TSS Call Home: Electronic Service Agent

Transcription

1 Technical Support Services Proactive support from a trusted provider you can rely on TSS Call Home: Electronic Service Agent 1

2 Hang up your phone and let your systems do the talking Benefits: System contacts IBM Support for you Immediately uploads error logs Faster diagnosis and time to repair Improved availability for your systems Customized maintenance information End to end, automated, closed loop support process Features: Automatic reporting for your IBM Systems Secure, encrypted transmission to IBM Support Inventory at your fingertips Enables IBM Electronic Services Built into the HMC, AIX, IBM i, VIOS and PureFlex FSM for easy activation Integrated into the IBM Director Service and Support Manager Stand-alone version supporting System x Servers Stand-alone version supporting clients running Linux on POWER For POWER customers running IBM i or AIX, enables Performance Management 2

3 Reports errors and system inventory Superior support and service Customers can view systems descriptions online Electronic Service Agent : secure tool resides on client systems and automatically reports problems to IBM Support. Also transmits system information to IBM upon installation and as the environment changes. Customer: Using the IBM ID entered during activation, clients can view and utilize system information on the IBM Support Portal at: support.ibm.com IBM Support Center: analyzes problem details and inventory information and creates an action plan. If an onsite service call is required, the engineer will arrive with the necessary parts to quickly resolve the issue. we would have a disk go bad on a Friday night. No one would have known it had happened except for the fact that Electronic Service Agent called out and we got a call back from IBM alerting us to the problem. That protection alone, the risk prevention factor, makes the product hugely valuable to us." Nick Gimben, Sr. Systems Admin, Fossil Inc. 3

4 Automated hardware problem reporting Secure outbound communication Client systems Customer accessible IBM Support IBM Engineering Electronic Support Portal Customized support tools at: support.ibm.com Client Service and Call Management System Faster, more accurate problem resolution Performance management Capacity Upgrade on Demand Product improvement Proactive recommendations 4

5 What s in it for me? High availability Secure, 24x7 proactive monitoring: downtime avoidance Less personnel time gathering information and reporting problems Accurate fixes Faster on-site response with parts, location, and problem information Automatic sending of system logs for problem determination and resolution Enables proactive tools My Notifications: customized, proactive recommendations Performance Management: manage system capacity My Systems: compare firmware levels across your datacenter 5

6 Ross Mauri General Manager IBM Power Systems We recently completed an analysis of ESA on POWER6 processor-based Power 595 systems. One finding was dramatic: clients who didn t activate ESA account for 70 percent of unexpected machine outages. 6

7 Proven Security No customer business data is transmitted to IBM Connectivity Methods Internet Proxy & authenticating firewall support VPN /Dial-up (IBM i only) Security Protocols https (SSL and TLS) 128 bit encryption uses keys, certificates and tokens Secure storage of System Information Secure database Behind 2 firewalls, accessible by you Password Protection Accessible only by authorized IBM Support Representatives ESA and Call Home follow the industry norms for protecting data during network transport by using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. It also protects Call Home / IBM Support accounts by generating unique passwords for these accounts. Call Home uses protected channels (e.g. TLS, VPN) to transfer data from the HMC to IBM Support. The channels provide confidentiality and integrity protection of the data sent between the two entities. Atsec Information Security Corp. Oct 2008 assessment 7

8 Security - What information is sent to IBM? Problem Description Error information What happened? Associated Error logs More information on what happened System Description Profile Where do we dispatch the part? Company Name Contact Information Hardware What part do we send? Machine Type, Model, Serial Number Drawer, Bay, Slot, Part Number Software What Program Temporary Fix do we send? Operating System, Applications Versions, PTF levels, Configuration parameters Information Transmission Storage Usage 8

9 Security - How is the information sent into IBM? Connectivity Methods Internet VPN / Dial-up (IBM i only) Firewall Support Proxy firewall Authenticating proxy firewall Layers of Security Protocols https (SSL and TLS) encryption Certificates and tokens Unique authentication key Proprietary transaction protocol into IBM Information Transmission Storage Usage 9

10 Security - Call Home Information Paths INTERNET VPN MODEM Information Transmission Storage Usage 10

11 Security - How is information stored at IBM? Stored in the most secure firewall zone within IBM Stored in a DB2 database Customer access via IBM ID/password IBM access via intranet ID/password All access is tracked and logged Certified by IBM Security Policy Information Transmission Storage Usage 11

12 Security - IBM Infrastructure Information Transmission Storage Usage 12

13 Security - How is information utilized? Support Center to solve problems Customers via customized web portal Account Advocates for customer reviews Systems Availability Leaders for account management Service and Support Representatives (SSR) for account management Product Development for product improvement Proactive Support tools for customers Information Transmission Storage Usage 13

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