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ManageEngine SaaS Service Desk Updated with AD Integration

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/22/11

As part of a product upgrade, a company that sells web-based applications for managing IT infrastructure has added directory integration to one of its products to simplify user sign-on. ManageEngine, which develops ServiceDesk Plus On-Demand, now allows customers to pull user data from Microsoft's Active Directory and leverage Windows-integrated authentication. The new functionality will eliminate the requirement for users already logged into the network to enter another password to access the service desk application.

The application includes functionality for help desk operations; software licensing and usage; incident, asset, and change management; and reporting.

"Active Directory integration is an important step in our on-demand goal of seamlessly integrating applications within the corporate network boundary," said Rajesh Ganesan, director of product management. "Our growing on-demand customer base expects [software-as-a-service] offerings to integrate with their existing systems and applications, and we are committed to protecting their [return on investment] by delivering new feature sets and increased integrations in line with their adoption."

Other new features in the latest update of ServiceDesk Plus On-Demand include:

• User groups, which allows the IT organization to classify its users into groups for purposes of access control and unified communication;
• A task template, which allows the IT person to re-use a task type; and
• A resolution template, to handle repeated requests with the same solution.

The new features are available in all four cloud-based editions of the application, including a free version. The company also sells on-premises versions. ManageEngine's customers include the Butte County Office of Education in Oroville, CA; Kyrene School District in Arizona, and Steilacoom Historical School District #1 in Washington, among others.