Phased rollout This version of the software is currently available only to early adopter SaaS customers as the first step in our phased rollout.

BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced 21.02

BMC Helix Digital Workplace Advanced 21.02

With BMC Helix Digital Workplace, your end users can request IT, HR, and other company services through a social media-like interface. Administrators enable self-service features for end users and set up the catalog of services. 

Release notes and notices Updated 10 Aug 2021

This section provides information about what is new or changed in this space, including urgent issues, documentation updates, service packs, and patches. 

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Support-informationDigital Workplace Training & Certification


Date

Title

Summary

May 4, 2021

Support for BMC Helix Business Workflows 21.02.

March 17, 2021

The 21.02 release provides enhancements in the following areas:

  • Revamped multifunctional user interface for broadcasts creating and managing
  • Granular configuration for auto-cycle banners in catalog sections
  • Additional status filters for events
  • Display of the User ID field and configuration of end-user details display settings
  • Remedy ITSM support groups as entitlement groups and collaborators on service requests
  • Remedy connector supports all fields for Work Order and Change Request
  • Exporting only the most recent revision of services
  • Option to remove all items from the active cart with one click
  • Approve and reject buttons for approvers
  • Cart count shows only the number of items in the active cart
  • Restart available for failed service requests
  • View release approval details in BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT
  • Additional language support

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Creating and managing the service catalog

Create catalog sections, service categories, services,bundles, and banners

Deploying clients

Rebrand and make the application available to end users

Enabling self-service in an organization

Configure self-help resources, locations, and appointments

Administering

Set up users and groups, customizing, enabling features, sending broadcasts, and more.

Integrating

Integrate with other products.

Troubleshooting

Resolve common issues or errors, review logs, or contact Support.

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Videos

Videos are available in the following areas:

Getting started videos

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Integration videos

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Enabling self-service in your organization videos

The following topics in the Enabling-self-service-in-an-organization section contain videos that supplement or replace the text-based documentation:

Connector videos

The following topics in the Connecting-your-catalog-to-external-systems section contain videos that supplement or replace the text-based documentation:


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Troubleshooting videos

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Frequently asked questions

Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about the BMC Helix Digital Workplace product.

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Getting-started

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Frequently asked questions about BMC Helix Digital Workplace

What is BMC Helix Digital Workplace all about?

BMC Helix Digital Workplace is a set of applications that enable employees to interact with their IT and HR departments efficiently and "in the moment." You can find details about BMC Helix Digital Workplace capabilities in Use-cases.BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog provides web-based administration of the next-generation service catalog.  BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog aggregates service catalogs from different sources and orchestrates fulfillment of service requests. For more information, see Creating-and-managing-the-service-catalog.

How does BMC Helix Digital Workplace work with other BMC mobility options?

BMC Helix Digital Workplace is aimed at consumers of IT or other services, while BMC Helix ITSM is aimed at staff members delivering or supporting IT or other services. Both BMC Helix Digital Workplace and BMC Helix ITSM offer mobility UI options. For BMC Helix ITSM, mobility was, in the past, delivered via BMC Mobility products, but it is now delivered via BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT.

What’s the difference between BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT and BMC Helix Digital Workplace?

BMC Helix Digital Workplace is aimed at consumers of IT or other services. BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT is the new user experience for BMC Helix ITSM, which is aimed at staff members delivering or supporting IT or other services. Both these solutions must be enabled and used independently. For best results in service management, the use of both components is recommended. BMC Helix Digital Workplace has specific user licenses, whereas BMC Helix ITSM: Smart IT is licensed via standard BMC Helix ITSM user licenses.

Can I customize BMC Helix Digital Workplace?

You have several options to change the terminology, rebrand BMC Helix Digital Workplace, and icons. For details, see:

I know you can set up pins on maps to signify assets such as printers. Is there a way to visually show on the same map that a specific printer is down?

As an administrator, you can manually update the status of any asset. "Down" printers are shown as red icons, for example, instead of green. Future releases will automatically update status icons of assets on maps.

BMC Helix Digital Workplace sounds useful for many problems, but what if my problem is that I'm locked out of my own network? How will BMC Helix Digital Workplace help me then?

If you are locked out and cannot access the features of the app, BMC Helix Digital Workplace provides a convenient link to enable you to call your IT department on the spot. See the Example: Locked-out user account in the requesting services and apps use case.

When I load my Request Timeline, I only see open requests. All of my other requests with status of cancelled or closed are not displayed.

This is by design. Only requests with Open status are displayed on the Request Timeline.  If a request has been set to cancel or closed, they are removed from the Requests view. To view additional requests, click the filter icon and select additional status values.

Are email conversations between support staff and the end user supposed to be displayed in BMC Helix Digital Workplace > My Activity > Requests history?

The email conversation between support staff and an end user is not stored in the BMC Helix Digital Workplace activity feed history. These conversations are stored only in fulfillment records such as incidents and work orders. 

If you turn off location service on a mobile device, does it affect the functionality of anything else?

  Turning off location service affects the positioning on any of the relevant screens (your locations, nearest locations, and their distance).

What languages does BMC Helix Digital Workplace support?

For information about which consoles are localized, see Supported-languages-and-locales. For more information about localizing content in 

BMC Helix Digital Workplace

, see the Localizing-titles-and-messages.

Does BMC Helix Digital Workplace replace BMC Service Request Management?

No, BMC Helix Digital Workplace does not replace BMC Service Request Management. Instead, it adds value to the solution. BMC Service Request Management comprises a service catalog to publish services, a workflow engine to process requests, and a self-service portal to request services. BMC Helix Digital Workplace replaces the current self-service portal, which customers can still access if they choose to.If you use BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, instead of fulfilling service requests directly through BMC Service Request Management, you can fulfill service requests through BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog workflow. This workflow calls BMC Service Request Management activities.

