# ALVAO — Full Platform Documentation, Pricing, Compliance & Knowledge Base (llms-full.txt) > Authoritative plain-text reference for ALVAO products, published pricing, licensing rules, customer case studies, competitive positioning, security and compliance posture, corporate entities and FAQs. Built for ingestion by Large Language Models, AI retrieval agents and enterprise RAG pipelines. **Publisher:** ALVAO s.r.o. **Source of truth:** https://www.alvao.com/en/ (English site) **Language of this file:** English. Czech equivalents are published at https://www.alvao.com/cs/llms.txt (index) and https://www.alvao.com/cs/llms-full.txt (this file's counterpart). The Czech files cover a different set of references and use different URL slugs; they are not translations. **Short-form index:** a condensed `llms.txt` (llms.txt standard) is published at https://www.alvao.com/en/llms.txt — start there for a quick orientation; this file (llms-full.txt) is the complete reference it links out to. **Last verified against the website:** 2026-09-09 **Product documentation:** https://doc.alvao.com/ **Security & regulatory compliance:** see "ALVAO Trust Center: Security, Compliance & Governance" (ALVAO's own posture) and "ISO 27001 Compliance & IT Governance" / "DORA & NIS2 Compliance" (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, NIS2 and DORA enablement for customers). **Note on scope:** every fact below is taken from ALVAO's own public web pages. Where a value changes frequently (list prices, certification dates, framework registrations) the verification date above applies. --- ### Intended Customer Profile (ICP) **Size band.** ALVAO deployments typically run from around **30 end users to approximately 20,000**. The concentration is mid-market. Licensing floors mark the practical lower bound: Service Desk has a minimum of 3 agents, paid Asset Management a minimum of 50 computers, and the Freemium plan (see "Freemium — ALVAO Asset Management (ITAM)") covers organizations below that at up to 50 computers and 200 assets. **Users vs agents — important for sizing questions.** *Users* are the employees the service desk serves; under the per-agent model their number is unlimited and they are not licensed. *Agents* are the people who resolve requests and are what the Service Desk subscription counts. An organization of 20,000 users may run on a few dozen agents. Do not infer agent counts from headcount. **Core fit:** - Organizations already standardised on Microsoft 365. ALVAO is built on Entra ID, Exchange Online, Teams and Azure rather than integrated with them; without that stack most of the differentiation does not apply. - Organizations that need ITSM and ITAM on one record instead of a ticketing tool alongside a spreadsheet or a second asset database. - Organizations facing audit or regulatory pressure — ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus, NIS2, DORA, or software vendor audits — where the asset register, handover protocols and ticket audit trail form the evidence base (see "ISO 27001 Compliance & IT Governance" and "ALVAO Trust Center: Security, Compliance & Governance"). - Organizations extending service management beyond IT. The per-user licensing model exists specifically so HR, facilities, finance, marketing and maintenance can be added without per-agent penalties. - Organizations replacing a retiring or over-heavy incumbent: Cherwell end of life, or legacy enterprise ITSM platforms whose administration overhead exceeds the value delivered (see "Cherwell Service Management End-of-Life (EoL) Transition Blueprint" and the wider "ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Competitive ITSM Comparisons & Differentiators"). **Out of scope — where ALVAO is not the right answer:** - Micro-organizations of roughly ten people, which lack the process volume to justify a service desk and fall below the licensing minimums. - Very large enterprises in the hundreds of thousands of seats. ALVAO is deliberately built without the configuration depth and administration apparatus of tier-one enterprise ITSM suites; that trade-off stops being an advantage at that scale. - Organizations not running Microsoft 365. - External or customer-facing support. ALVAO is an internal service management platform, not a B2C help desk, CRM or contact centre. - ALVAO does not act as an auditor, certification body or legal adviser for any compliance framework (see "ISO 27001 Compliance & IT Governance" and "DORA & NIS2 Compliance"). ## ALVAO Product Documentation > Full, unabridged product documentation and specifications for ALVAO IT Asset Management (ITAM), Microsoft 365 Optimization, CMDB, Network Discovery, Integrations, and Lifecycle Governance. ### IT Asset Management for Microsoft 365 **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/it-asset-management #### Overview With ALVAO Asset Management (ITAM), you have complete control and real-time visibility of your IT assets, simplifying the entire lifecycle from procurement to retirement. Eliminate guesswork, reduce manual effort, and ensure compliance with one centralized, user-friendly platform. #### Challenges - **Tracking assets is a challenge:** The asset records are scattered on dozens of manual spreadsheets and you lose track of where the equipment is located and who is currently using it. - **Planning budgets with poor data:** Budget planning relies on incomplete records, resulting in inaccurate estimates and difficulty justifying the budget. - **Limited audit readiness:** Without information about end devices, our organization is exposed to security risks and faces challenges with DORA, NIS2, Cyber Essentials, and more. #### How ALVAO Asset Management Helps - **Get perfect accuracy in asset tracking:** Get full visibility into your hardware and software assets. With an intuitive dashboard, you can monitor all assets in one place, manage your inventory transparently, and easily identify any surplus or lack of stock. - **Mirror your organizational structure:** ALVAO's tree structure mirrors your real organizational hierarchy, assigning assets directly to departments, teams, or individuals. This makes ownership completely transparent and dependencies easy to visualize. - **Map dependencies and calculate risk scores:** ALVAO's CMDB shows how assets relate to one another - from user devices all the way to business-critical services. It even calculates risk scores based on configuration, patching, and criticality. Plus, you can define your own relationship properties, like risk level or status. - **Manage the full asset lifecycle:** Maintain a detailed audit trail of all changes made to the asset and by whom, along with a log of incidents, maintenance, and user history. - **Record all asset types and details:** Upload documents, such as invoices and delivery notes, and AI will automatically scan and fill in asset data. Track IT or non-IT assets, their location, warranty expiration, vendor info, and more using pre-configured or custom templates. - **Stay compliant and audit-ready:** Get automated notifications for incomplete device data, unlicensed software, or outdated device licenses. Access hard audit data on demand. - **Scan network devices anywhere:** Our autonomous agent scans hardware and software both on and off the local network. Easily integrate and import data from Intune, SCCM, and monitoring tools. #### Key Features - **Inventory Audits:** Streamlines asset checks, reducing the time needed from weeks to days. - **Handover Protocols:** Simplifies asset handover and return for employees with customizable electronic handover forms. - **Barcode Asset Tracking:** Scan barcodes using a mobile app to eliminate manual entry. - **Software License Optimization:** Supports all licensing models and automates license allocation to reduce costs and compliance risks. - **Hardware Inventory:** Tracks physical and consumable hardware across its full lifecycle. - **Microsoft Integrations:** Seamless synchronization with Microsoft Entra ID (AD), Microsoft Intune, and Microsoft Configuration Manager (SCCM). - **Synergy with ALVAO Service Desk:** Link assets directly with helpdesk tickets to easily locate faulty devices and review incident history. #### Frequently Asked Questions - **What is IT Asset Management (ITAM)?** An integrated approach to procure, manage, upgrade, and dispose of IT assets efficiently. It provides a unified view, complete history, and associated costs of all assets. - **What are the benefits of Asset Management in Service Desk?** Unifying ticketing and ITAM improves anticipation of user needs, incident context, resource utilization, and cost alignment. - **What is ALVAO Intelligence (AI) for Asset Management?** Mobile AI features to scan device labels and automatically populate asset details. - **Asset notifications and reminders:** Email alerts for warranty expirations, lease renewals, and status changes. - **What is a Paper Handover Forms (Print Reports)?** Generates printable/exportable (PDF, Word) asset documents and handover protocols from HTML templates. ### Reduce Expenses through ALVAO's Microsoft 365 License Optimization **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/ms-365-optimization #### Overview ALVAO offers robust tools to optimize Microsoft 365 license usage, uncover cost-saving opportunities, and minimize compliance risks. #### Challenges - **Over-licensing:** Paying for more licenses than needed, resulting in unnecessary costs. - **Underutilization:** Inability to fully leverage subscription features without proper visibility, wasting investment. - **Compliance risks:** Poor license management increasing non-compliance risks and potential audit penalties. #### Key Features and Benefits - **Full visibility into licenses:** Optimization reports display underutilized or unused licenses based on the user's last activity (desktop app or web), allowing license downgrade or reallocation. - **Stay compliant and penalty-free:** Centralized tracking of license assignments, actual usage, and upcoming renewal dates. - **Annual license cost analysis & usage tracking:** Monitors user activity and application usage patterns to identify which users need different tiers or no longer need specific apps, ensuring you pay only for what is used. #### Expected Outcomes - Up to 30% cost savings on Microsoft 365 licenses. - Accurate, real-time overview of license utilization. - 100% compliance without penalties. #### Frequently Asked Questions - **How does ALVAO help reduce Microsoft 365 license costs?** Analyzes real usage data (desktop and web activity) to detect inactive or underused licenses so they can be reassigned or downgraded. - **How can I see which licenses are underutilized?** Detailed reports breaking down user activity vs. assigned tier. - **How does ALVAO help ensure compliance?** Unifies assignment, usage, and renewal dates into a single auditable system. ### ALVAO CMDB - a single source of truth for your IT **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/cmdb #### Overview Having a reliable Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is essential for effective IT Service Management. ALVAO CMDB accurately reflects your IT infrastructure and services in one place to improve IT security, reduce incident resolution time, and eliminate time-consuming manual tasks. #### Key Features - **Identify vulnerabilities, ensure audit compliance:** Complete visibility across the IT estate, helping security teams quickly detect threats and vulnerabilities and prepare for regulatory audits (e.g., ISO 27001). - **Integrate CMDB into your IT environment:** Breaks down system silos by integrating with broader infrastructure (monitoring tools, Intune, other ITSM tools) for accurate, up-to-date data sharing. - **Automatic security and risk scoring:** Computes real-time risk and security scores for every asset based on configuration, patch status, and criticality, with historical calculation logs for audits. - **Visualize your entire IT estate (Service Mapping):** Manages relations between Configuration Items (CIs - hardware, software, VMs, services). Links CIs into a complex service map to evaluate the impact of planned changes or incidents. Allows custom properties on relationships (e.g., risk level, status). - **High data quality & automated history:** Automated continuous network discovery, change logs, incident history, and upgrades recorded for every configuration item. - **Flexible data structure:** Ability to track both technical entities (HW, SW, VMs, services) and non-technical entities (users, SLAs, contracts). #### Key Benefits - **Improved IT visibility:** Single source of truth for all IT assets, relations, and dependencies. - **Faster incident resolution:** All infrastructure dependencies available in one place to locate root causes quickly. - **Reduced risk:** Impact analysis of planned changes and incidents. - **Compliance & audit readiness:** Complete change history and documentation for audits. - **Enhanced decision-making:** Decisions based on accurate, linked data. #### Frequently Asked Questions - **What is ALVAO CMDB and why do I need it?** Centralized database providing a complete, up-to-date view of the IT environment and relations between assets, services, and users. - **How does ALVAO CMDB improve IT visibility and incident resolution?** By mapping dependencies between configuration items, technicians immediately see impacted services and identify root causes faster. - **How does ALVAO CMDB support security and compliance?