1. Prologue 4Audience 4

Icons 4

2. IntroductIon 5PrincipalFunctionsofPandaCloudSystemsManagement 5

PandaCloudSystemsManagementUserProfile 6

PrincipalComponentsofPandaCloudSystemsManagement7

KeyPlayersofPandaCloudSystemsManagement 8

3. HIerarcHy of levels wItHIn tHe ManageMent console 10SystemLevel 10

Whatisit? 10

Scope 10

Access 11

Functionality 11

ProfileLevel 11

Whatisit? 11

Scope 13

Membership 13

Functionality 13

DeviceLevel 14

Whatisit? 14

Scope 14

Functionality 14

4. BasIc eleMents of tHe console 15GeneralMenu 15

TabBar/TabBarLists 15

IconBar/ActionBar 16

FiltersandGroupPanel 18

ControlLevels 18

System(Account)Level 18

ProfileLevel 19

DeviceLevel 20

5. fIlters and grouPs 21WhataretheGroupsandFilters? 21

TypesofGroupsandFilters 21

Groups 21

Filters 21

6. How to Manage tHe devIces effIcIently 25DifferencesofProfiles,GroupsandFilters 25

Profiles 25

FiltersandGroups 25

GeneralApproachandManagementStructureofDevices 26

7. tHe fIrst 8 stePs to BegIn usIng PcsM 27CreationandconfigurationofthefirstProfile 27

DeploytheAgent 27

ChecktheListofProfileDevicesandBasicFiltering 29

Software,LicenseandHardwareInventory 29

PatchManagement 29

Monitorcreationandconfiguration 30

ComStore 31

RemoteManagedDevicesandResourceAccess 32

8. PolIcIes 35WhatarePolicies 35

HowtodefineaProfilePolicy 35

HowtodefineanAccountPolicy 36

TipsforPolicies 37

1. content

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Thisguidecontainsbasicinformationandproceduresusedtoobtainthemaximumbenefitoftheproduct Panda cloud systems Management (PcsM, systems Management).

Audience

Thisdocumentationiswrittenwithusersfromtwopossibleenvironmentsinmind:

•TheITDepartmentwhichprovidesinternalsupporttotherestoftheorganization.

•TheManagedServiceProvider(MSP)whichcurrentlyprovidesservicestotheir customeraccountsonsite,remotely,reactivelyorproactively.

Icons

Thisguidewillcontainthefollowingicons:

Additionalinformation,forexample,analternatemethodfor performingaparticulartask.

Suggestionsandrecommendations.

Importantand/orusefultipsforusingPanda cloud systems Management.

1. Prologue

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Panda cloud systems Managementisasolutionforcloud-basedremotemonitoringandmanagementofdevicesforITdepartmentsthatwanttoofferaprofessionalservicewhileminimizingdisruptionstotheuser.Panda cloud systems ManagementincreasesefficiencythroughcentralizedmanagementofDevices,whilepromotingtheautomationoftasks.TheoverheadcostsdedicatedtoservingeachcustomeroraccountarereducedbecausePCSMincludes:

•Noadditionalinfrastructurerequiredon-siteasthesolutionishostedinthecloud.

•Averygentle learningcurve for technical support,allowingyou todelivervaluefromdayone.

•Toolsaccessiblefromanywhere,anytimeallowingyoutoadministersupportremotelyandavoidinglosttimeandmoneybyremovingtheneedtotraveltothosesites.

•Automatingtasksandresponsestriggeredbyconfigurablealertsthatpreventfailuresbeforetheyoccur.

Panda cloud systems ManagementisaproductthatpromotescollaborationamongTechniciansresponsibleforprovidingsupportandminimizesorcompletelyeliminatesthetimespentinteractingwiththeusertodeterminethecausesoftheproblems.

Principal functions of Panda cloud systems ManagementThefollowingarethemostimportantfeaturesoftheproduct:

2. IntroductIon

feature description

CloudBasedSolution NoadditionalinfrastructureattheclientortheMSP/ITDepartmentsite.Manageallyourdevicesanytime,anywhere.

AgentBased AverylightAgentsupportsNATfirewallandVPNdevicecommuni-cationswiththeManagementConsole.

AutomaticDetectionofDevices

AnAgentinstalledonasingledevicecandetectotherdevicescon-nectedtothesamenetworkandinitiateautomaticinstallation.

ScheduledandCustomAudits Trackallchangesmadetothedevice(hardware,softwareandsys-tem).

SoftwareLicenseManagement Keeptrackofallsoftwareinstalled

AlertsandMonitors Monitorperformance,servicesandExchangeServers,withalerts...allinrealtime.

