Book Image

Getting Started with Spiceworks

Book Image

Getting Started with Spiceworks

Overview of this book

Over 2 million IT pros have installed Spiceworks. It helps them with their daily tasks, streamlines processes, and even saves them money, all for free! Getting Started with Spiceworks is an ideal resource to install Spiceworks and run it on your network. After all, over 2 million IT pros can't be wrong, so learn how to join the Spiceworks IT revolution. "Getting Started with Spiceworks" starts from downloading the app to having a fully functional Spiceworks installation in just a few minutes. It will cover Network Inventory, Help Desk, Self-Service User Portal, knowledge bases, and more in detail for you to get the most out of Spiceworks.Whether you have a decade of experience or you are new to the IT field, Spiceworks has tools for every IT pro's needs. You will learn how to make your daily tasks easier, streamline existing processes, and even save money with Spiceworks. "Getting Started with Spiceworks" will walk you through the Spiceworks installation step-by-step. It will cover topics such as configuring Spiceworks to scan your network and organize information, setting up Help Desk and Self-Service User Portal, running reports that dazzle and streamline your purchasing process, and connecting with other IT pros around your area or around the world thoroughly. "Getting Started with Spiceworks" will provide insights and tips from experts on Spiceworks. It is an ideal guide to progress quickly from installation to Spiceworks being an essential part of your IT day.
Table of Contents (11 chapters)

An overview of the Help Desk interface and User Portal


There are two interfaces of the Spiceworks' Help Desk as follows:

  • The first is for admins and IT staff, and we will be calling it the Administrative Interface (AI).

  • The second is for the users you will provide support to open tickets, modify or check the status of open tickets, and get IT information. This is called the User Portal (UP).

If you have used any kind of commercial Help Desk application, these concepts should be pretty familiar to you. If they are not, don't despair, we will be getting very friendly with each of them.

To get to the AI from anywhere in Spiceworks, click on the Help Desk link at the top of the page. Once you open Help Desk, you will see a page as shown in the following screenshot:

Let's go through the main parts of the AI; the explanation for highlighted areas in the preceding screenshot are as follows:

  • The area highlighted as 1 is actually a plugin that comes along with the installation of Spiceworks and is called...