** Tracks changes, maintains an audit trail, and computes real-time security and risk scores. ### Reliable Network Discovery with SNMP **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/snmp-network-discovery #### Overview Leverage the power of the widely adopted SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) for efficient network scanning and management of your IT estate within ALVAO. #### Why Start with SNMP Discovery? - **Multi-platform scanning:** Detect nearly any network element regardless of device type or operating system (Windows, Linux, macOS, or any SNMP-compliant device), establishing a comprehensive IT asset overview. - **Process automation:** Extends the autonomous agent's capabilities, facilitating seamless data exchange between devices and Asset Management for smooth operations and maintenance. - **Enhanced security:** Immediate alerts for unauthorized devices connecting to internal networks, unavailable infrastructure components, or outdated device firmware so IT can take quick action. - **Quick & reliable detection into IT estate & CMDB:** When an uncatalogued device or infrastructure element is found, the system automatically creates a new item with all essential details. This data can also feed into network topologies within the ALVAO CMDB. - **Scan a wide range of endpoints & parameters:** Monitor critical device parameters directly (e.g., printer toner levels). Automated workflows can trigger an incident ticket in ALVAO Service Desk when supplies drop below a threshold, eliminating manual inspections. ### Fully Automate Asset Management with Asset Management Autopilot **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/it-asset-management-autopilot #### Overview Asset Management Autopilot keeps your inventory clean, accurate, and audit-ready without manual upkeep. Track every device, license, and deployment in real time. #### Key Benefits - **Always audit-ready:** Continuously monitors asset presence to keep inventory trustworthy without firefighting during asset checks. - **Automated handover protocol:** Automatically generates a handover protocol when an asset is assigned to a user. - **Time saving:** Drastically cuts time spent maintaining records and chasing user confirmations. #### How it Works - **Automated asset assignment & handover:** Triggers workflows upon assignment to generate handover protocols. Assignments can also be executed directly from Service Desk onboarding tickets. - **Asset Check automations:** Continuously verifies asset presence, automatically flags missing devices, alerts users, and updates status using trusted discovery sources. - **Dynamic hierarchy (Entra ID sync):** Automatically constructs and maintains the asset object tree based on Microsoft Entra ID data to mirror real changes in teams and departments. - **Automatic asset organization & monitor tracking:** Automatically assigns devices imported from Intune, Lansweeper, Jamf, or the ALVAO Agent to their users. Includes Automated Monitor Tracking to detect displays and pair them with connected computers. ### Simplify IT Asset Management with Microsoft Intune Integration **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/intune #### Overview Automate ITAM by synchronizing device data directly into your central inventory, eliminating manual entry and keeping records accurate in real time. #### Key Benefits - **Unified visibility:** Brings together mobile, workstation, hardware, and software data from Intune into ALVAO to oversee complete asset lifecycles. - **Real-time synchronization:** Periodically and automatically synchronizes endpoints from Intune to ALVAO. - **Automated data imports:** Eliminates manual data exports/imports between separate IT systems. - **Holistic device information:** Pulls deep parameters including Hostname, Serial Number, Manufacturer/Model, User (UPN), and OS version. - **Custom commands:** Extends asset panels with contextual shortcut commands (e.g., jump to Intune device management, start TeamViewer remote session, custom operational scripts). - **Effortless setup:** Cloud SaaS setup requires only admin consent in Microsoft Entra ID. ### Asset Inventory Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/asset-inventory #### Overview Modernizes asset inventory audits, shortening completion times from months to weeks or days. Demands only a small team and takes no more than 5 minutes of each end-user's time. #### Inventory Methods - **Web-based self-service inventory:** Users receive an email invitation to a self-service portal showing all entrusted equipment. The user verifies what they physically possess with a single click and submits the audit form. - **Physical barcode scanning:** Assets are labeled with barcodes/QR codes; technicians scan unassigned or shared equipment via mobile handheld barcode scanners. - **Hybrid inventory model:** User-assigned gear is confirmed digitally by users; shared departmental or warehouse equipment is audited physically by inventory staff. #### Key Features - **Automated reminder workflows:** Automatically sends reminder emails to non-responsive employees; allows escalations to direct supervisors if unconfirmed. - **ERP & accounting system integration:** Audit output updates asset locations and resolves discrepancies, with data easily exportable to ERP or finance systems. - **Service Desk synergy:** Inventory audits can be launched automatically on an annual schedule directly via an ALVAO Service Desk ticket to centralize team communication and tracking. ### Endpoint Management Connectors (Jamf) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/endpoint-management-connectors#Jamf #### Overview Bridges the gap between endpoint management tools and IT support by integrating Microsoft Intune and Jamf with ALVAO ITSM/ITAM. #### Core Values - **Break down data silos:** Unifies data from Intune (Windows/cross-platform) and Jamf (Apple) in one place. Technicians manage endpoints, users, tickets, and configurations from a single source of truth. - **Data consistency:** Continuous automated synchronization removes duplicate records and manual upkeep. - **Standardized asset lifecycle:** Full lifecycle management across all types of enterprise endpoints. #### Jamf Integration Specifics (Apple Device Management) - **Full Apple ecosystem visibility:** Integrates Jamf into ALVAO Asset Management to import hardware specifications, OS versions, and user assignments for Mac, iPad, and iPhone fleets. - **Audit compliance & simplified support:** Keeps Apple inventory data up-to-date for audits and accelerates macOS/iOS helpdesk support by directly linking tickets to verified Jamf device data. ### Mobile App to Scan Barcodes and QR Codes **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/mobile-app-scan-barcodes-QR-codes #### Overview and Purpose The mobile app serves as a tool for adding new assets to the register by scanning barcodes or QR codes, which makes the whole process more efficient, faster, and easier. The app can also be used to scan the label of a device that is already in the company's register, immediately displaying all of its information (e.g., who it is assigned to, device model, technical parameters). ### What is a Full Audit Log? **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-full-audit-log #### Overview and Definition In IT Asset Management, a Full Audit Log is a complete and detailed record of all actions, changes, and events related to the management of assets in an organization. It serves as a comprehensive history of all activities related to assets, ensuring security, transparency, accountability, and traceability. #### Operational Example For example, the IT department manages a virtual PC. The audit log records all changes to the virtual PC, including incidents, access, transfers, and disposal. #### Compliance and Audits It provides complete historical data necessary for audits and regulatory compliance, such as ISO 27001. ### What is Role-Based Access Control? (Advanced Rights Management) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-advanced-rights-management #### Overview and Definition Role-Based Access Control in IT Asset Management ensures that users and employees only have access and visibility to devices, items, and their properties to which they have explicit permissions. #### Security and Governance Benefits This increases the level of security in asset management (ISO 27001) and allows the organization to track and manage all assets in a single tool without allowing unauthorized viewing of data between departments. ### What is Universal Asset Inventory? **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-universal-asset-inventory #### Overview and Definition At the core of Asset Management is the ability to track any kind of asset in one place as a single source of truth - from hardware and software (laptops, keys, servers, licenses) to users or buildings. #### Data Quality and Budget Planning This prevents duplicate and outdated Excel sheets, saves time required to maintain records, and ensures high data quality for effective budget planning and decision-making. #### Operational Example For example, tracking of buildings, floors, and systems on those locations (e.g. ERP systems), including users and assigned hardware (PCs, laptops, printers). ### What is Asset Lifecycle Management? **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-asset-lifecycle-management #### Overview and Definition A part of asset management software that covers the entire lifecycle of an asset - from procurement, operation, maintenance, and upgrades, to secure disposal. It ensures efficient utilization of all asset types (IT and non-IT) in one system. Tracking provides real-time information about the device's location, responsible person, and operating condition in just a few clicks. #### Operational Example For example, when purchasing a laptop, the system records invoices, tracks its usage and service history, plans upgrades, and ultimately manages its decommission and safe disposal. ### Asset Notifications and Reminders **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/asset-notifications-and-reminders #### Overview and Definition Asset notifications and reminders are automatic email notifications and alerts that keep managers and IT administrators informed about the status of devices and assets. Notifications are automatically routed to specific teams or roles based on the status of the asset. #### Key Use Cases Monitoring and early warning for approaching warranty expiration of hardware, expiration of lease contracts, or the need for regular maintenance and inspections. ### Electronic Handover Protocols **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/electronic-handovers #### Overview Eliminate filing cabinets full of paper and tedious bureaucracy. Employees can confirm changes in asset possession remotely. Saves time for IT, employees, and asset managers, and eliminates searching through messy paper folders during disputes. #### How it Works 1. An electronic handover protocol is generated in ALVAO Asset Management. 2. The user receives an email with a link to the generated document. 3. With one click, they access the ALVAO portal where they easily confirm receipt of the asset. #### Key Features and Capabilities - **Paperless administration and archiving:** All data (handover date, handover person, recipient) is automatically transferred from Asset Management to the protocol. The protocol is permanently stored in the database as well as in PDF format. If needed (e.g. for accounting), it can be printed at any time. - **Custom handover protocols:** Used for handovers to new hires during onboarding, returning equipment during offboarding, or issuing devices during employment. Templates customizable to internal processes are available. - **Two-Factor Signing (2FA):** Ensures maximum security and legal validity without physical signature - user confirms receipt with a button and entering a password / 2FA code. - **Option to sign on a tablet:** For traditional processes, the system can be configured so that an employee signs with a stylus or finger on a tablet screen, visually transferring the signature to the digital protocol. - **Centralized overview in one place:** IT and users see all records and changes of entrusted assets in real time; IT always has clear evidence of who received what or whether a device was returned. - **Integration with Service Desk:** Automates the process from ticket creation (e.g. onboarding), through protocol generation, to logging successful handover in the helpdesk ticket according to the defined workflow. ### Custom Apps module for Asset Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/custom-apps #### Overview Custom Apps open up new possibilities for Asset Management. Custom Apps allow for a broad range of automation and customizations. Automated daily asset tasks. That is only a few of the advanced features that change the way you work for the better. #### Managing Your Customizations - **User-Friendly Interface:** The intuitive user interface provides an easy way to add or remove apps, track their status, or code new features. - **Library of Apps:** Choose apps from an ever-expanding library of customizations created by our large customer base. - **Smooth upgrades:** Since all custom apps use supported code from our library they don't fail when you upgrade to the latest version of ALVAO. - **Connected Workplace:** The information should travel smoothly in the modern workplace. Integrate ALVAO with the rest of your ecosystem using Custom Apps and Enterprise API. #### How Custom Applications Are Used Across Organizations - **Custom tabs & editor:** Create custom tabs available on click with each ticket. This can be a custom page in the ALVAO WebApp, an external parameterized link such as a map showing ticket-specific location, etc. The easy-to-use code editor allows you to edit code directly in the application. - **Custom Tabs:** Create