ScriptingandQuickTasks Createyourownscripts,downloadourpreconfiguredscripts fromtheComStoreonline,anddeploythemwithoneclick,eitheronascheduledbasisorasanautomaticresponsetoanalert.

PatchManagement Automatethedeploymentofupdatesandpatchesforsoftwareins-talled.

SoftwareDeployment Centralizedupdateandsoftwaredeployment.

Policies EstablishasetofgeneralsettingstomanageyourITenvironmentinaflexiblemanner.

RemoteAccess Taskmanager,file transfer, registryeditor, commandprompt,dis-playtheevent log,etc.Allofthese integratedtoolsenableyoutorepairmultipledeviceswithoutinterruptingyourusers.

RemoteControl Sharedortakeoveraccesstotheuser’sdesktopthat iscompatiblewithfirewallandNAT.

SecureCommunication Allcommunicationsbetweentheagentsandtheserverareencryp-ted(SSL).

DetailedInformation Mailscheduledorspecialreports.Findoutwhodoeswhat,when,andfindoutwhousesmostofthoseresources.

CollaborativeEnvironment Managetheallocation,stateanddocumentationof incidentswiththeticketsystem.Facilitatethecreationofhistoricaldocumentationin device notes. Communicate livewith the end user through IMMessagingservice.

ComStore Extendthecapabilitiesoftheplatform.Selectanddownloadthecomponentsyouneed.

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Itisasmallprogramlessthan5megabytesinsizethatisinstalledoneachofthedevicestobemanaged.AfterinstallingtheagentonthedeviceitsinformationwillbecomedirectlyaccessiblethroughtheManagementConsole.

Theagent supportstwomodesofexecution:

–user Mode

InthismodetheAgentismoreorlessunnoticedbytheend-user.MoreaccesstosomeoftheconfigurationoftheAgentcanbedelegatedbytheAdministrators.

– administration Mode

Afterusingvalidcredentials,thetechnicianmayusetheAgentinAdministratorModetoaccessdevicesremotelyandadministersupport.

•administration server / server / PcsM server

The Management console, processes required to collect, synchronize and redirectmessages,events,and informationflowsgeneratedby theagentsand thedatabasesthatsupportthemareallhostedinthecloudandhave24houravailability.

ThestatusinformationthatflowsfromeachofthedevicestotheManagement serverishighlyoptimizedsothattheimpactonthecustomer'snetworkisminiscule.IntheServerthis information is sorted and consolidated tobe shownas a flowof events thatwilldiagnoseandevenefficientlypredicttheproblemsofmanageddevices.

Panda cloud systems Management user Profile

MostusersofPanda cloud systems Managementwill share a technicalmedium–managementanddailymaintenanceofcomputingdevicessubjectedtoaconstantrateofuseandchange.However thereare twospecific, targetedusergroupsofsystems Management:

•enterprise level It technicians

High level techs are employedby a company tooffer companywidea support serviceto the devices and end-users, nomatter their location. These scenarios often includetheexistenceofremoteofficestowhichaccess is restrictedsotechniciansmustutilizemonitoringtoolsandremoteaccessforroamingusersoutsidetheoffice,whichmakesthemsusceptibletoalltypesofproblemswiththeirdevices.

• service Provider (MsP) level technicians

TechnicalstaffisemployedbyacompanydedicatedtoprovidingprofessionalservicetothosecustomeraccountsthathavedecidedtooutsourceorsubcontracttheITDepartmentforthemaintenanceoftheirdevices.

Principal components of Panda cloud systems Management

ThefollowingisasummaryofthecomponentsthatarewithinSystemsManagement:

•Management console / console / PcsM console

Thisisawebportalaccessibleviacompatiblebrowsers,fromanywhere,anytimewithanywebenableddevice.

Mostofthedailytasksoftrackingandmonitoringwillbemadefromthisconsole.Thisconsoleisaresourceavailabletotechnicalsupportonly.

•device agent / agent / PcsM agent

InstalltheAgentinboththeclientdevicesandthosebelongingtothetechniciansinordertohavecompleteaccesstotheentiresolution.

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Inanycase,theresponsibilityofadministeringandmonitoringthesystemswithinthecompanylieswiththetechnicalstaffoftheITdepartment,ortheMSPcontractedtoprovidetheseservices.

•PcsM administration account / administration account

EachclientorcompanyutilizingPandaCloudSystemsManagementwillhaveaccesstotheAccountManagementtab.Anaccountwiththehighestlevelofprivilegescanmanageallproductfeatures.

EachAdministrationAccounthasasecureenvironment.SettingsandDevicesthatruninotheraccountswillnotbeaccessiblebytheadministrationteam.