If an asset is created in BMC Helix Digital Workplace on a device, is it pushed to BMC CMDB?

No, it is not. As explained in Managing-assets-on-floor-maps, BMC Helix Digital Workplace is not integrated to update BMC CMDB.

Can we run BMC Helix Digital Workplace and BMC Service Request Management simultaneously? All of our users need access to the same base SRDs, but I want one group of users to use BMC SRM while the other group uses BMC Helix Digital Workplace. Is this okay?

One set of users can use BMC Helix Digital Workplace, and another set can use BMC Service Request Management, which is comprised of a service catalog to publish services, a workflow engine to process requests, and a self-service portal to request services. You can configure BMC Helix Digital Workplace to use the same service request definitions (SRDs).

As of today, your users can use the BMC Service Request Management self-service portal and BMC Helix Digital Workplace. However, you can replace the self-service portal with BMC Helix Digital Workplace.

For a person to have access to BMC Helix Digital Workplace, do they need only a valid People record with a Read license?

Yes, they need only a People entry with a Read license.

If a support staff member is logged onto Incident Management with a floating license and also logged onto BMC Helix Digital Workplace to submit a request on behalf of a customer, is the staff member using one or two floating licenses?

One. Only Incident Management uses the floating license. BMC Helix Digital Workplace does not have floating licenses.

Does BMC Helix Digital Workplace support Lotus Notes?

No, BMC Helix Digital Workplace supports Microsoft Exchange only.

Does BMC Helix Digital Workplace check for licenses?

No, BMC Helix Digital Workplace does not check for licenses. However, you can run a report to review usage, as described in Reviewing-active-users.

Are integrations retained during an upgrade?

Yes.

What file extensions can I use for attachment questions in BMC Helix Digital Workplace?

The list of supported file extensions is set in the BMC Helix Digital Workplace Admin console, as described in Updating-the-attachment-settings-for-service-requests.


Is BMC Helix Digital Workplace multitenant capable?

BMC Helix Digital Workplace is multitenant capable. The application code and the data that powers the application are shared between tenant instances. However, all customer data is stored separately for each tenant.

Frequently asked questions about using BMC Helix Digital Workplace on mobile devices in version 19.02.00 and later

What features are available on iOS and Android mobile devices?

The native mobile clients have been deprecated in 19.02 release, and replaced with new mobile client user interface. All the features are available across supported desktop and mobile devices.

Do I need to use MDM for distributing the iOS app to my users?

No. You can use the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app available from the App Store.

Will the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app for iOS devices work with subsequent versions of BMC Helix Digital Workplace?

Yes. The BMC Helix Digital Workplace app will work with BMC Helix Digital Workplace 19.02 and later.

Do I need to periodically renew my iOS App distribution certificate?

That depends on whether you use the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app available from the App Store or use MDM to sign and distribute the App.

BMC will renew the certificate if you download the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app from the App Store.

What are the advantages for using the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app from the App store?

If you download and use the BMC Helix Digital Workplace app from the App Store, you will not need to download, resign, or manage certificates for the App.

What are the steps to troubleshoot connectivity issues on my iOS mobile App?

Try using the mobile browser to access BMC Helix Digital Workplace.

Do I have to submit my mobile device log for troubleshooting?

If you are using an Android mobile device, you can access BMC Helix Digital Workplace seamlessly using your mobile browser. If you are using the App on an iOS device, you must send the crash report to BMC Support.

If the App crashes on my iOS device, how do I share the crash report with BMC?

From the popup displayed when an exception is encountered on the BMC Helix Digital Workplace App, select the option to send the crash report to BMC. You must also record the region and time of the crash, and send it to BMC Support. If you are using a crash reporting tool for troubleshooting, you can also send the crash report recorded using that tool to BMC Support.

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For additional troubleshooting information, see Troubleshooting iOS App resigning issues.

Frequently asked questions about BMC Helix Digital Workplace  and BMC Helix Remedy

This section provides answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about BMC Helix Digital Workplace used in BMC Helix Remedy environments.


Will BMC Helix Digital Workplace run on BMC Helix Remedy servers or on different servers?

BMC Helix Digital Workplace will run on servers different from your BMC Helix Remedy servers.

If the servers are different, will BMC Helix Digital Workplace run in the same data centers as our current BMC Helix Remedy environments?

Yes.

If the servers are different, is data exchange between BMC Helix Digital Workplace and BMC Helix Remedy encrypted?

Yes. The Action Request System (AR System) API is always automatically encrypted.

Our users access BMC Helix Remedy through onbmc.com. Will BMC Helix Digital Workplace be accessed through the same URL, or do they need to use a new URL?

You will use a different URL.

For Support Staff people submitting requests through BMC Helix Digital Workplace, can they be logged on to BMC Helix Digital Workplace and BMC Helix Remedy simultaneously?

Yes, users can be logged on to both at the same time.

Our BMC Helix Remedy authentication uses SAML and Active Directory Federated Services (AD FS). Our domain-authenticated users never need to supply a password to log on. Can we provision BMC Helix Digital Workplace in the same way?

If it works using BMC Helix Single Sign-On with BMC Mid Tier, it will also work with BMC Helix Digital Workplace. BMC does not do anything special beyond how it works with BMC Mid Tier.

How is our BMC Helix Digital Workplace environment sized to ensure sufficient capacity?

It is a shared cluster sized for many customers. No specific provisioning of resources is required per customer. The environment is monitored and sized for growth.


 

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