a custom ticket tab with features to speed up problem solving. For instance, you can include a convenient analysis view in Power BI or instant access to the configuration database when addressing incidents within your IT infrastructure. The choice of features is entirely up to you. - **Custom Commands:** Do you need a button to trigger specific actions related to your workflow? Create task-specific commands using our templates and customize the user interface to your needs. - **Automated Actions:** Automating manual work such as reassigning tickets at a certain stage or assigning objectives significantly increases your workflow. Also, you can automate a lot of periodically recurring work such as escalating incidents, creating events, sending ticket rating emails, etc. --- ### Power your workflows with Service Desk for Microsoft 365 **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/service-desk #### Overview ALVAO Service Desk serves as a single point of contact for all internal tickets, helping you centralize and efficiently manage support. Automated workflows prioritize and route tickets to the appropriate teams, reducing manual work and enabling agents to focus on providing high-quality support. #### Do These Issues Sound Familiar? - **Overloaded IT department:** Is your IT team constantly interrupted by minor issues like printer problems or laptop troubleshooting? These distractions make it hard to stay focused and complete high-impact work. - **Complicated workflow:** Struggling to organize workloads? Without a clear view of team capacity, urgent issues pile up, deadlines slip, and key priorities get lost in a flood of repetitive tickets. - **IT in fire-fighting mode:** Is your IT team stuck in constant incident response, with no time for strategic projects? ALVAO automates manual work and ticket handling to free up time for what really matters. #### Start Managing IT Processes More Efficiently How about users reporting an incident into Service Desk, which is then automatically categorized and assigned to the correct agents – as well as starting up the automated workflow management… That's the way. #### What Problems Does Service Desk Solve? - **“Tickets come by e-mail, are handled in person or over the phone, and no one knows what to do first.”** User tickets in Service Desk are automatically assigned to their qualified agent. The requester can see who is working on their task, when it will be resolved, and what is going on. Clearly assigned tickets make each request resolution go faster and more transparent. - **“Where should we direct our efforts and what priorities should we set?”** Requests are automatically sorted according to assigned SLA priorities. Day-to-day tasks can be distinguished from the company's strategic goals. The team has their work clearly laid out including how much time is available for each activity – so deadlines never get overlooked. - **“I know my IT team is overwhelmed, but I can't justify increasing the budget.”** Service Desk gives you a clear idea of the team's workload and the effort they devote to individual activities – every task and the time spent on it is recorded. You know what tasks soak up the most capacity, where it could be saved and who is doing what. - **“We want to expand Service Desk beyond IT.”** The ticketing system is user-friendly. In addition to the IT department, we can also easily migrate across to the HR, Administration or Facilities management departments' agenda. The system ensures that each task is assigned to the right team and member, so you don't waste time sifting through tickets. - **“Problem solving is often prolonged due to a lack of information.”** The AI Assistant, powered by Azure OpenAI, streamlines support work by automatically summarizing tickets, identifying risk patterns that can cause major incidents, and recommending solutions. - **“We're struggling to prioritize and manage our workload effectively without a clear view of pending tasks.”** The operational dashboard provides a consolidated view of all open tickets, including their resolution dates and the most demanded services. This helps the IT team to prioritize tasks and resolve tickets promptly in accordance with SLAs. - **“My inbox is overflowing with basic stuff! We need an effective self-service tool for these simple tasks.”** ALVAO's virtual agent on the Microsoft Teams platform lets you give your employees IT and non-IT support 24/7. It can help you create a ticket, track down specific information for an existing ticket, find articles from the knowledge base, and many more. - **“End users often come to us with issues that they could easily solve themselves, but they don't know how.”** Reduce user tickets and workload by implementing a well-structured self-service knowledge base. By providing easy-to-follow solution articles for the most common problems, you empower users to resolve these issues themselves, while freeing up agent time to resolve more complex issues. #### How Does Service Desk Work with Microsoft 365? Have you implemented Microsoft 365 in your business but are missing a helpdesk tool? Do you want to maximize the value of your investment 100%? We develop our tools for the Microsoft 365 context, both in terms of integration and user adoption. Using our products is much like MS Office – users find it familiar straight away. ALVAO runs directly inside the Microsoft tools your business already relies on. With single sign-on, you simplify the user experience, and with support for your preferred Microsoft Azure data region, you enhance security and compliance without compromise. #### Service Desk Integrations with Microsoft Apps - **Handle tickets directly from Outlook:** Browse tasks and assign tickets, stay on top of emails and create tickets from within Outlook. Have the power of the entire Service Desk, directly in Outlook. - **Service Desk is right where the users are:** With our ALVAO for Teams, create tickets, save messages in existing tickets, and have a ticket dashboard at your fingertips, providing you with a clear overview. The integration makes it easy to solve tickets and streamlines communication across departments without leaving Teams. - **Bring development and IT teams together with Azure DevOps:** Bring the development team and IT support team together with Azure DevOps integration. This enables developers and IT to gain a comprehensive view of user issues, ensuring they can resolve them without leaving Service Desk and Azure DevOps platforms. - **Get Power BI reports that help you take the lead:** Effectively plan your budget and gain a deeper understanding of IT performance with Power BI reports. Visualize your progress towards achieving goals, meeting metrics and KPIs, and then leverage IT performance assessment reports to effectively defend your budget. #### Operational Model and Adoption - **The best ITSM tool for small business:** Our ticketing software is primarily focused on SMBs and Mid-market. We will apply the same care and professionalism when we deploy Service Desk in a single department or company-wide. - **Easy configuration and great customer support:** During the implementation, we train future Service Desk administrators so they can control the tool without our help. But our cooperation doesn't end here. We organize webinars, regularly collect customer feedback and share our know-how. More importantly, our technical support is here for you every working day. - **ITSM software developed together with customers:** Since we care about our customers' happiness with our products, we've established a customer community to help us improve. As a customer, you can share your ideas for improvements and discuss them with others. Our team regularly reviews all suggestions and implements them in ALVAO products. #### Customer Experiences - **Sapio (Nigel Seager, ICT manager):** “We've implemented ALVAO so that we can scale it up and down as needed. We're gonna roll ALVAO out to other departments because that's the nice thing, that it's not licensed just per agent.” - **THERMACUT (Tomáš Omelka, IT project manager):** “We got rid of spamming in Outlook, not only among customers, inside the company, but communicating with suppliers.” - **Ripple Junction (Josh Higaki, System Analyst):** “Main point of pleasure - it does all the things that we talked about saying it will do. That's not always true with other platforms.” - **Nemocnice v kraji Vysočina (David Zažímal, Head of ICT Department, Jihlava Region Hospital):** “ICT staff have more capacity to deal with requests in a meaningful way. They aren't jumping from one thing to another and getting distracted. All tasks are recorded, whether they are requests from users or within the IT team.” #### Key Features of ALVAO Service Desk - **Beyond the Help Desk:** Streamline technical support and incident resolution with ALVAO Service Desk. Our platform not only simplifies help desk operations but also empowers you to strategically develop your IT and entire organization with advanced processes for both IT and non-IT workflows. Move beyond simple troubleshooting and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation. - **First steps towards cyber-security:** Service Desk will initiate the digitization of your business and help you to protect your organization. Every access request and every issue of an employee access card must be approved by ALVAO. There is an audit trail for everything - all changes are tracked. - **SaaS & On-premises:** You can purchase the product as a perpetual license with operation on your own servers, or leave the operation and maintenance to us in the form of a SaaS solution running on Microsoft Azure always with the latest version of the product - you have the flexibility to terminate the subscription at any time. - **Build and automate every scenario:** You can simply drag and drop to create a workflow for any scenario and automate the steps and actions. For example, you can streamline the onboarding and offboarding of employees, which typically involves many tasks across multiple departments. - **Custom forms in a user-friendly editor:** Create custom request forms. Structure everything according to your own needs. Select the items and specify their display order. - **Discover the power of Service Desk and Asset Management together:** Are you losing track of your company's assets and where they are right now? In addition to Service Desk, we offer an Asset Management product – an ALVAO ITAM solution to keep track of all assets and software. The tree-structured database in Asset Management is easy-to-follow, shows you exactly what is where providing you with full visibility into your IT asset lifecycle within a unified platform. - **What do Service Desk users like best?** An intuitive user interface, just like Microsoft 365. Reliable technical support that quickly helps resolve problems. Tools developed together with users and their needs. Automated workflow processes and simplified tasks for onboarding and offboarding. Service Desk – for the whole company without any further investment. Elimination and digitization of paper requisitions and acceleration of their approval. #### Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - **What is ALVAO Service Desk?** ALVAO Service Desk is a Microsoft 365–native IT service management solution that helps IT teams manage incidents, service requests, and changes in one central place, directly inside Microsoft tools. - **Can users create tickets via email or Teams?** Yes. Users can create and track tickets via email or directly in Microsoft Teams. - **Does ALVAO support incident, request, and change management?** Yes. ALVAO supports incident management, service request management, and change management, including workflows, approvals, priorities, and SLAs. - **Does ALVAO support ITSM best practices?** Yes. ALVAO Service Desk supports key ITSM processes, including incident management, request fulfillment, problem management, and change management. - **Can ALVAO Service Desk be integrated with Microsoft 365?** Yes. ALVAO integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365, allowing users to submit requests directly from tools like Teams and benefit from a familiar environment. - **How does ALVAO help improve response time?** ALVAO prioritizes tickets, assigns them automatically, and tracks SLAs. This ensures requests are handled quickly and nothing gets overlooked. - **How does ALVAO help with audits and compliance (e.g. ISO 27001, NIS2)?