approval, through project management, resource allocation, software release, and deployment.

Further information regarding the integration is available in the recently issued press release.

See the CA Change Management Integration Guide for installation and usage instructions.

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Service Support Product Technical Documentation
TEC394113 - Unicenter® Service Desk r11.x Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) Poster

TEC394858 - Service Desk and CA Workflow Integration

TEC397585 - 633 Error When Viewing Dashboard r11 and Above From the Web

TEC397440 - CA Workflow Installation Fails When Using JDBC 2005

TEC396982 - How to Add a 3rd-party MIB to be Managed Through the SNMP Metric Wizard

TEC396771 - How to Reconfigure the imqbroke

TEC391046 - Using eTrust® SiteMinder for Authenticating Service Desk Web Users

TEC398486 - Bulk Importing Assets from a Unicenter® Asset Management INGRES Database

TEC398865 - UAPM Help in PDF Format to Facilitate Printing

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Latest Published Fixes
For details of all the latest published fixes, please visit the support web pages and select the product(s) of your choice: ca.com/supportconnect/.

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General Information
CA Positioned in "Leaders" Quadrant in Magic Quadrant for IT Service Desk Market
CA, the visionary leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant Report - Industry Analyst Report
"Magic Quadrant for the IT Service Desk, 2006"
By David M. Coyle, Kris Brittain; ID Number: G00138568

CA has been positioned in the leaders quadrant in Gartner's 2006 IT Service Desk Magic Quadrant. Gartner positions vendors in the "Leaders" quadrant based on their completeness of vision and ability to execute.

According to Gartner, many IT organizations are moving beyond the vendors' traditional incident management ticketing systems to vendors that offer a richer suite of IT service support tools. From a technical perspective, the service desk market continues to grow its interest in improved workflow, graphical user interface (GUI), reporting, and common database capabilities. Partly because of the popularity of ITIL, IT service desk tools are no longer purchased only on the merits of ability to track incidents, but are also being evaluated on how they deliver or integrate with other IT service support tools, particularly problem management, change management, and inventory management.

Download a copy of the report.


Vendor Summary on CA based on the Forrester Wave: Service Desk Management Tools,
Q1 2006 - Industry Analyst Report
"Tech Choices - CA's Service Desk Management Tool Leads for Large Enterprises and is Strong for Midsize Ones"
By Chip Gliedman with John Ragsdale, Ian Schuler, and Elisse Gaynor

This vendor summary is a Forrester evaluation of CA's current Unicenter® Service Desk offering and strategy.

Download a copy of the report.


CA is ranked as Forrester Wave Leader - Industry Analyst Report
"The Forrester Wave: Service Desk Management Tools, Q1 2006"
By Chip Gliedman, February 17, 2006, Number 38628

Forrester's take on Service Desk Management Tools, this Wave report evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of top vendors in this category across 80 criteria.

Download a copy of the report.

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CA Service Management Products in the News
Siemens Business Services Delivers Superior Support Services With
CA's Support Automation Solution
Siemens Business Services implemented CA SupportBridge™ Live Automation to help achieve the key goals of their corporate, financial, and insurance customers.

"CA SupportBridge™ has proven to be an outstanding resource for our support center. The ability to resolve computer incidents in seconds, without the need for an onsite technical inspection has proven to be invaluable for us."
- Jeff Roche, Director, Global Service Desk, Siemens Business Services

See the article here.


Abilene ISD Increases Close Rates and Reduces Response Times With CA Unicenter® Service Desk and CA's Desktop and Server Management
"Management solutions made it possible for us to migrate from our legacy NT network to 2003 Active Directory during the school year with a minimum disruption of our daily business and in only 10% of the time we had projected."
- Michael Dunne, Senior Network Engineer, AISD Abilene, Texas, USA

See the article here.


"Beyond Satisfaction: How to Awaken End User Buy-In and Passion by Launching a Pervasive Support Automation Initiative" White Paper
The service desk today is not reaching anticipated levels of success - tools are deployed and some early efficiencies are being reported; customer satisfaction is good but still not great; self service portals are being utilized but adoption could be better.

This paper discusses how adding the key elements of convenience, proactive resolution, and pervasiveness of service delivery can provide improved end user productivity, satisfaction, buy-in, and adoption of your support processes.

Download this white paper.

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Special Events
CA Service Management Event Calendar
itSMF USA 2006
Conference and Expo
Making ITSM a Reality - Service and Beyond
September 18 - 23, 2006
Salt Palace Convention Center, SLC, Utah
More Information

IT Infrastructure Management
Conference & Expo 2006
November 5 - 8, 2006
The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, NV
More Information

IT Service Management Conference
11th Annual Conference & Exhibition
February 18 - 21, 2007
The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas, NV
More Information

HDI 2007
HDI's Annual Conference & Expo
April 30 - May 3, 2007
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada
More Information

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Support Automation Overview and CA SupportBridge™ Product Demonstrations
June 14 - August 23, 2006
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET - 1 hour webcast
Registration

Today's IT service desk must deal with an ever-changing environment - from supporting increasingly complex applications, to complying with emerging IT governance practices, to managing growing end-user demands for world-class service. Successful service desks are characterized as being able to rise to the task of improving service quality levels while remaining cost-effective, meeting corporate requirements that align with strategic business objectivities, and addressing financial pressures to do more with less.

Support automation equips your IT service desk with the tools to meet these challenges and expectations.

SupportBridge - the CA support automation solution suite - can help your organization improve service, manage costs, manage risks, and align your IT investments.

CA SupportBridge is comprised of the following three products:
  • CA SupportBridge™ Live Automation
    Call Optimization through Automated Diagnosis and Repair
  • CA SupportBridge™ Self Healing Automation
    Call Prevention by Monitoring and Pushing Fixes to End-Users
  • CA SupportBridge™ Self Service Automation
    Call Deflection through Automated Self Service Support
Attend one of our upcoming webcasts to learn more and to see how CA SupportBridge integrates with CA Unicenter® Service Desk and third party help desk technologies to present a consolidated interface to technicians and end-users for both the management and delivery of technical support.

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Webcast Replay: The Evolution of Support: The Pervasive Service Desk
If there's one constant in business today, it's change. But internal or external, change doesn't have to impede IT service delivery. Think of change as an opportunity for IT to satisfy fluctuating demand while maintaining a stable work environment where you can:
  • Automate processes to ensure timely and reliable service delivery
  • Leverage industry best practices such as ITIL
  • Unify and simplify the way you manage complex IT services across the enterprise
Here's your chance to learn more. Register to view the replay of "The Evolution of Support: The Pervasive Service Desk," our April 2006 webcast.

Featured Speakers:
John Ragsdale: Vice President, Research Director at Forrester Research
Jeff Roche: Director, Global Service Desk at Siemens Business Services
Vinay Gidwaney: Vice President, Product Management at CA

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