A couple of weeks ago I went to a training for two days where I’ve been drilled by Anne Plancius who’s Solution Architect at RES Software. Subject was Service Orchestration; this software creates an interface for users, key users, administrators to different systems without knowledge of the back end that delivers the functionality to the end user.
From their website:
Service orchestration provides users an IT service catalog for self-servicing or automatic delivery based upon business rules. Delivery can include workflow actions, such as approvals or requests for additional information. Service Orchestration for Automation Manager increases IT efficiency, decreases time to delivery, and puts the business back in control.
- Self-Servicing
A user can request an application from a catalog on their desktop, and after electronic approval from their manager, the application is delivered to their desktop through the Resource Provisioning Module.- Automatic Delivery
Once a user becomes a member of a department, the associated IT services will automatically be delivered to the them, without help desk interference.
Feature Description Benefit Orchestration Use business rules to control access to and delivery of IT services. Qualification determines if and when people are eligible for an IT service.
- Enable users to request services without time consuming processes
- Steer IT based on business rules
Workflow Actions Accommodate delivery with actions such as approvals, information requests and notifications.
- Eliminate lengthy approval processes
- Ensure that the right processes are followed
Integration Integrate with external data sources, email systems and RES Workspace Manager.
- Integration with third-party systems enables truly dynamic IT
- Available integration with the HR systems to serve as the source of all data
Service Orchestra in combination with RES Automation Manager delivers a method to automate processes and thus a way to deliver services. To understand this I have to clarify the difference between a process and a service:
- Process: Collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (source)
- Service: Added value without risks and with predefined costs (source)
By formalizing processes it’s clear what to do and this makes it possible to automate tasks based on these processes. I was thinking about these process and basically I could think of three major processes around users:
- Signing on
- Changes on existing users
- resignation of employment
Before you begin with Service Orchestration you first have to define what has to be done by whom and when. If this is formalized you can automate this with RES Automation Manager, after this is done you can start designing for this solution. Key is to set a source which contains a unique identifier and gather sources around this (in most cases user information is scattered over HR systems, Active Directory etc.) and create links between the unique identifier and it’s attributes that are based in the different sources.
So before you install RES Service Orchestration be sure that you know the processes and services that you want to deliver, after that you should automate this in RES Automation Manager. Next is to determine the source system and the sources containing additional information and when this is all done you can install the software and configure everything around Service Orchestration.
Kees Baggerman
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