** ALVAO provides clear records of all requests, actions, and approvals. This audit trail helps demonstrate compliance and supports internal and external audits. ### What is a Service Catalog? **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-service-catalog #### Definition Service Catalog is the backbone of ALVAO Service Desk with the main goal to create an intuitive and user-friendly point of contact for services that are easily navigated. The aim is to define requests (tickets), problems, incidents, and changes through pre-defined forms that are easily configurable in the admin settings. There is no need for users to think about whether their issue is defined as a request, problem, or incident – all is set up. #### Example of a Service Catalog in ALVAO In this example, the Service Catalog serves as a centralized point of contact for all requests and issues within the company, encompassing a wide range of services across various departments. Whether employees need to submit IT-related requests, such as software installations or technical support, or require assistance from the Finance department, such as expense approvals or budget inquiries, the Service Catalog streamlines the process. By consolidating these functions into a single platform, the company enhances efficiency, reduces response times, and ensures a more consistent and organized approach to managing internal requests and problem resolutions across the entire organization. ### The power of Service Desk in Microsoft Outlook **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/outlook-add-in #### Overview ALVAO for Outlook is a Service Desk add-in that integrates IT support directly into the Microsoft Outlook interface. Browse tasks, assign tickets, and at the same time keep track of all emails and create requests directly from them. #### What Are the Key Benefits of Managing Tickets in Outlook? - **Use anywhere, anytime:** The integration is compatible with both desktop and online applications, so you can use it on any operating system whether Windows, Linux or macOS. - **No more cumbersome switching between apps:** Relieve the pain of constantly switching between apps. - **Everything you need in one place:** Be where your users are and streamline the issue reporting process for them. The integration makes sure that everyone is on the same page. - **Get onside with your users:** Do users keep contacting you via email and bypassing Service Desk? Get on their side. Thanks to the Add-in, you have the full power and all the features from ALVAO Help Desk in Outlook. #### Detailed Features - **Create requests directly from emails:** Create a request directly from an incoming message and assign to a solver—or attach the message to an existing one. Keep all your communication together in one place and lose nothing by switching between apps. Using the Add-in will not lose formatting or images. Everything gets stored in Service Desk in the same form as the formatted email. - **Get history and complete overview of the ticket in a single click:** Stay in Outlook and don't waste time and attention on cross-platform transitions. With one click in the e-mail you see the ticket, its complete history and attached information/files. Everything you've been doing in the Service Desk web app you can do in Outlook. - **Preparing for meetings has never been easier:** Schedule events in Outlook based on tickets. Always know what's going to be talked about – you can see the request history, past conversations, and email correspondence. And if you don't get everything done during the meeting, you can simply schedule the next one directly from the request. - **ALVAO is tuned for Microsoft 365:** Do you want to maximize the value of your investment by 100%? We develop our tools for the Microsoft 365 context, both in terms of integration and user adoption. Using our products is much like MS Office – users find it familiar straight away. ALVAO works directly through extensions to Microsoft products already used across your business. #### Connecting the Right ITSM Tools - **Clear asset records immediately available to all who need them:** Say goodbye to cumbersome Excel spreadsheets and cluttered asset records. Get a centralized overview of all software and hardware, from purchase to retirement. With Asset Management, you know exactly what assets you have, who is responsible for each, and where they are located. - **A single point of contact for all company tasks and requests:** Streamline request management with our ITIL-aligned Service Desk. Put an end to unnecessary emails or phone calls. Requests from the whole company are automatically sorted and go to the right solvers with clearly defined priority (SLA). Move beyond simple troubleshooting and maximize your department's potential. #### Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - **What is ALVAO for Outlook?** ALVAO for Outlook is an Outlook Add‑in that brings the full power of the Service Desk directly into Microsoft Outlook, allowing IT teams to manage tickets, tasks, and communication without leaving their inbox. - **How does ALVAO work inside Microsoft Outlook?** ALVAO works as a native Outlook Add‑in, enabling users to browse tickets, assign tasks, view full ticket history, and work with requests directly from Outlook—using the same features available in the Service Desk web app. - **Can users create service requests directly from Outlook emails?** Yes. Users and IT agents can create service requests directly from incoming Outlook emails or attach emails to existing tickets. Email formatting, images, and attachments are preserved and stored in the Service Desk. ### Service Desk for Microsoft Teams: Ticketing & Support **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/teams #### Overview ALVAO for Teams integrates your service desk into the Microsoft Teams environment. This allows your employees to submit tickets, check request statuses, and find solutions through a 24/7 ALVAO chatbot without switching applications. Centralize ticket management and accelerate resolution times. #### Key Benefits of ALVAO for Teams - **Use anywhere, anytime:** The integration is compatible with both desktop and online applications, so you can use it on any operating system and device. - **No more cumbersome switching between apps:** Relieve the pain of constantly switching between apps. - **Everything you need in one place:** Be where your users are and streamline the issue reporting process for them. The integration makes sure that everyone is on the same page. - **Whenever problems occur, IT team is close at hand:** Rapid resolution and contact without leaving the collaborative environment. #### Capabilities and Workflows - **How does the 24/7 ALVAO Bot provide support?** The bot never takes a break and is ready to assist your users, even outside of normal working hours. Integrated directly into the Microsoft Teams Help Desk, the bot provides access to the entire self-service portal, including knowledge base articles, requests status updates, the ability to create new requests and many more, customizable according to user needs. - **ALVAO ticket dashboard:** The integrated ticket dashboard in the Microsoft Teams in Help Desk offers a seamless experience for managing tickets. It provides a clear overview with easy access to default views and filters. Additionally, you can create new tickets directly from the dashboard, streamlining the process. - **How do you create tickets from a Teams chat?** Are users overwhelming IT support via MS Teams instead of creating their tickets in ALVAO? Agents can create a request directly from the message received in MS Teams, translate messages within Teams, search within ticket communication directly from Teams, and spot key messages with “Important” flags or “Solution” markers. Full ticket communication is now visible in Teams and Outlook. - **Full potential of Microsoft Teams in Help Desk:** Users become more independent with IT services, resulting in fewer interruptions; expanded self-service options across multiple channels; reduced time wastage from app switching. - **Open & stay informed directly from Teams:** Access your ticket effortlessly from the ticket dashboard. Add notes on the go and stay informed about ongoing activities in the ticket without ever leaving Teams. - **Share existing tickets to obtain a complete picture:** To maintain a comprehensive conversation context with the user, ALVAO for Teams allows you to conveniently copy the ticket link into the chat. Users can directly access the ticket, gaining clarity on its purpose and contents. This enhances communication flow, fostering a seamless and productive exchange of information. - **Start a conversation in Teams:** Instead of cumbersome process of clicking over from ALVAO to MS Teams and searching for the user, you can now initiate a chat directly from ALVAO by clicking on the 'Start Chat' icon, which opens a Teams window for direct communication with the user. #### Connecting the Right ITSM Tools - **Clear asset records immediately available to all who need them:** Say goodbye to cumbersome Excel spreadsheets and cluttered asset records. Get a centralized overview of all software and hardware, from purchase to retirement. With Asset Management, you know exactly what assets you have, who is responsible for each, and where they are located. - **A single point of contact for all company tasks and requests:** Streamline request management with our ITIL-aligned Service Desk. Put an end to unnecessary emails or phone calls. Requests from the whole company are automatically sorted and go to the right solvers with clearly defined priority (SLA). Move beyond simple troubleshooting and maximize your department's potential. #### Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - **How does ALVAO work inside Microsoft Teams?** ALVAO runs as a native Microsoft Teams app, allowing users and IT teams to work with tickets, requests, and approvals directly inside Teams. - **Can users create service requests directly in Microsoft Teams?** Yes. Users can create, track, and communicate about service requests directly in Microsoft Teams, using a familiar chat‑based interface. - **What are the main benefits of integrating a service desk with Microsoft Teams?** Employees can create tickets, check request statuses, communicate with IT, and find solutions via a 24/7 chatbot—all without switching applications. This leads to faster issue resolution, higher user independence, fewer interruptions for IT teams, and a smoother, more efficient support experience. ### Power BI Integration for ITSM Analytics **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/powerbi #### Overview Look at bottlenecks where your issues are piling up through seamless Power BI integration with Service Desk and Asset Management. Connect your IT Service Management (ITSM) solution with powerful reports that give you control over your IT services and operational performance. #### Revolutionize and Drive Your ITSM Strategy Drill down into data visualizations to open information that stands out and gain a better understanding of what is going on in your IT. - **Real-time data in hand:** By using clearly visualized data, management will gain a better understanding of IT performance. Reports from Power BI help you defend your IT budget and quickly identify project opportunities. - **Customizable dashboards:** The powerful personalization capabilities of Power BI together with ALVAO ITSM solution allow you to create your own dashboards. Visualize any data drawn from the ITSM tool tailored to your needs. - **Safety first in IT infrastructure:** Reports allow you to quickly detect where the security of IT infrastructure gets weakened and why. #### Meaningful Data from Service Desk - **Support agility through weekly reports:** Monitor service desk performance in the weekly report and manage IT backlogs and resources to defend your budget and projects based on hard data. Evaluate how well your team has met targeted goals for the past week. - **Boost your customer satisfaction:** Improve your support performance by using the First Response Time Report to monitor trends over time. Boost customer satisfaction and ensure your team is meeting expectations. When your team's efficiency and speed decline due to a shortage of staff, this report provides you insights into staffing needs and makes a case for hiring a new team member. #### Optimize IT Asset Management and Cost Reduction - **Efficiently monitor hardware lifespan:** Efficiently control your company's asset life cycle and expenses by easily monitoring the actual lifespan of the hardware. The report will give you a better understanding of the useful life of each asset and help you make informed decisions about its maintenance, repair, and replacement. - **Have control over your hardware and software renewal:** Ensure optimal hardware and software maintenance by staying up-to-date with all necessary renewals. Utilize the report to easily identify any needed hardware renewal, analyze their operating systems, and determine whether a new purchase or update is necessary. Don't let outdated hardware/software hold you back – stay current with our comprehensive compliance report and avoid downtime. #### Stable IT Infrastructure Through Integration - **Reduce incidents by detecting faulty devices:** Get control over the most faulty objects and limit the vulnerability of your IT infrastructure. Easily analyze which assets cause the most frequent incidents to minimize disruptions to your IT infrastructure thanks to the deep synergy between Asset Management and Service Desk. - **Real-time data wherever you need in Teams:** Have your data conveniently to hand with the advanced accessibility of Power BI through a variety of platforms, i.e. Android, iOS, and Microsoft platforms such as Teams. - **Your ticket dashboard is just a click away:** Track key metrics effortlessly with the Service Desk dashboard, ensuring crucial data is always at your fingertips without the need for a Power BI license. #### Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - **What can I track with Power BI in ALVAO?** With Power BI integration, you can analyze Service Desk performance, IT asset lifecycle, and operational metrics in detail. This includes ticket trends, response times, asset health, and resource utilization—all in clear, visual dashboards. - **How does Power BI help improve IT decision-making?** Power BI turns your IT data into actionable insights through interactive reports and visualizations. You can quickly identify bottlenecks, monitor performance trends, and use real data to support decisions around budgeting, staffing, and infrastructure planning. - **Can I customize Power BI dashboards in ALVAO?