•client account / client

AclientaccountisacontractbetweentheManagedServiceProviderandacompanythatcomestothemwiththeintentionofoutsourcingtheirdaytodayITSupportneeds.AclientaccountgenerallymeansalltheclientdevicesaretobemanagedbytheMSP.ForcompaniesthatacquirePandaCloudSystemsManagementforinternalusetheClientAccountisamoreorganizationallevel:thedifferentaccountswillbecreatedtoorganizethemanagementofdifferentdepartmentsofthecompany.

•user

TheUseristhepersonusingthedevicethatrequiresdirectsupportoftheMSPorITdepartment.

•device

ADeviceisacomputerthathasinstalledanagentandisoperatedbytheuserintheirdailywork.

Key Players of Panda cloud systems ManagementThekeyplayersthatareinvolvedandwillbereferredtothroughouttheguidearelistedbelow:

•It administrator / administrator / Managed service Provider / MsP / It department / support technician

ThesetermsincludeallthosewhohaveaccesstotheManagementConsole,regardlessofprivilegelevelassociatedwiththecredentialssupplied.

General communication architecture: Devices and technical team interacting with the PCSM Server.

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3. HIerarcHy of levels wItHIn tHe ManageMent console

Inordertoseparatethemanagementofdevicesfromdifferentcustomeraccounts,reuseandlimitproceduresestablishedbytheTechnicalStaffintheConsole,andtoexpediteandrefinetheirmanagement,PandaCloudSystemsManagementprovidesthreelevelsoforganization:

1. Systemlevel

2. Profilelevel

3. Devicelevel

SystemLevel

what is it?TheSystemLevelalsoreferredtoasAccountorAccountlevelentityclusteristhehighestlevel,andisalsouniqueforeachMSP/ITDepartment.Underitsrooffallalldevicesma-nagedbytheMSP/ITDepartmentbelongingtotheircustomersandusers,andhaveanAgentinstalled.

scopeTheactionstakenatthislevelwillaffectalldevicesbelowthesystemlevelalthoughtheymaybelimitedtoasubsetofdevicesusingfiltersandgroups,describedbelow.

accessAccesstotheresourcesoftheSystemLevelisreachedfromtheSystemmenu.

functionalityTheSystemLevelhastheabilitytoperformactionsonaglobalbasis,soyoucangetthestatusofallmanageddevices,consolidatedreportsfromyourenvironmentandactionsonallorpartoftheregistereddevices.Administration hierarchy in 3 levels.

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u custom labels:FivefieldswithinformationdefinedbytheAdministrator

•contact Information

Thedefaultemailaccountswhichareusedforsendingreportsandalerts.

– alert Mail recipients

– report Mail recipients

•local cache

ThisfieldwillservetoidentifytheProfile’slocalcachetospeedupclientsoftware,patchesorscriptsthatarelaterdistributedamongtheneighboringdevices.Thisidentifiesasinglesystemtohandlethesefiles,thusreducingbandwidthconsumptionbypreventingthemfromhavingtodownloadtheaforementioneditemsindividually.

•login Information

Theexecutionofscriptsintheuser’sdeviceinheritsthepermissionsassociatedwiththelocalhostaccount,butiftheProfileneedstorunscriptswiththe“RunAs”commandyoucanentertheloginandpasswordinformationhereintheWebconsoleforuse.

•consumer Information

Wecanassociatepowerconsumptioninformationforeachofthedevicestoshowoverallconsumptionaswellascontrastitagainstvariationsinthepowersavingsettings,throughPolicieswhichareexplainedbelow.

TheaboveinformationhasbeenembeddedwithintheAgentasProfilemembership,andassuchisdirectlydownloadablefromthesamescreenasProfileManagement.

ProfileLevel

what is it?TheProfileLevelisagroupingentityimmediatelybelowtheSystemLevel.Itisalogicalgroupingthatcontainsthedevicesthatbelongtothesamecustomeraccountorsetofprofileconfigurations.

ThelistofProfilesandaccesstoconfigurationatthislevelisundertheProfilestab.

EachProfileisassociatedwithanumberofconfigurationsaccessiblefromtheSettingstabintheManagementConsole,whichinturnarepackagedwiththeAgent.

Configurationoptionscanbedividedintoseveralgroups.

•Profile Identification

ThisisusedtoidentifyaProfilefromtherestofProfilesgeneratedandusedinfiltersorsearches.Fieldsconfigurableare:

ugeneral:NameofProfileanddescription

u variables:Environmentalvariablessothatthedevicesmaybeinvokedfromascriptforfutureuse

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WhentheagentisinstalledonclientdevicestheyareautomaticallyaddedtothecorrectProfileintheManagement console.

scopeTheconfigurationsetattheProfilelevelcanaffectalldevicesbelongingtothatProfile,whilesomeactionsandconfigurationmaybelimitedtoasubsetofdevicesusingfiltersandgroups,describedbelow.

