Novell® ZENworks® OnDemand ServicesTM 2 provides directory-based provisioning of applications to users.
If your organization is like most, application provisioning carries with it a significant amount of overhead for your users and IT staff. In many cases, paperwork or telephone calls are required to gain access to an application, directory and file system rights need to be granted to the user, and installation of the application might require one or more service trips to the user's work area. If your IT department needs to bill the user to recover or track the application's purchase and rollout costs, additional overhead is generated.
With OnDemand Services, you can lessen your provisioning overhead by defining available applications in Novell eDirectoryTM, automating the approval process used to gain access to applications, and automating the delivery of approved applications to users' desktops.
At the same time, you can satisfy your organization's budget management requirements by assigning purchase and usage fees to applications, tracking the application fees, and billing individual departments for the application fees accrued by their users.
The following list highlights some of the features that let you realize the benefits of using OnDemand Services as your application provisioning solution:
Directory-Based Management: All application and user information is stored and managed in Novell eDirectory. Using eDirectory makes configuration and management of application provisioning quicker and easier and enables OnDemand Services to automatically control user access to applications through use of directory rights.
Multi-Type Application Support: OnDemand Services supports thin-client (terminal server) applications, Web-based applications, and traditional desktop applications. Provisioning of thin-client applications requires the use of DeFrameTM 2.01, included with OnDemand Services. Provisioning of traditional desktop applications requires the use of ZENworks for Desktops 3.2.
Application Packages: Applications are made available to users through OnDemand Services packages. A package can contain a single application or a suite of applications. You can include desktop, thin-client, and Web applications in the same package.
Application Usage Tracking: You can track application usage for individual users on a per-minute or per-use basis.
Purchase and Usage Charges: You can provide application packages to user free of charge, or you can charge purchase and usage fees for the package. The charge can be based on a one-time purchase fee for limited or unlimited use, a subscription fee, a per-use fee, a per-minute fee, or a combination of these fees.
Administrator- or User-Initiated Provisioning: Administrator-initiated provisioning enables you to push applications to users. User-initiated provisioning enables users to request application packages. Their requests must be approved before the applications can be used.
Automated Approval Workflow: For user-initiated provisioning, OnDemand Services provides ApprovalFlowTM, an automated workflow process for requesting application packages and approving requests. ApprovalFlow enables users to request packages and track their requests. It also enables administrators to approve or deny requests.
Purchase and Usage Charge Tracking: Purchase and usage charges are tracked against accounting units referred to as cost centers. You can use a single cost center for tracking all users' charges, or, if you need to track application charges by organization, you can create cost centers for each organization.
Delegated Provisioning Authority: You can delegate provisioning authority to individuals within each cost center. These individuals, called budget holders, have the ability to control the application charges accrued to their cost center by approving or denying users' requests for applications. They also have the ability to assign applications to the cost center's users, create user accounts assigned to their cost center, and enable or disable the user accounts.
Web-Browser Interface: Users and budget holders access OnDemand Services through a Web browser interface. From this one location, users can request applications, track their requests, launch applications, and generate reports showing the charges they've accrued for using applications. They can also edit their user information. Budget holders, in addition to having the same capabilities as users, can approve or deny requests for applications, create user accounts, enable and disable user accounts, and generate reports showing the charges their cost center's users have accrued for using applications. The OnDemand Services Web-browser interface is provided through Web portal information windows, called gadgets, that are installed and configured under Novell Portal Services.
ZENworks for Desktops 3.2 Integration: OnDemand Services requires ZENworks for Desktops (ZfD) 3.2 in order to provision traditional desktop applications. ZfD 3.2 provides the delivery mechanism for these applications. Other integration points include:
Novell iChain Integration: Novell iChain® provides secure authentication and access to portals, Web-based content, and Web applications. OnDemand Services integrates with Novell iChain 2.x to enable you to secure Web applications you've included in OnDemand Services packages. Through the use of iChain ACL (Access Control List) rules, OnDemand Services enables access to Web applications when a user purchases the Web application's package and disables access when the purchase expires.