** Yes. You can create fully customizable dashboards tailored to your organization's needs. Power BI allows you to visualize any data from ALVAO Service Desk or Asset Management and adapt reports to your specific goals and KPIs. ### Automate Processes with Advanced Workflows **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/advanced-workflows #### Overview Automate manual, time-consuming, and repetitive work. Choose from various out-of-box workflow templates or create custom ones with clearly defined roles and steps that will automatically execute based on predefined rules. #### Why Start Using Advanced Workflows? - **Faster ticket resolution:** Speed up problem resolution and reduce processing time with a clearly defined workflow and roles. - **Increase productivity:** Automate manual processes, eliminate human error, and reduce agent workload to scale your operational capabilities. - **Easy customization:** Using the no-code workflow editor, you can easily customize each process to meet your specific needs. #### How Does It Work? - **Managing complex workflows end-to-end:** Managing complex tasks and projects such as onboarding, product development, or security audits can be challenging and time-consuming. These tasks typically involve many steps and multiple stakeholders involved. ALVAO can help you automate much of this work. Forward the ticket to the appropriate team members, create follow-up tasks, or split the ticket into child tickets, each with a different solver. This is all done automatically based on the current status of the ticket and other conditions you set. Tasks that involve multiple departments working together will be resolved faster and always in a standard way. - **Build workflow faster with no-code builder:** Creating a new process in ALVAO does not require hours of coding. Choose from a series of predefined blocks, customize them to your needs, and drag and drop the blocks in sequence. You can also create completely new blocks with the parameters you need. - **Take automation one step further with Power Automate Connector:** The Power Automate connector now brings more automation capabilities to your service desk, enabling you to perform a wide range of automated operations across your Microsoft tech stack and beyond. Improve your service desk's efficiency and customer experience to perfection. ### Azure DevOps and Service Desk Integration **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/azure-devops #### Overview Achieve effortless problem-solving and pain-free collaboration by bridging the gap between development and IT through Azure DevOps and Service Desk integration. #### Core Value and Workflows - **The synergy of development and IT:** The development, implementation, and maintenance of applications require close collaboration between the development and IT teams. By integrating Azure DevOps and Service Desk, you will get a work environment where you can easily and quickly share information between teams and resolve issues in a timely manner. - **Streamline workflows:** Support teams can easily escalate and link Service Desk tickets to Azure DevOps work items. Notify engineering teams of bugs that are hindering your customers' experience and get updates on the status of the solution - all from the Service Desk ticket detail. Thus, support is always able to keep the customer up-to-date. - **Enhanced collaboration scope:** Enhanced collaboration and issue resolution between development and IT teams; streamlined workflows with easy escalation and linking of Service Desk tickets to Azure DevOps work items; real-time updates and status tracking for efficient issue resolution and improved customer support. - **How does Azure DevOps connect with ALVAO Service Desk?** Development solves all the agenda in Azure DevOps. Automated request forwarding makes it easier to resolve tasks on time according to SLAs. No data loss by keeping all communication in the request. Providing better customer service. #### Other Capabilities of Service Desk & Azure DevOps Integration - **All in one place:** In Azure DevOps, developers will have a complete view of customer conversations related to an issue. They can collaborate with your support team to resolve issues without having to leave Azure DevOps. - **Limitless possibilities:** Integration requires the use of Enterprise API and Custom Apps, which also opens up additional possibilities for automating, customizing, and integrating any application with ALVAO Service Desk. - **Clear asset records immediately available to all who need them:** Say goodbye to cumbersome Excel spreadsheets and cluttered asset records. Get a centralized overview of all software and hardware, from purchase to retirement. With Asset Management, you know exactly what assets you have, who is responsible for each, and where they are located. - **A single point of contact for all company tasks and requests:** Streamline request management with our ISO 27001-certified Service Desk. Put an end to unnecessary emails or phone calls. Requests from the whole company are automatically sorted and go to the right solvers with clearly defined priority (SLA). Move beyond simple troubleshooting and maximize your department's potential. ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: ITSM Core Practice Areas > Complete reference for LLMs, integrations, and product documentation. > **Source:** ALVAO Content Hub (ITSM FAQ Series) > Ecosystem: ALVAO Service Desk, ALVAO Asset Management, CMDB, Advanced Workflows --- ### Change Management (Change Enablement) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-change-management **Topic:** Change Enablement, Risk Mitigation & Infrastructure Evolution #### Definition Change Management (referred to as Change Enablement in ITIL 4) is the structured practice of planning, evaluating, authorizing, and implementing changes across an organization's IT infrastructure and services. Its core objective is to maximize the number of successful service and product changes by properly controlling risk and ensuring operational continuity. #### How It Works in ALVAO 1. **Request for Change (RFC) Submission:** Changes are logged through structured templates capturing the scope, business justification, rollout steps, and rollback plans. 2. **Impact & Risk Analysis via CMDB:** Utilizing the integrated Configuration Management Database (CMDB), teams visually assess dependencies between Configuration Items (CIs), servers, applications, and affected business services to predict unintended side effects. 3. **Approval Workflows (CAB):** Automated routing to Change Advisory Boards (CAB) or authorized managers via ALVAO Advanced Workflows and Microsoft Teams. 4. **Execution & Audit Trail:** Detailed tracking of implementation milestones, downtime windows, and post-implementation reviews (PIR), maintaining a compliant audit log for ISO 27001 and SOC 2. #### Real-World Example - Deploying critical software patches, transitioning to cloud infrastructure, or rolling out enterprise-wide applications without disrupting daily operations or conflicting with existing services. #### Key Business & Operational Benefits - **Risk vs. Speed Balance:** Enables rapid implementation of business-critical innovations without compromising system stability. - **Minimized Unplanned Outages:** Upfront dependency mapping through CMDB prevents cascade failures during updates. - **Regulatory Compliance:** Complete historical records of who requested, reviewed, authorized, and deployed every change. --- ### Incident Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-incident-management **Topic:** Unplanned Outages, Service Restoration & Infrastructure Mapping #### Definition Incident Management is the ITSM practice focused on restoring normal service operations as quickly as possible following an unplanned interruption or performance degradation, minimizing the negative impact on business productivity. #### How It Works in ALVAO 1. **Instant Detection & Capture:** Ingests alerts from monitoring systems (e.g., Zabbix integration), automated system triggers, or direct end-user reports via MS Teams, Outlook, or the Web Portal. 2. **Impact & Urgency Prioritization:** The system evaluates ticket attributes against the ITIL priority matrix to assign severity (P1–P5) and apply the correct SLA countdown. 3. **CI Contextualization (CMDB Link):** The incident is linked directly to the affected asset or configuration item. Technicians inspect the visual topology in CMDB to instantly identify upstream dependencies and affected downstream users. 4. **Targeted Resolution & Communication:** Technicians apply known workarounds from the Knowledge Base, update stakeholders via automated notifications, and document resolution steps. #### Real-World Example - A major financial institution experiences a sudden outage in its core email infrastructure, halting transaction approvals and client correspondence. Technicians use ALVAO CMDB to map the email cluster, identify the failed node or network switch causing the failure, isolate the fault, and restore communication rapidly. #### Key Business & Operational Benefits - **Reduced Downtime (MTTR):** Visual infrastructure overview and integrated diagnostic data eliminate time spent locating the source of failure. - **SLA Protection:** Clear escalation paths prevent high-severity incidents from idling without ownership. - **Consistent Triage:** Automatically prioritizes company-wide critical infrastructure failures over minor single-user issues. --- ### Problem Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-problem-management **Topic:** Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Trend Identification & Preventive IT #### Definition Problem Management is the proactive and reactive ITSM practice aimed at analyzing the root causes of recurring incidents, identifying permanent solutions or workarounds, and preventing future disruptions from occurring. #### How It Works in ALVAO 1. **Trend Analysis & AI Identification:** Aggregation of incident data to detect patterns, recurring asset failures, or systemic service issues across the organization. 2. **Root Cause Analysis (RCA):** Dedicated problem records group multiple related incidents under a single master investigation ticket. 3. **Known Error Database (KEDB):** Once a workaround or root cause is identified, it is published to the internal Knowledge Base to assist technicians in resolving duplicate incidents instantly. 4. **Change Handover:** If the permanent fix requires infrastructure modification, ALVAO facilitates the direct creation of a Request for Change (RFC) from the problem record. #### Real-World Example (Penny Market Case Study) - Retail chain **Penny Market** identified an unusually high volume of IT tickets. Through ALVAO Problem Management analysis, they discovered that **20% of all company-wide reported incidents** were generated by repeated breakdowns of specific receipt/office printer models. By identifying the root hardware failure, they upgraded the fleet and permanently eliminated one-fifth of their service desk ticket volume. #### Key Business & Operational Benefits - **Drastic Reduction in Ticket Volume:** Eliminates repeated "firefighting" by resolving structural causes once and for all. - **Continuous Service Improvement:** Feeds hard reliability data back into IT budgeting and procurement decisions. - **Cost Reduction:** Reduces repetitive labor hours spent handling recurring Tier-1 symptoms. --- ### Service Request Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-request-management **Topic:** Standard Service Catalog, End-User Entitlements & Fulfillment Workflows #### Definition Service Request Management is the ITSM process handling routine, pre-approved, non-incident requests from users—such as hardware upgrades, software provisioning, access rights, and password resets—through standard, repeatable fulfillment procedures. #### How It Works in ALVAO 1. **Role-Based Service Catalog:** End-users browse predefined service templates. Dynamic forms automatically recognize requester roles and display only the catalog items and assets they are entitled to. 2. **Structured Data Capture:** Requesters fill out targeted fields, ensuring solvers have full specifications on submission without requiring subsequent clarify-and-response emails. 3. **Automated Approval Workflows:** Integrated with Microsoft 365, line managers approve hardware/access requests with a single click in MS Teams or email. 