UnliketheSystemLevel,theAdministratormaycreateasmanygroupsasneededwithintheProfile.

MembershipThemembershipofagivendevicetoaProfileisdeterminedbytheAgentinstallation.

functionalityTheProfile levelhastheabilitytoperformactionsonallofthedevicesthatarecon-tainedwithinit.Thismakesitpossibletocreatereports,alertsandtaskstorunonthedeviceswhichmakeuptheProfile.

DeviceLevel

what is it?Thisrepresentsasinglenode,end-point,ordevicewhichhasanagentinstalledandisreportingtothePcsM Management console.devicesareautomaticallycreatedwithinthePcsM consolewhentheyhaveagentsinstalledonthem.

scopeAllactionstakenatthislevelaffectonlytheselecteddevice.

functionalityThedevice levelhastheabilitytoperformactionsonaparticulardevice.Thismakesitpossibletocreatereports,alertsandtaskstorunonasingleend-point.

DownloadtheagentfromtheProfilepagechosensothatwheninstalledontheuser’sdeviceitwillbeaddedautomaticallytotheProfileinquestionintheMana-gementconsole.

TominimizethetasksinthedeploymentphaseitisrecommendedtofirstcreateaProfileandthendownloadtheagentfromit,sothatownershipofthemanageddeviceisautomaticallyassignedtothecorrectProfile.

YoucanmovedevicesfromoneProfiletoanotherfromthedevice actionBarafteryouinstalltheagent.

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4. BasIc eleMents of tHe console

ThePcsM Management consoleisstructuredinanintuitiveandvisualmanner,sothatmostmanagementresourcesareaclickaway,avoidingtheclutterofunnecessarycheckboxesandconfiguration.

ThegoalisaConsolewhichisclean,quicktouse,andcomfortable,whileavoidingwhe-reverpossiblethefullpagereloadsandsteeplearningcurveofothersolutions,allowingyoutodelivervaluetoaclientordepartmentfromthedateofdeployment.

Thebasicelementsoftheconsoletowhichwewillrefertothroughoutthisguideare:

general MenuThismenuisaccessiblefromanywhereintheConsole.Itconsistsof6entries:

Elements:

Menu description

system SystemLevelAccess

Profiles ProfileLevelAccess

components Applications,Tools,andScriptsaccessiblebytheAdministrator

comstore RepositoryofcomponentscreatedbyPandaSecuritythatex-tendthefunctionalityofPcsM

scheduled Jobs ListofActiveandFinishedJobs

scheduled reports ListofConfiguredandDefaultReports

TabBar/TabBarListsThetab Barprovidesaccesstothevariousavailableactionsandinformationinthecon-solecorrespondingtotheparticularDevicesandLevelsatwhichitisaccessed.Itallowsaccesstoconfigurationchanges,auditinformation,policycreation,etc.,andisgenerallywheremostoftheworkisdoneatintheManagementConsole.

Thisbarisslightlydifferentifitisaccessedfrom Profile, system,ordevice level,andforeachlevelthemanagementscopeisalsodifferent.

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tab accessible from description

summary Profile,Device Information

dashboard System MasterInformationControlPanel

devices Profile devices accessiblewithassociatedinformation

audit System,Profile,Device Inventoryofhardware,softwareandlicenses

Manage System,Profile,Device Patch Managementwithbothpendingandappliedlists

Monitor System,Profile,Device alertscreatedbymonitorsorfinishedjobs

support System,Profile,Device Generatedtickets

report System,Profile,Device Customandpredefinedreports

Policies System,Profile,Device GeneratedPolicies(explainedlater)

settings Profile Profileassociatedconfiguration

suspended devices System Uninstalleddevices

IconBar/ActionBarTheIconBarorActionBarallowsaccesstoactionsaimedatchangingthestatusorcon-figurationofthedevices.ThisbardoesnotexistintheSystemmenuandvariesslightlyifaccessedfromthemenuorfromaProfileDevicesincethescopeofmanagement isdifferent.

Icon accessible from description

Move device to Profile,Device Moves a devicetoanotherProfile

agent Based Profile,Device adds devicestoaselectedGroup

edit Profile add notes and custom fieldsforaselectedDevicethatcanbeusedbyfilters(discussedlater)

toggle Profile,Device MarkasfavoriteDevicesforquickaccessfromSummary/Dashboard

delete Profile,Device deletes a device from a Profile.TheoptioninstructstheAgenttorunanuninstallinstructionandtheDeviceisaddedtothesuspended devices tabundersystem

request audit Profile,Device forces and Inventory oftheselected device

schedule Job Profile,Device create a scheduled Jobforalaterdate

run a Quick Job Profile create and run a Jobusingaselectedcomponent

download csv Profile,Device downloads a list of Profile devices

add/remove cache Profile,Device Mark the device as local cache

turn Privacy on Profile,Device Prevents remote access By the administratorofthedevicesunlessapprovedbytheUser

send a message Profile,Device sends a messagetotheselecteddevices

schedule reports Profile configure and schedule reportsforalaterdate

refresh Profile,Device Refreshesthedataonthescreen

Initiate Device Initiates a deploymentfromtheselecteddevicetoothernodesconnectedtothesamenetworkasthedevice

