Answers to FAQs

Q.

What are the differences between SysAid editions?

There are 3 editions of SysAid:

• Free Edition
• Pro Edition
• Enterprise Edition
Please see our comparison matrix for a complete explanation of the differences between editions.

Q.

What are the delivery platforms for SysAid?

There are two delivery platforms available for SysAid:

• In-House: You install SysAid on your own server.
• Cloud: SysAid is installed on our server and you access it over the Internet (SaaS).

Q.

Are SysAid Cloud and In-House identical in terms of functionality?

Completely. Both delivery platforms offer you the same rich set of features.

end faq

Q.

What is an administrator?

An administrator manages the service record flow. He can be assigned to a service record and configure the system.

Q.

What is an end-user?

An end user is somebody who is registered as the request user on a service record and as the user of an asset.

Q.

What is an asset?

Any network or SNMP device. This includes: workstations, servers, printers, mobile devices, routers, or any IT device that you would like to record in SysAid for inventory and monitoring purposes.

Q.

How much does SysAid cost?

The price of SysAid is calculated based upon:

• The number of administrators and assets that you need
• Which additional modules you need
• Whether you choose SysAid Pro or Enterprise Edition
• Whether you choose SysAid In-House or Cloud as your delivery platform

SysAid includes unlimited end users.

Please contact SysAid sales for a full quote.

Q.

Can I keep all data from my trial after I purchase?

Definitely. For In-House users, after you purchase SysAid, you'll receive a new activation key. You simply replace the trial activation key in your SysAid with the new one, and you keep everything! For Cloud users, the data is automatically saved.

Q.

Is SysAid offered as a lifetime license or as an annual subscription?

SysAid is offered as an annual subscription and includes full support and software updates.

Q.

Is it easy to add administrators/assets/modules?

Adding administrators, assets, and modules is as simple as adding a new license key, and you can do so at any time.

Q.

How long does it take to implement SysAid?

Setting up SysAid is an extremely simple and intuitive process. From installation to e-mail and LDAP integration to configuring the helpdesk to importing your assets—you will be hard pressed to find another software with SysAid's capabilities that is as easy and as quick to implement.

Q.

What languages does SysAid support?

SysAid is available in a large number of different languages. Click here for the complete list.

Q.

Can SysAid grow with my organization?

Not only can SysAid grow with your organization, SysAid can help your organization grow.
You can:

• Add licenses at any time to keep up with the growing size of your organization.
• Add new modules when you reach the point where you need them.

Furthermore, we at SysAid are always developing new features and modules to meet our customers' changing needs. Therefore, if there's a feature that you need it and it doesn't yet exist within SysAid, there's a good chance we're already developing it.

Q.

How can I test SysAid before using it?

There are two ways to test SysAid before purchasing it:

• Test SysAid in our online demo environment
• Sign up for a full trial of SysAid and experience SysAid with all features and all modules

Furthermore, we offer weekly, live demonstrations of SysAid. Sign up here.

Q.

How often do you release new versions of SysAid?

Cloud users will be upgraded about several times a year with any new release that comes out. In-House users will be upgraded for major releases only, which we aim to release two major SysAid releases each year. Every release includes many new features, modules, and bug fixes designed to meet your ever changing needs.

Q.

Do I have to pay an upgrade fee to get new releases?

As long as you have an active subscription, you receive for free all updates to SysAid for all modules you've purchased.

Q.

What features did you add in your latest release? Where can I find the latest release?

Please see our full release notes for new features, and our upgrades page to download the latest release.

Q.

Can I add licenses to the Free Edition?

SysAid Free Edition contains 2 administrator licenses, 100 end user licenses, and 100 asset licenses. If you need more than this, you simply move to a paid edition, either the Pro Edition or the Enterprise Edition, and you can then add as many licenses as you need.

Q.

How do I order SysAid?

When you receive a quote from SysAid, it contains a link to place your order. If the quote is correct, click on the link to order. If your quote needs to be adjusted, please contact your SysAid sales representative, and you will be sent a new quote with a new order link.

end faq

Q.

How do roles work for administrators?

User roles are controlled by permissions. In this way, you can control exactly what each administrator has access to, giving you complete control.

Q.