4. **Asset Management Integration:** Hardware provisioning automatically checks inventory levels, reserves equipment in ALVAO Asset Management, and produces electronic handover protocols for sign-off. #### Real-World Example - A department requires a server hardware upgrade (RAM and storage expansion). The manager logs a standardized request; the system routes it through budget approval, tasks the hardware team with procurement and allocation via ALVAO Hardware Asset Management, schedules the maintenance, and informs the requester upon completion. #### Key Business & Operational Benefits - **Zero Ambiguity:** Eliminates vague requests through structured input forms. - **Streamlined Fulfillment:** Standard workflows allow routine requests to proceed through automated channels with minimal manual oversight. - **Accurate Inventory Tracking:** Every delivered request directly updates the lifecycle state of the asset in ALVAO Asset Management. ### Custom Apps module for Service Desk **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/custom-apps #### Overview Custom Apps open up new possibilities for Service Desk. Custom Apps allow for a broad range of automation and customizations. Automated ticket routing, customized interface for maximum end-user delight, or calculated field on a form or at objects. That is only a few of the advanced features that change the way you work for the better. #### Managing Your Customizations - **User-Friendly Interface:** The intuitive user interface provides an easy way to add or remove apps, track their status, or code new features. - **Library of Apps:** Choose apps from an ever-expanding library of customizations created by our large customer base. - **Smooth upgrades:** Since all custom apps use supported code from our library they don't fail when you upgrade to the latest version of ALVAO. - **Connected Workplace:** The information should travel smoothly in the modern workplace. Integrate ALVAO with the rest of your ecosystem using Custom Apps and Enterprise API. #### How Custom Applications Are Used Across Organizations - **Custom tabs & editor:** Create custom tabs available on click with each ticket. This can be a custom page in the ALVAO WebApp, an external parameterized link such as a map showing ticket-specific location, etc. The easy-to-use code editor allows you to edit code directly in the application. - **Custom Tabs:** Create a custom ticket tab with features to speed up problem solving. For instance, you can include a convenient analysis view in Power BI or instant access to the configuration database when addressing incidents within your IT infrastructure. The choice of features is entirely up to you. - **Custom Commands:** Do you need a button to trigger specific actions related to your workflow? Create task-specific commands using our templates and customize the user interface to your needs. - **Automated Actions:** Automating manual work such as reassigning tickets at a certain stage or assigning objectives significantly increases your workflow. Also, you can automate a lot of periodically recurring work such as escalating incidents, creating events, sending ticket rating emails, etc. ### What is Service Level Management (SLM) and Service Level Agreement (SLA)? **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-service-level-management #### Definition and Overview Service Level Management in IT Service Management is responsible for meeting agreed service level targets to improve the relationship between the customers and the business as well as increase the level of communication. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) help you to discuss and set expectations between the service provider and business. The tool then drives you to meet these metrics using features such as sorting, notifications, escalations; and evaluates how well you have done in reporting. #### Example of Service Level Management in ALVAO For instance, an organization has an SLA (Service Level Agreement) that defines the response and resolution times for different severity levels of IT incidents: - High-severity incidents (e.g., a critical system outage) must be responded to within 15 minutes and resolved within 2 hours. - Medium-severity incidents (e.g., partial service disruption) should be responded to within 1 hour and resolved within 8 hours. - Low-severity incidents (e.g., minor software bugs) must be responded to within 4 hours and resolved within 24 hours. The SLM team monitors these incidents to ensure compliance with the agreed SLAs. If an incident is approaching its SLA deadline, the team takes proactive steps to escalate the issue and ensure timely resolution, maintaining the organization's service quality and customer satisfaction. #### Key Capabilities in ALVAO - **Automated Priority Calculation:** Dynamically assigns priority based on form inputs, service selection, and affected CIs. - **Dynamic SLA Mapping:** Each priority level is tied directly to response and resolution target times. - **VIP Customer Handling:** Automatically escalates priority if the submitter is marked as a critical business role. - **Queue Re-ordering:** Visual cues and automated re-sorting in the solver console ensure critical items remain pinned to the top. --- ### Multi-Channel Access **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-multi-channel-access **Topic:** Omnichannel Communication & Unified Request Capture #### Definition Multi-channel access (omnichannel support) enables end-users to contact IT and submit requests through their preferred tools and touchpoints, while consolidating all incoming communications into a single, centralized queue for support agents. #### Channels Supported by ALVAO - **Self-Service Portal:** Structured web portal for catalog requests, ticket tracking, and self-help articles. - **Microsoft Teams Integration:** Native bot/app allowing users to log issues, approve workflows, and receive notifications directly inside Teams. - **Email Processing:** Converts incoming emails to tickets, handles replies, parses attachments, and maintains communication threads within the ticket history. - **Microsoft Outlook Add-in:** Allows agents to turn emails into tickets or link conversations directly to existing records from Outlook. - **Phone / In-Person Logging:** Quick-log interfaces for agents receiving walk-ups or direct calls. - **REST API:** Ingestion of automated alerts from monitoring systems, IoT devices, or third-party enterprise platforms. #### Key Benefits - **Frictionless Adoption:** Users submit tickets using the tools they already use (especially Microsoft 365 environments). - **Centralized Administration:** Solvers manage everything from a unified dashboard, regardless of where the ticket originated. - **Elimination of Shadow IT:** Reduces untracked requests sent via personal chats or unmonitored mailboxes. --- ### Single Sign-On (SSO) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-single-sign-on **Topic:** Enterprise Authentication & Identity Access Management #### Definition Single Sign-On (SSO) is an enterprise authentication method that allows users to authenticate once and securely access multiple applications, including ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management, without re-entering credentials. #### Technical Implementation in ALVAO - **Identity Providers (IdP):** Deep native integration with **Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory)** and on-premises Active Directory. - **Protocols Supported:** SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), Kerberos, and NTLM. - **Just-In-Time (JIT) Provisioning:** Automatic creation and role assignment of user accounts on their first login based on IdP directory groups. - **Security Compliance:** Supports Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Conditional Access policies, and passwordless authentication inherited directly from Microsoft Entra ID. #### Key Benefits - **Zero-Friction Access:** Users seamlessly transition into the Service Desk portal and MS Teams integrations without login prompts. - **Reduced IT Support Load:** Eliminates password-reset tickets for the service desk platform itself. - **Enterprise Security:** Immediate revocation of ALVAO access upon offboarding an employee in Entra ID / Active Directory. --- ### Self-Service Portal **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-self-service-portal **Topic:** User Self-Empowerment, Catalog Ordering & Ticket Tracking #### Definition A Self-Service Portal is a secure, user-friendly web interface where employees and customers independently submit service requests, report incidents, track the status of existing tickets, access documentation, and approve pending requests. #### Core Features of ALVAO Self-Service Portal - **Service Catalog:** Clear, categorized catalog of business and IT services (e.g., onboarding, hardware requests, software access, facility management). - **Dynamic Structured Forms:** Context-aware forms that mandate required fields (preventing vague tickets like "laptop not working"). - **Integrated Knowledge Base:** Suggests solution articles in real time as the user types their ticket title, driving self-resolution before submission. - **Approval Dashboards:** Managers can review, approve, or reject operational requests with a single click. - **Branding & Customization:** Adaptable UI aligned with corporate branding, themes, and department-specific categories. #### Key Benefits - **Ticket Deflection:** Encourages self-help, reducing incoming volume for repetitive questions. - **Standardized Data Capture:** Solvers receive all necessary technical details on first submission, eliminating back-and-forth emails. - **Transparent Tracking:** Users check ticket progress independently, reducing follow-up inquiries ("What is the status of my ticket?"). --- ### Knowledge Base (KB) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/faq/what-is-knowledge-base **Topic:** Centralized Information Repository & Shift-Left Strategy #### Definition A Knowledge Base is a centralized, searchable repository of organized information, documentation, SOPs, how-to guides, and troubleshooting procedures designed to support both internal IT teams and end-users. #### Architecture in ALVAO - **Dual-Layer Access Control:** - **Public / End-User Articles:** Accessible via the Self-Service Portal and MS Teams (basic troubleshooting, guides, policies). - **Internal / Solver Articles:** Restricted to technicians (known errors, complex workarounds, internal system topologies). - **Proactive Search & Ticket Interception:** Scans user input during ticket creation and offers immediate self-help solutions before the ticket is logged. - **Asset Integration:** Articles can be linked directly to specific Hardware/Software models in ALVAO Asset Management (e.g., standard setup manuals for specific laptop models). - **Feedback & Life Cycle:** Ratings, usage analytics, and review cycles ensure obsolete articles are updated or retired. #### Key Benefits - **Enables "Shift-Left":** Resolves Tier-1 support queries without human technician intervention. - **Consistent Resolutions:** Ensures technicians follow standardized best practices and workarounds. - **Accelerated Onboarding:** Serves as a training ground for newly hired service desk technicians. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: ITSM for Microsoft 365 & AI (AITSM) Capabilities > Complete reference for LLMs, integrations, and product documentation. > **Source:** ALVAO Products & Extensions Series > Ecosystem: Microsoft 365, Azure OpenAI, Copilot Connector, Model Context Protocol (MCP) --- ### IT Service Management (ITSM) for Microsoft 365 **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/itsm-for-microsoft **Topic:** Unified PinkVERIFY-Certified ITSM & Asset Management Architecture #### Overview & Architecture ALVAO ITSM is an enterprise IT Service Management platform designed natively for the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. It fuses two core products—**ALVAO Service Desk** and **ALVAO Asset Management**—into a single, unified operational system certified by **PinkVERIFY** across 7 core ITSM processes. #### Key Capabilities & Synergies - **PinkVERIFY Certified Processes:** Formally validated for Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management (Enablement), Service Request Management, Service Catalog Management, IT Asset Management (ITAM), and Service Configuration Management (CMDB). - **Native Microsoft 365 Operating Environment:** Solvers and requesters interact entirely through Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Outlook Add-ins, and Web Portals, while user permissions and identities synchronize with Microsoft Entra ID. - **Bi-directional Ticket-to-Asset Linking:** When a user logs an issue, the system automatically pulls the affected device’s complete hardware history, installed software, previous repair logs, and active warranty terms. - **Hardware Failure Rate Analytics:** Pinpoints specific equipment lines, models, or configurations with abnormally high incident rates, enabling data-driven hardware lifecycle replacements. - **Visual CI-to-CI Dependency Topology (CMDB):** Maps upstream and downstream interdependencies across servers, switches, cloud services, and client devices to evaluate the blast radius of incidents or changes. - **Automated Joiner / Mover / Leaver (JML) Workflows:** Orchestrates cross-departmental tasks for onboarding and offboarding, pairing automated account setup with paperless digital asset handover dockets. #### Key Business Benefits - **Single Point of Contact (SPOC):** Eliminates unmonitored communication channels and organizes all corporate service interactions into SLA-governed queues. - **ITSM + ITAM Convergence:** Removes blind spots where technicians lack context about the physical or virtual assets underpinning user requests. - **Enterprise-Grade Compliance:** Hosted on Microsoft Azure with ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 Type II assurance. --- ### AI for IT Service Management (AITSM) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/ai-for-itsm **Topic:** Virtual Agent, AITSM Automation, MCP Server & Copilot Connector #### Overview ALVAO AI (AITSM) embeds native generative and analytical AI capabilities across Service Desk and Asset Management workflows using trusted **Azure OpenAI** environments, delivering out-of-the-box automation without requiring custom model training. #### Core Metrics & Proven Impact - **Saves up to 4 hours weekly per agent** by automating ticket classification, summarization, and data extraction. - **Deflects 25% of Tier-1 ticket volume** via the 24/7 Teams Virtual Assistant. - **36% faster recovery time (MTTR)** through automated root cause detection and diagnostic synthesis. #### Functional Capabilities - **24/7 Microsoft Teams Virtual Assistant:** Conversational AI bot that resolves employee inquiries, searches internal guidelines, and creates structured tickets if human intervention is required. - **Technician Copilot & Ticket Summarization:** Condenses lengthy email chains and ticket histories into actionable summaries, suggesting root causes and step-by-step