Qr code Device QRcodeassociatedwiththedeviceforpaperinventory

ThescopeoftheTabBarreferstothecurrentlevel.Thus,ifyouaccesstheTabBaratSystemLevelitwillshowyoutheinformationforallDevices;ifyoulookonProfileLevelthedatareflectedwillshowonlyDeviceparticipantswithinthatcorrespondingProfile.IfyoulookatDeviceLevel,itwillonlyshowinformationforthatparticulardevice.

Elements:

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FiltersandGroupPanelTheleftsideoftheconsolewillhavethreepanelswithdifferentgroups:

ThescopeoftheIcon Bar willbeformedbymanualselectionofDevicesthathavebeenmarkedinaProfile.

IfyouwanttoperformactionsattheSystemLevelyouwillneedtocreateafilterorgroup(explainedbelow)astheSystemLeveldoesnotdisplaythetoolbarbydefault.

• default filters: Filters automaticallygeneratedbythesystem

•Profile/custom filters:Filterscreatedby the Administrator in the Profile orSystemLevelrespectively

•Profile/system groups:Groupscrea-tedbytheAdministratorintheProfileorSystemlevelrespectively.

control levelsTheControlLevelsreflectthestatusofasetofdevices.TherearethreetypesofControlLevels:

System(Account)LevelTheSystemLevelreflectsthestatusofallProfilesandDevicescontainedthataremana-gedbytheMSP.ThisisthehighestlevelandthereisonlyoneSystem(Account)LevelMenuperaccount.

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ProfileLevelTheProfileLevelreflectsthestatusofallDevicesthatbelongtotheselectedProfile.TherewillbeaProfileMenuforeachProfilecreated.

DeviceLevelTheDeviceLevelreflectsthestatusofaparticularDevice.

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5. fIlters and grouPs

what are the Groups and Filters?GroupsandFiltersareresourcesdesignedtogenerateclustersofsimilarDeviceswithinaProfile.SowhilecreatingaProfileisconsideredastaticaspectofmarkingDevicesasbe-longingtoaspecificcontainer,GroupsandFiltersaredesignedtobemodifiedwitheaseinresponsetotemporarycharacteristicsorcriteriaofthoseDevices.

types of Groups and FiltersTherearetwotypesofGroupsandFilters:

u Profile groups/Profile filters:CreatedwithinaselectedProfile,theycanonlycontainDeviceswithinthecorrespondingProfile

u account (multi Profile) groups / custom filters:CreatedfromtheProfilestab,withoutselectingaspecificProfile,theycancontainDevicesthatbelongtoone,several,orallProfiles

GroupsGroupsarecollectionsofstaticdevices.MembershipofaDevicetoaGroupismanualbydirectallocation.

FiltersFiltersaredynamicgroupsofDevices.Membershipofadeviceisautomatic,astheysettheirconditionsformembership.Theconditionsofmembershipofafiltercanbeoneormorecharacteristicsandarelinkedbylogicaloperators(AND/OR).

Thefollowingarethestepstobuildafilter

•name the filter.Itisrecommendedthatthenamebedescriptive,indicatingthecommoncharacteristicsofthedevicesgrouped(i.e.“MicrosoftExchangeServers”,“Workstationswithlittlefreespace”)

•Iftherearemultipleconditionsthelogicaloperationthatcanbeappliedare:

uAny:Anydevicethatmeetsatleastoneconditionwillbeincludedinthefilter

uAll:Onlydevicesthatmeetalltheconditionswillbeincludedinthefilter

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•criteria:Eachlineconsistsofseveraltermsthatdescribefields,bytype:

ufield:Fieldisthemainfeatureofthedevicethatitwillincludeaspartofthefilter.Themainareasarelistedandclassifiedbelow.

ucondition:SetsthefieldforcomparisonwhichtheAdministratorcanestablish.

usearch term:DescribesthecontentintheField.DependingonthetypeofField,theSearchTermConditionwillreflectchangesmadetodateranges,sections,etc.

Herearethedifferentvaluesforeachconditionline:

field condition search term

String Empty–Notempty,Contains–DoesNotContain,Startswith–Doesnotstartwith,Finisheswith–Doesnotfinishwith

Stringsmayuse%asawildcard

Integer Greater–Greaterthanorequal,Less–Lessthanorequal,Includes,Excludes

Numerical.