I already have an asset management solution, and I only want to use SysAid for the help desk. Is this possible?

While the help desk and asset management modules are closely integrated, you can still use either one without the other. However, you will lose many advantages of having an integrated system, such as the ability to see full service history for an asset and the ability to see full asset details directly from a service record. You will also miss out on additional benefits of asset management, such as monitoring, remote control, initiating chat with end users, broadcasting messages to end users, and more.

Q.

Can SysAid create service records from incoming e-mails?

Absolutely. You can easily set up SysAid to convert incoming emails from specific e-mail accounts, and you can define categories and automatically route service records accordingly.

Q.

How do I import my users into SysAid?

There are three ways to import users into SysAid:

• Through LDAP integration, which also gives you the ability to import and map the various fields in your LDAP
• By importing from a .csv file (Excel)
• Through the API (Enterprise Edition only)

You can also create users manually.

Q.

How do my end user's submit service records?

End users can submit service records by email or through the End User Portal. Once you've installed the SysAid Agent, end users have easy access to the End User Portal by hitting the SysAid hotkey. The hotkey automatically opens a service record with an attached screenshot of whatever they are viewing, and also attaches full information about the asset they are submitting from.

Administrators can also create service records for end users.

Q.

Does SysAid come with prewritten reports?

Yes. SysAid comes with a wide selection of prewritten reports. There are reports for:

• SysAid Help Desk
• SysAid Asset Management
• Highest values (e.g. end user who submits the most service records)
• Tasks and Projects

Q.

Can I write my own custom reports?

The Manager Dashboard module allows you to easily create reports using the built-in report wizard. Furthermore, the Manager Dashboard module also allows you to customize all reports that come with SysAid.

end faq

Q.

Are the help desk and asset management modules integrated?

Yes. The help desk and asset management modules are very closely integrated. Your end users can easily attach their assets to their service records, your administrators can easily see a complete service history for each asset, and much, much more.

Q.

Do I need to deploy an agent for asset management?

You can use SysAid Asset Management without deploying an agent. This includes importing all of your Windows based computers using WMI scanning and importing your SNMP devices using SNMP scanning. In addition, SysAid does include an Agent which you can deploy to your computers for enhanced functionality. The SysAid Agent enables remote control and monitoring, and will give you full hardware and software details for each of your computers, servers, and workstations. It also allows you to initiate chats with end users, send broadcast messages, see which users are online on your network, and more.

Q.

How do I import my assets into SysAid?

SysAid has an automatic discovery service, and assets can be imported in the following ways:

• *Computers can be imported by deploying the SysAid Agent or by performing a WMI scan
• *SNMP devices can be imported by performing an SNMP scan
• *All asset types can be imported from a .csv (Excel) file

Additionally, any asset can be created manually.

Q.

I have another program that already uses the F11 hotkey. Can SysAid be configured to use a different hotkey?

Absolutely. When you deploy the SysAid Agent, you simply specify a different hotkey.

Q.

I'm concerned about memory usage on my computers. Will the SysAid Agent affect system performance for the machines it's installed on?

No. You will not see any noticeable performance differences after the SysAid Agent is installed. The SysAid Agent is lightweight and uses minimum system resources.

Q.

I would like to keep track of cell phones/monitors/miscellaneous IT devices. Can SysAid Asset Management help me do this?

Any device of any sort can be tracked using SysAid Asset Management. However, for non-computer and non-SNMP devices, you are better served by using the SysAid CMDB. The CMDB allows you to create as many item types as you like, and you have 250 customizable fields to record any information you need about each of your items.

end faq

Q.

Which modules are included in all SysAid editions and which modules are extra?

The following modules are included in all SysAid editions:

• Help Desk
• Asset Management
• Analyzer (Reporting)
• Survey
• LDAP Integration (not included in Free Edition)
• Email integration
• Calendar
• Chat
• Remote Control using SysAid RCG (1 concurrent license)
• My Desktop (1 concurrent license)

The following modules are optional add-ons in the Pro Edition and Enterprise Editions of SysAid:

• Manager Dashboard
• Tasks & Projects
• Monitoring
• CMDB (included in Enterprise Edition)
• Password Services
• Remote Control using SysAid RCG (additional licenses)
• My Desktop (additional licenses)

The following modules are included in the Enterprise Edition of SysAid:

• SLA/SLM
• Change Management
• Problem Management
• API

The Pro Edition trial includes all optional Pro Edition modules. The Enterprise trial includes all modules. When your trial period is over, you keep all the modules you've ordered.