Binary Profile IntervalofDates

•AddseverallinesoftypeCriteriawith“+”and“-“iconsontheright

•select the area of the filter:

uAllDevicesinallProfiles

uOnlyDevicesintheselectedProfiles

•SelectUsersoftheConsolewhichhaveaccesstotheFilter

ThefeaturesdescribedintheFieldcanbegroupedasfollowsaccordingtotheirfunctionDevicedescriptor:

device role organization by os, client type, or server type

DeviceType:Server,Works-tation,Smartphone,Laptop

SpecifictypeofinstalledDevice

OperatingSystem Allowssystemorganizationofserverorclient

software version software data

ServicePack Servicepackversion

SoftwarePackage Softwareinstalled

Softwareversion Specificsoftwareversions

Hardware Information on model, version, device type, etc.

CPU Processortype

BIOSName/Release/version InstalledBIOSandversioninformation

DisplayAdapter Typeofdisplayadapterinstalled

Manufacturer Systemmanufacturername

Memory AmountofincludedRAM

Model Systemmodelname

Monitor Typeofmonitorconnected

Motherboard Typeofmotherboardmodel

NetworkAdapter SpecificnameandmodelnumberofNetworkAdapter

device status option definition

Status–Online/Offline Deviceonoroff

Statussuspended SuspendedDevice

AntivirusOn/Off NoAVDetected

FirewallOn/Off NoFirewallDetected

Freediskcapacity Detectsthedevice’sfreestorage

WindowsupdatesOn/OFF DetectsifthedevicehasWindowsUpdatesconfiguredornot

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device Id Information that identifies and describes the device

Description BriefDevicedescription

ProfileDescription User-creatednotestodescribetheprofile

Profilename NameoftheprofiletheDevicebelongsto

Domain NetworkDomainthesystemisapartof

IPAddress IndividualsystemIP

MACAddress AvailableMACaddressofhardwareinstalledonDevice

Serialnumber Deviceserialnumber

Hostname NameassignedbytheOS

other states

Favorite ForquickaccessfromtheDashboard

Lastseen Previoustimestampofconnectioninformationsent

Lastaudit Previoustimestampoffullauditinformationsenttoconsole

Lastuser Lastusertohaveloggedintothesystem

FunctionDevicedescriptorpart2:

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•Limitations:

u TheGroups/Filtershavelimitedfunctionalityastheyloseaccessto the tab bar so it is not possible to generate consolidatedlistings.

u ReportsgeneratedviaGroups/Filterswillonlycontaininformationofthosesingulardevices.

general approach and Management structure of devicesThefollowinggeneralrulesareapplied:

•group devices in Profiles to separate different customer accounts or configuration sets.

TheProfilesdonotimposeanyinherentlimitationsongeneratingreportsorconsolidatedlistingsandallowconfigurationtoalloftheDevicesbelongingtothatProfile.

•create Profile groups to group devices by similar features such as hardware, software, or configuration.

Forexample,configureProfileGroupstoseparateDevicesbydepartmentswithinaclientaccountwithsimilarfeatures(softwareutilized,generalrequirements,printeraccess,etc.)orbydifferentroles(Servers/Workstations)

•create Profile filters to find computers with common states within a Profile.

6. How to Manage tHe devIces effIcIently

ThedistributionintheconsoleofthemanageddeviceswithinanMSPorITdepartmentwithmultipleclientaccountsandvariouslevelsofdelegationdrasticallyaffectstheireffi-ciencysincemanyproceduresandactionscanbeconfiguredtorunonmanydevices.Thiscanbealleviatedthroughtherightcombinationofprofiles,groups,andfilters.

differences of Profiles, Groups and FiltersThefollowingdescribestheadvantagesandlimitationsofthethreewaysofgroupingthataresupported.

Profiles•Benefits:

uAssociatesthesameoutboundInternetsettingstoalldevices:Devicesavesmanualconfigurationtolocalcache

uLinkedcontactinformationforsendingreports,alerts,etc.viaemail

uAccesstothetabsbarandtheiconbarthatallowtheexecutionofactionsanddisplayofListingsandConsolidatedreports,whichcoversalloftheProfileDevicesforeaseofuse

•Limitations:

uAnyDevicecanonlybelongtooneProfileuItisnotpossibletonestaProfilewithinaProfile

FiltersandGroups•Benefits:

uTheGroups/Filtersletyoucreatesubsetsofdeviceswithinoneormore

TheGroups/Filtersarecrossfunctionalbetweenprofilesandareunlimited(asmanyasyoulike)buthavelimitedaccesstoconsolidatedreportingandtabbarfunctio-nality

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Use filters to quickly and automatically search abnormal conditions that fall outsidepredeterminedthresholds(insufficientdiskspace,littlephysicalmemoryinstalled,softwarenotallowedetc.)proactively,ortosearchDeviceswithspecificfeatures.

• associate account groups and filters to technical Profiles.

IfthesizeofanMSPorCompanyisverylargetheremaybehighleveltechniciansonstaff.In thiscase thoseTechniciansmayonly supporthigh levelenvironments suchasCitrixFarmsorExchangeServers.AGrouporAccounttypeFilterhelpsthemlocateandgroupthesecomputerswithouthavingtogoProfilebyProfileintheirsearch.

Itisnotadvisabletousefiltersforstaticcharactergroups.

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IftheProfileDevicesrequireadditionalHTTPproxytoaccesstheInternetthisinformationcanbeprovidedhereorcanbeaddedatalatertime.OncetheProfile iscreated, it isrecommendedthattheSettingstabisconfigured.Thisconfigurationwillbe incorporatedwithin theAgent installedoneachmanageddevicebelongingtotheProfile.

deploy the agentTheAgentinstalledontheDeviceswillrequirecertainbasicinformationinorderforittofunction:

uTheProfilewhichitwillbelongto.

uTheminimuminformationrequiredforittoreachtheInternetandconnecttothe PcsM Management console.

ProfilemembershipisautomaticallyestablishedifthedistributionoftheAgentisstartedfromwithintheProfileAgent.

TheinformationsetwithintheProfileSettingstabrequiredtosuccessfullyconnecttotheInternetwasindicatedinthepreviousstepsoanysubsequentinstallationsoftheAgentwillautomaticallycontainthatinformation.

TheAgentdownloadcanbedoneintwoways:

uDirectAgentdownloads(mail,GPOpackage,etc.).

uDirectemaillinktotheAgent.

7. tHe fIrst 8 stePs to BegIn usIng PcsM

creation and configuration of the first ProfileFirstyoumustdeterminewhether tocreateanewProfileor reuseonealready inuse,dependingonthecriteriayouareusing.Generally,anewCustomeraccountorconfigu-rationsetwillcorrespondtoanewProfile.

Fillintheinformationaccordinglyandkeepinmindthatthedescriptionfieldmaybesub-sequentlyusedbyfilters.

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TheinstallationanddeploymentoftheAgentonlargenetworkscanbelongandtediousifyouhavetosendittoeachdeviceindependently.Itcanbefasterandeasierifyouper-formamassdeployment:

u SendtheAgenttothefirstDeviceontheNetwork.

NormallyAgentinstallationonlyrequiresadoubleclickonthedownloadedpackage,andperformstheinstallcompletely“silent”withoutconfirmations.Onceinstalled,theagentwillconnecttothePCSMConsoleandwillappearinthelistofmanageddevicesintheselectedProfile

u AutoDeploytoothernetworkdevices.

SelectingtheDevicewiththefirstAgentinstallationyoucanstartamassdeploymentwithintherestofyournetwork.

check the list of Profile devices and Basic filteringYoucanfavoritetheDevices,organizethelists,orquicklyfilteraccordingtotheroleofthedeviceandchangethesizeofthelist.

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software, license and Hardware InventoryIntheAudittabyouinventoriedallthedetailsofthedevicesbelongingtotheProfileor,ifaccessedfromadevice,itwillshowtheinformationaboutthedeviceinmoredetail.

Patch ManagementApprovepatchesthathavenotbeeninstalledonmanageddevicesorrunarollbackofthoseyouwanttouninstallintheManage tab.

Configurewhentoapplypatches,stepstobetakenaftertheapplication,andotherpa-rameterscreatingaWindowsUpdatePolicyfromthePoliciesTabintheProfile(explainedlater).

Monitor creation and configurationClickaDevice selected from thoseavailable in theProfileanduse theMonitor tab toregisteranewMonitor,byselectingMonitorsontheright.

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Choosetheappropriatemonitortypefromthoseavailable.

ConfiguretheparametersoftheMonitor.

ComStoreExtends the functionality of PcsM and installs third-party software as publishedcomponents,fromthistab.

ThecomponentsuseddirectlybythePartner/ITManagermustbedownloadedfromtheComstore.

Under “My Components” shows the components already downloaded and available for use.

Under “ComStore” components are available for download.

Inordertodownloadacomponent,selectone,andclick“Buy”.Atthattimeitwillpo-pulateundertheMy componentssection.AllcomponentsarefreefromtheComStore.

Dependingonthetypeofcomponent,itcanberunasataskorinresponsetoanalertgeneratedbyamonitor.

UndertheDevicetabwithintheProfileyoucanselectthedevices,applyacomponentandconfigureaschedule(Scheduleajob)orrunthecomponentimmediately(RunaquickJob).