Q.

Can my end users participate in SysAid Tasks & Projects?

The SysAid Tasks & Projects module was designed specifically to give your IT staff a project planning environment. For this reason, only administrators have access to Tasks & Projects.

Q.

Can my end users participate in SysAid Change Management?

Yes. Any end user can participate in SysAid Change Management from the End User Portal.

end faq

Q.

Does SysAid support LDAP/Exchange integration?

Yes. SysAid supports LDAP integration, both for importing users and user groups and for authentication. SysAid supports Microsoft Active Directory, Novell eDirectory, and OpenLDAP. Both Cloud and In-House support LDAP integration.

Q.

Does SysAid support single sign-on?

Yes. Once you've integrated SysAid with Active Directory, you can then enable single sign-on for authentication. As soon as users log into their computers, they are automatically logged into SysAid!

Q.

Which databases does SysAid support?

SysAid comes bundled with a Derby database. Alternatively, you can connect SysAid to a MySQL, MS SQL, or Oracle database.

Q.

Will SysAid integrate with my existing database?

Yes. Exact integration details vary by database type. See the SysAid Installation Guide for more information.

Q.

Does SysAid include mobile applications?

Yes. SysAid offers free mobile applications for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Phone 7.

Q.

Does SysAid have Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)?

Yes. Your phone system can identify a caller and open a service record on the computer of the administrator who answers the call.

Q.

Does SysAid support SSL for accessing the server?

Yes. You can configure SysAid to work in SSL mode. This is true for both the In-House and Cloud delivery platforms.

Q.

Does SysAid have an API?

SysAid Enterprise Edition has an API that gives you full access to each of the main entities in SysAid. You can create, modify, and delete entities. The API also allows you to send e-mails, and gives you several additional functions.

Q.

Can I integrate SysAid with my company's internal website (intranet)?

You can easily integrate SysAid with your internal website (intranet). You do this by embedding the End User Portal into the website using an iFrame. SysAid Enterprise Edition also allows you to design your own custom web forms for service record submission.

end faq

Q.

What types of support do you offer?

SysAid support is available through multiple channels:

• Telephone
• E-mail
• Live chat
• The SysAid Community
• Remote control (as needed)

Please see our support page for further details and for operating times.

Q.

What are your support hours?

Please see our support page for our full operating schedule.

Q.

What are the system requirements for installing the SysAid server?

You can see full system requirements for SysAid here.

Q.

Is there a training program for SysAid?

SysAid offers three types of training:

• A SysAid Certification Course that will help you to become a SysAid expert. This course consists of 8 two-hour sessions.
• A Kickstart Course that guides you through the five initial steps to start using SysAid. This course consists of 2 two-hour sessions.
• Personalized, 1-on-1 training sessions to help you set up SysAid according to your company's exact specifications. This training is offered by our Professional Services Team in one-hour blocks.

Q.

Can you import all my service records from my previous help desk?

Yes. This is something we can do for you as a special project. For more information, please contact support at helpdesk@sysaid.com.

Q.

I have a suggestion for a new SysAid feature. Who do I contact?

We love getting help making SysAid better! In any given release of SysAid, a very high percentage of new features are taken directly from customer suggestions. The place to submit your feature requests is the SysAid Feature Request Forum, which may be found in our Community. You may also contact us directly at helpdesk@sysaid.com.

Q.

What is your SLA for Cloud performance?

We offer 100% uptime for our Cloud installations, and backups are created nightly and stored in multiple physical locations. Full details are included in the Cloud license agreement.

Q.

Do I have to pay each time I contact SysAid Support?

Of course not! As long as you have an active subscription, we will provide you with all the support that you need for normal SysAid operations and procedures.

Q.

Can SysAid be rebranded?

Yes. The contents of almost every page in SysAid can be customized to suit your needs, and you can even replace the SysAid logo with your own. Furthermore, the SysAid End User Portal supports additional customization, so you can configure it to look exactly the way you want it to.

end faq