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remote Managed devices and resource accessAlthoughmanydailyoperationscanbeperformeddirectlyfromtheconsole,itmaybenecessarytodirectlyaccessthedeviceusingtheRemoteSupportfromtheAgent.ThisrequirestheinstallationoftheAgentontheDevicesotheTechniciancanperformremotesupportandloginwiththeirusernameandpassword.

Onceloggedin,locatetheDevicebynamewithintheProfilestheTechnicianhasaccessto,orthroughtheDevicestheyhavedesignatedasfavorites.

OncetheyhavelocatedandselectedtheDevice,alloftheoptionsforremoteaccessandcontrolshallbeaccessiblethroughbothiconsandmenus.

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Theoptionsthatdonotpreventtheuserfromcontinuingtoworkonthesystemare:

u remote screen capture:TakesascreenshotanddisplaysitwithintheAgent.

uwindows services tab:Remoteaccesstostopandresumeservices.

u screen sharing session:RemoteDesktopSharing.TheuserseeswhatthetechnicianisdoingontheirDevice.

u command shell:RemoteaccesstotheDOScommandlineshell.

u agent deployment:LaunchthedeploymentoftheAgent.

u task Manager:RemoteaccesstoTaskManager.

u file transfer:Sendandreceivefiles.

u registry:RemoteaccesstoRegedittool.

u Quick Jobs:Launchjobs.

u event viewer:Remoteaccesstotheeventviewer.

Theoptionsthatwillimpedetheuser’sabilitytousetheirdeviceare:

u windows rdP:RemoteDesktopAccesswhichwillclosetheuser’ssession.

u shut down / reboot:shutdownorrestartthetargetdevice.

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8. PoLICIeS

what are PoliciesPoliciesarecommonconfigurationsofSystemandProfilelevelgroupsorCustomFilters.Inthiscase,aPolicycreatedattheSystemLevel(AccountPolicy)requestswhatGroup/FilterappliesfromtheSystemLevel,whereasifthePolicywascreatedattheProfileLevel(ProfilePolicy)youwouldchoosebetweentheGroups/FiltersavailableattheProfileLevel.

How to define a Profile PolicyFromtheProfilestab,selectaspecificprofilethenclickonpoliciesontherightfollowedby“Addprofilepolicy”withinthewindow.

ItwillshowawindowindicatingthenameofthePolicy,andifthetypeisbasedononecreatedearliertoexpeditetheconfiguration.

CreatingPoliciescannotbeperformedatthedevicelevel.AtthislevelwecanonlyseethelegacyPoliciesdefinedathigherlevelsandaffectingthatdevice.

ThedatarequestedinthenextscreenchangesdependingonthetypeofPolicyyouhavechosen.

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HerewehavecreatedanAgentPolicyso“AgentPolicyOptions”willaffecttheconfigu-rationoftheAgentonthedevices.

AlltypesofPolicieswillrequireconfigurationoftheTargetdefinedasaGrouporFilter.AsthisisaPolicycreatedattheProfilelevelitwillonlyshowtheGroupsorFilterspre-viouslycreated.

How to define an account PolicyFromtheSystemMenuclickonthetablabeled“Policies”.

TheremainingstepsareidenticaltothecreationofaProfilePolicy.

tips for PoliciesThefollowingarethe5differenttypesofPolicies.

•agent

ThistypeofPolicydeterminestheappearanceandinteractionoftheagentinstalledforboththeuserandtheconsole.

u Install service only:Thisoptionhidestheiconfromthetraysotheusercannotaccesstheconfigurationwindows.

u active Privacy Mode:Remoteconnectiontothedesktopoftheuserdevicerequiresexplicitacceptancebytheuser.

u disable settings:TheusercannotaccessthecontextmenuoftheAgent.

u disable audits:TheselectedDeviceswillnotsendAudit,orhardware/softwaredata.

u disable Incoming Jobs:PreventssendingjobstotheAgent.

u disable Incoming support:DisablesaccesstotheAgentbytheAdministrator.

u agent Browser Mode:TheAgenthasthreemodesofoperation.

odisabled

ouser:TheAgentwindowwilldisplaybutpreventsaccessthoutauthentication.

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oadministrator:Completeaccessisgivenwiththecorrectauthenticationcredentials.

• Monitoring

ThisallowsyoutoaddaMonitorPolicy.Monitorswillbeexplainedinalaterchapter

•Power

ThisPolicycanconfigurethepowersavingsettingsofthedevicesthatsupportthem.

•windows update

ThisPolicyisatranspositionoftheoptionsavailableinaWSUSserverandtoconfigurethemostcommonoptionsforPatchManagementforMicrosoftsystems.