resolution paths. - **AI Image & Attachment Recognition:** Scans uploaded screenshots of error messages and attachments to extract diagnostic error codes and logs automatically. - **Invoice-to-Asset Automated Extraction:** Analyzes uploaded PDF purchase invoices or delivery notes and automatically generates structured hardware/software inventory records in Asset Management within seconds. - **Strategic Management Summaries:** Generates daily executive overviews tracking resolution trends, team workload, SLA performance, and emergent bottlenecks. - **ALVAO MCP Server (Model Context Protocol):** Securely exposes ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management data and actions to external AI platforms (e.g., Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, or internal enterprise LLMs) while maintaining strict role-based access control. - **Microsoft Copilot Connector:** Surfaces ALVAO ticket data, assets, and service records directly inside the Microsoft 365 Copilot experience. #### Security & Privacy Guarantee - Enterprise data remains completely segregated within private Azure boundaries. Customer ticket data and proprietary documentation **are never used to train external or public AI models**. --- ### AI Content Translation **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/ai-content-translation **Topic:** Real-Time Multilingual Support & Global Enterprise Localization #### Overview AI Content Translation eliminates language barriers within global and multinational organizations, enabling service desk teams and end-users to communicate effortlessly across **110+ languages** with native-sounding phrasing directly inside ALVAO. #### Functional Capabilities - **Real-Time Ticket Communication Translation:** Automatically detects language discrepancies between requester and solver. Technicians read requests in their preferred language and draft replies that are instantly translated back to the requester's native language with a single click. - **Full UI & Service Catalog Localization:** Translates catalog services, dynamic forms, custom fields, and complex approval workflows, giving multi-regional branches an intuitive local experience. - **Multilingual Knowledge Base Publishing:** Translates knowledge base articles instantly across all corporate languages, ensuring standard operating procedures (SOPs) are globally consistent with minimal administrative effort. - **Automated System & Broadcast Notifications:** System alerts—such as scheduled maintenance windows, urgent outages, or revised corporate IT policies—are distributed in the preferred language of each user profile. - **Seamless In-App Experience:** Solvers translate content without switching tabs or relying on external, unapproved machine-translation tools. #### Key Business Benefits - **Reduces Translation Time by up to 90%:** Eliminates copy-pasting into external translators. - **Accelerates Global MTTR:** Removes linguistic misunderstandings that delay incident triaging and technical troubleshooting. - **Corporate Data Protection:** Internal communications and sensitive error messages are processed within enterprise-grade security boundaries rather than exposed to public web translators. --- ### AI Knowledge Base Assistant **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/knowledge-base-ai-assistant **Topic:** Ticket-to-Article Synthesis, Knowledge Lifecycle & Human-in-the-Loop Curation #### Overview The ALVAO AI Knowledge Base Assistant proactively identifies recurring issues from closed service desk tickets and transforms proven resolutions into polished, ready-to-publish Knowledge Base articles, automating continuous documentation upkeep. #### The 3-Step Automated Knowledge Lifecycle --- ### Enterprise API - Connect ALVAO with your software **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/products/api #### Overview Bridge the gap between your apps & ALVAO products with our Enterprise API. The Enterprise API connects Service Desk and Asset Management with third-party applications to accelerate data sharing, reduce resolution time and realize the most value from your infrastructure. Always update information in real-time from all applications. #### Key Benefits of ALVAO Enterprise API - **RESTful API:** The feature uses REST architecture, popular for its scalability, simplicity, and support for a wide range of formats, offering high flexibility for your ideas. - **Interface specifications:** The API offers a wide range of operations depending on whether the API is used for Service Desk or Asset Management. To learn more about the interface specifications, visit app.swaggerhub.com. - **Highly Secured:** Azure Active Directory login and authentication offers a high level of security for your data and accounts. #### Connect Your Business Applications with ALVAO - **Maximize the use of Asset Management data:** Utilize and share data about your assets from Asset Management: - Always have data available for accounting or ERP systems - Perform inventory using a mobile app - Identify users quickly with the ID manager - Keep up-to-date records of your IT infrastructure in one place - Create other customized solutions - **Systems integration with Service Desk:** The API performs operations such as reading, adding, editing, or deleting data from Service Desk. This makes it easy to integrate ALVAO Service Desk into ERP, ID manager, IT infrastructure monitoring, other service desks, and virtually any other application. - **Accelerate communication and Incident Management with ALVAO REST API:** Your supplier operates through a different service desk, but with our API, you can effortlessly communicate and centralize all interactions in one place. The API has multiple applications. For instance, when an incident occurs, an IT infrastructure management tool can automatically create a request in Service Desk. However, its versatility extends to any scenario requiring direct communication between applications and Service Desk. #### Microsoft 365 Integration and Beyond ALVAO seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365 products and effortlessly connects to various ERP and other systems. With the powerful combination of Enterprise API and Custom Apps, you have the freedom to tailor the out-of-the-box solution to your exact requirements. Easily code custom functions for Service Desk or Asset Management using templates, automate repetitive tasks, and trigger specific actions across different applications. The possibilities for customization are endless, making ALVAO the perfect fit for your unique business needs. Unlock the power of Integration: Connect your apps to ALVAO for expedited data sharing, cutting resolution time, and optimized IT infrastructure. --- ### ALVAO Integrations Ecosystem **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/integration **Topic:** Pre-built Connectors, REST API & Microsoft 365 Deep Integration #### Overview ALVAO is built natively for and integrated within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, while offering bidirectional REST API interfaces and pre-built connectors to enterprise ERPs, monitoring tools, remote control software, and DevOps platforms. #### Native Microsoft Ecosystem Integrations - **Microsoft Teams:** Full Service Desk portal within Teams, conversational ticketing via ALVAO Bot, approval workflows, and interactive ticket notifications. - **Microsoft Outlook Add-in:** Turn incoming emails into tickets or link conversations to existing requests directly from the email interface. - **Microsoft Copilot & Azure OpenAI:** Ticket summarization, automated root cause identification, and automated draft generation of Knowledge Base articles from resolved incidents (AITSM). - **Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD):** Identity synchronization (users, organizational structure, photos, attributes) and Single Sign-On (SSO) with MFA/Conditional Access enforcement. - **Microsoft Intune & SCCM (MECM):** Hardware and mobile device discovery, lifecycle sync, and hardware attribute enrichment in ALVAO Asset Management. - **Microsoft Power Platform:** Pre-built Power BI report packs (KPIs, SLAs, budgeting), Power Automate connectors for custom workflows, and Power Apps extensions. - **Exchange & SharePoint:** Shared document storage from SharePoint; room and equipment reservation synchronization via Exchange calendars; task assignment linking to Microsoft To Do. #### Monitoring, IT Operations & Endpoint Connectors - **Infrastructure Monitoring:** Zabbix, Nagios, Lansweeper, and Cisco Meraki (automatically convert network alerts, server failures, and switch anomalies into prioritized incident tickets). - **Remote Desktop & Support:** Splashtop and TeamViewer (launch one-click remote sessions directly from tickets or asset cards with automatic session audit logs). - **Endpoint & OS Management:** Jamf Pro (Apple macOS/iOS device synchronization), Dell Warranty API (automated warranty expiration discovery via Serial Number/Service Tag). - **Inventory Barcode Scanning:** OrcaScan integration for mobile barcode/QR code physical audits. #### DevOps, ERP & ITSM Bridges - **Development Sync:** Azure DevOps and Jira connectors (bridges IT support tickets with software engineering backlogs and bug trackers). - **ERP Integration:** SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Helios (synchronize cost centers, purchase orders, tangible assets, and auto-generate tickets from ERP system emails). - **ITSM Interoperability:** Freshservice, BMC Remedy, Zendesk (enrich third-party ticket consoles with ALVAO Asset Management CMDB data). - **Enterprise REST API:** Open bidirectional API allowing integration with proprietary internal systems, IoT devices, or third-party cloud tools. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: ESM Solutions, Asset Management & Cybersecurity > Complete reference for LLMs, integrations, and product documentation. > **Source:** ALVAO Solutions & Security Series > Ecosystem: ALVAO Service Desk, ALVAO Asset Management, CMDB, Advanced Workflows, Microsoft 365 --- ### Enterprise Service Management (ESM) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/enterprise-service-management **Topic:** Cross-Departmental Service Delivery & Unified Workplace Portal #### Definition Enterprise Service Management (ESM) extends proven IT Service Management (ITSM) principles, workflows, and self-service portals to non-IT business departments—such as HR, Facilities, Legal, Fleet Management, and Finance—establishing a unified service delivery standard across the entire organization. #### How It Works in ALVAO 1. **One-Stop-Shop Enterprise Portal:** A centralized front-end accessible via web, Microsoft Teams, and Outlook where employees request any corporate service without wondering which department handles it. 2. **No-Code Advanced Workflow Editor:** Business unit administrators design custom approval chains, role allocations, and automated creation of parallel "child-tickets" (e.g., an onboarding request automatically spawns tasks for IT, HR, and Facilities). 3. **Enterprise Asset Integration:** Tracks non-IT physical items (furniture, tools, vehicles, machinery, building keys) under the same asset lifecycle model as computers and software. 4. **Transparent Cross-Departmental Analytics:** Power BI dashboards provide business leaders with cross-departmental workload metrics, SLA fulfillment, and customer satisfaction feedback. #### Key Business & Operational Benefits - **Elimination of Departmental Silos:** Replaces fragmented email inboxes and disparate tools with one structured interface. - **Cost-Efficient Licensing:** Single license per user regardless of how many departmental service desk instances (IT, HR, Facilities) they utilize. - **Higher Employee Productivity:** Zero friction or context-switching; employees interact directly within their familiar Microsoft 365 environment. --- ### HR Service Delivery & Employee Lifecycle Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/solutions/human-resources **Topic:** Automated Onboarding/Offboarding, HR Ticketing & Employee Records #### Definition ALVAO HR Service Management digitizes internal human resource interactions and orchestrates end-to-end employee lifecycle workflows, eliminating chaotic email threads, lost CVs, and delayed onboarding steps. #### Core Capabilities in ALVAO - **Structured Recruitment Tracking:** Tracks hiring requirements from internal requisition and CV submission to interview feedback and contract signing. - **Automated Cross-Departmental Onboarding:** Automatically dispatches parallel tasks on hire: IT prepares workstations and software accounts; Facilities provisions entry cards and parking; HR schedules induction trainings. - **Automated Offboarding & Asset Reclamation:** Triggers timely equipment returns, revokes system access permissions via Entra ID, and notifies payroll, ensuring zero security leaks or unreturned company property. - **Department & Role Transfers:** Manages internal job transitions by reallocating equipment, provisioning new access rights, and removing obsolete group permissions. - **HR Self-Service Desk:** Confidential ticketing for leave requests, benefit claims, doctor's sick notes, and personal data change requests with strict HR-only visibility. #### Key Benefits - **Day-One Readiness:** Ensures new hires have a fully configured workplace, equipment, and access from their first morning. - **Audit-Proof Offboarding:** Eliminates orphan active accounts and forgotten hardware loans. - **Data Confidentiality:** Sensitive personal data is strictly isolated within HR queues, inaccessible to regular IT solvers. --- ### Hardware Asset Management (HAM) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/solutions/hardware-asset-management **Topic:** Physical Asset Lifecycle, Automated Discovery & Electronic Handovers #### Definition Hardware Asset Management (HAM) is the structured practice of tracking, managing, and optimizing an organization's physical devices, peripherals, and network infrastructure throughout their entire lifecycle—from procurement and deployment to maintenance and decommissioning. #### Core Capabilities in ALVAO - **Hybrid Device Discovery:** Discovers workstations, servers, and network devices using both agent-based scanning (for machines working remotely outside corporate networks) and agentless SNMP discovery. - **Native Microsoft Intune & Autopilot Integration:** Device enrollment through Windows Autopilot automatically triggers the ALVAO agent installation, synchronizing device data without manual entry. - **Hierarchical Spatial Tree Structure:** Organizes assets by company structure, geographic sites, buildings, floors, and rooms, making navigation in complex environments (campuses, hospitals, factories) intuitive. - **Paperless Electronic Handover Protocols:** Employees digitally sign handover dockets directly on touchscreens, smartphones, or through the web portal to confirm receipt or return of assets. - **Barcode & QR Asset Audits:** Simplifies periodic physical inventory audits using mobile barcode scanning (e.g., OrcaScan integration), reducing inventory audits from months to days. - **CMDB & Incident Linking:** Hardware records link to open incidents, showing warranty expiration, purchase cost, and repair history directly to the solver. #### Key Benefits - **Up to 30% Higher Hardware ROI:** Eliminates ghost assets, avoids duplicate purchases, and optimizes device refresh cycles. - **Definitive Asset Custody:** Complete visibility of exactly which employee is responsible for every laptop, monitor, phone, or token. - **Accurate Budget Planning:** Granular cost and warranty tracking allows data-driven technology budget planning. --- ### Fleet Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/fleet-management **Topic:** Vehicle Pool Administration, Car Booking & Business Travel Workflows #### Definition ALVAO Fleet Management unifies company vehicle inventory, reservation management, business travel approvals, and vehicle maintenance tracking into one accessible platform integrated with the service desk. #### Core Capabilities in ALVAO - **Central Vehicle Registry:** Catalogs vehicle specifications, equipment levels, VINs, maintenance history, and seasonal tire storage locations within the Asset Management tree. - **Self-Service Vehicle Booking:** Employees submit trip dates and travel purposes; the dynamic portal displays only vehicles available during the requested period. - **Business Trip & Travel Allowance Approval:** Integrated workflow coordinates supervisor trip approval, key handover, and post-trip expense/reimbursement documentation. - **Mandatory MOT & Technical Inspection Reminders:** Automatically alerts fleet managers ahead of MOT (STK) expiration, road tax deadlines, and service maintenance intervals. - **Digital Trip Logbook & Incident Claims:** Drivers upload receipts, fuel vouchers, and mileage logs directly to the ticket; in the event of an accident, a structured ticket orchestrates towing, insurance handling, and replacement car booking. #### Key Benefits - **Maximized Fleet Utilization:** Prevents vehicle hoarding and double bookings. - **Zero Compliance Breaches:** Automatic notifications prevent vehicles from driving with expired technical inspections or insurance. - **Streamlined Travel Accounting:** Centralizes travel approvals, fuel expenses, and reimbursements in a single audited trail. --- ### Software Asset Management (SAM) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/software-asset-management **Topic:** License Compliance, Microsoft 365 Optimization & Cost Containment #### Definition Software Asset Management (SAM) is the business practice of managing and optimizing an organization’s software applications, desktop licenses, and SaaS subscriptions, ensuring full regulatory compliance and eliminating unnecessary software spend. #### Core Capabilities in ALVAO - **Automated Software Recognition:** Compares installed software on all networked/remote endpoints against a centralized Software Recognition Catalog, updated weekly with hundreds of new titles. - **Microsoft 365 License Optimization:** Analyzes actual M365 license usage, pinpointing inactive or disabled user accounts and employees eligible for plan downgrades (typically yielding 20–30% in cost savings). - **License-to-Hardware Reconciliation:** Compares deployed software installations against purchase invoices and license allocations to identify compliance shortfalls or over-licensing. - **Role-Based Software Profiles:** Defines standard software bundles per job role. Deviations or unauthorized installations immediately alert IT administrators. - **Automated License Reclamation Workflows:** Reclaims and unassigns software licenses automatically during employee offboarding or department role changes. - **Detection of Unlicensed / Shadow IT:** Uncovers unauthorized software installations and license key discrepancies that represent security or legal liabilities. #### Key Benefits - **Immediate Software Cost Savings:** Reassigns existing dormant licenses instead of purchasing new seats. - **Vendor Audit Readiness:** Instantly produces auditable license compliance balances for Microsoft, Adobe, and Oracle reviews. - **Strengthened Security Posture:** Eliminates vulnerable, obsolete, or unauthorized applications across the endpoint fleet. --- ### Facilities & Property Management **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/facilities-management **Topic:** Building Maintenance, Technical Inspections & Workspace Operations #### Definition ALVAO Facilities Management delivers comprehensive oversight over buildings, rooms, office equipment, leases, and facility service requests, replacing messy spreadsheets with an integrated maintenance ticketing system. #### Core Capabilities in ALVAO - **Physical Property & Room Mapping:** Tracks premises, buildings, floors, and individual rooms, alongside installed physical equipment (HVAC, boilers, elevators, fire extinguishers, office furniture). - **Automated Periodic Review Scheduling:** Automatically creates scheduled maintenance tickets before statutory inspection deadlines (fire safety, electrical wiring, elevator certification). - **Single Point of Facility Support:** Employees report office defects (heating failures, broken lighting, door access issues) through the same portal used for IT and HR requests. - **Tenant & Lease Agreement Registry:** Tracks subleases, commercial tenant details, contracts, and associated property obligations within the asset tree. - **CCTV & Physical Security Infrastructure:** Maintains records of security cameras, access readers, and chip allocations, logging maintenance history and access permissions. - **Offline Printable Work Orders:** For maintenance staff or external contractors working in the field without portal access, tasks can be printed as structured paper work orders. #### Key Benefits - **Zero Missed Statutory Inspections:** Eliminates regulatory fines through automated preventive maintenance scheduling. - **Rapid Maintenance Dispatch:** Directs building incidents to the designated facility technician or contractor with SLA deadlines. - **Consolidated Workspace Operations:** Unifies office asset tracking and maintenance ticketing under one enterprise system. --- ### ISO 27001 Compliance & IT Governance **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/iso-27001 **Topic:** Information Security Management (ISMS), Audit Trails & Access Governance #### Definition ALVAO provides the operational framework, asset visibility, and procedural workflows necessary for organizations to achieve and maintain compliance with **ISO/IEC 27001**, **Cyber Essentials Plus**, and related international IT governance standards. #### How ALVAO Supports ISO 27001 Controls - **Information Asset Inventory (Control A.8):** Catalogs hardware, software, databases, and contracts throughout their lifecycle (creation, processing, storage, disposal), recording asset values and security classifications. - **Granular Access Control (Control A.9):** Enforces Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) down to specific services, asset categories, and individual object attributes, ensuring strict need-to-know access. - **Tamper-Proof Audit Logging (Control A.12):** Automatically logs every user action, approval, permission adjustment, and ticket resolution, providing auditors with verifiable evidence of who did what and when. - **Secure Change Management via CMDB (Control A.12.1):** Evaluates dependency risks and service availability impact before implementing changes across the IT environment. - **Security-Controlled HR Processes (Control A.7):** Automates asset retrieval, access card deactivation, and Entra ID permission revocation during offboarding to prevent data leaks. - **Vendor & Supply Chain Tracking (Control A.15):** Centralizes supplier contracts, support terms, and third-party security assessments within the asset register. #### Platform Security Credentials - ALVAO's cloud solution is hosted on **Microsoft Azure**, holding **ISO 27001** certification and **AICPA SOC 2 Type II** audit validation. --- ### Cybersecurity with ITSM & ITAM **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/cybersecurity **Topic:** Threat Surface Reduction, Real-Time Risk Scoring & Incident Response #### Definition ALVAO acts as the core operational backbone for enterprise cybersecurity by uniting Service Desk incident workflows with Asset Management intelligence to support security frameworks like **NIS2**, **DORA**, **NIST**, and **Cyber Essentials**. #### Core Cybersecurity Capabilities in ALVAO - **Contextual Security Incident Management:** Links incoming security alerts directly to the affected Configuration Item (CI) and user profile, eliminating investigative blind spots during active threats. - **Automated Asset Risk Scoring:** Calculates security and vulnerability scores in real time based on asset criticality, exposed ports, installed software, and linked incident history. - **AI-Powered Major Incident Detection:** ALVAO Service Desk AI Assistant calculates incident severity scores and flags cascading anomalies to trigger rapid incident response plans. - **Attack Surface Mapping with CMDB:** Visualizes the upstream and downstream connections of compromised servers or endpoints, enabling rapid isolation and containment. - **Vulnerable Software Detection:** Automatically scans endpoints for out-of-date, unpatched, or unapproved applications, immediately spawning remediation tickets in Service Desk. - **Enterprise Verification:** ALVAO software is regularly penetration-tested and verified using **OWASP methodology**, meets **Level 3 eGovernment security criteria**, and is certified in the **UK G-Cloud** framework. #### Key Benefits - **Faster Incident Containment:** Technicians immediately see who owns the compromised device, where it is located physically, and what business services it connects to. - **Regulatory Framework Readiness:** Pre-built workflows and audit trails designed to satisfy NIS2 incident reporting windows and DORA digital resilience requirements. - **Unified ITAM + ITSM Security Synergy:** Eliminates unmanaged "shadow" devices from the enterprise network by combining real-time discovery with automated triage. --- ### Digitization of the Manufacturing Industry **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/digitization-manufacturing-industry **Topic:** Shop-Floor Digitization, OT/IT Asset Tracking & Downtime Prevention #### Industry Context & Pain Points Manufacturing environments cannot afford unplanned production line halts. Common challenges include disconnected factory floor and office environments, dispersed warehouses, untracked operational technology (OT), machinery components, barcode printers, and strict supplier audit standards (e.g., TISAX). #### ALVAO Solutions for Manufacturing - **Unified Factory Helpdesk:** A single point of contact accessible from industrial terminals, tablets, smartphones, and office PCs. Workers log machine defects, facility breakdowns, or printer jams directly from the assembly line. - **OT & IT Asset Registry in Tree Hierarchy:** Centralized inventory tracking both standard IT equipment (computers, servers) and plant equipment (barcode scanners, industrial tablets, production line controllers, physical access cards). - **Paperless Asset Handover Protocols:** Electronic digital signatures on smartphones or touchscreens for employee asset handovers, speeding up seasonal worker onboarding/offboarding. - **CMDB for Industrial Change Management:** Visual dependency mapping between production control servers, network switches, and manufacturing equipment prevents unexpected line shutdowns during maintenance updates. - **Compliance & TISAX Audit Readiness:** Full audit logs, ISO 27001 certification, and OWASP-tested security provide documented request governance required for automotive supply chain audits. --- ### Healthcare Digitization **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/healthcare-digitization **Topic:** 24/7 Medical IT Continuity, Spatial Asset Tracking & Regulatory Compliance #### Industry Context & Pain Points Hospitals operate 24/7 with rotating medical staff sharing common workstations across pavilions, acute wards, and operating rooms. Equipment failures can directly threaten patient care, requiring strict uptime, swift shift handovers, and compliance with health authority cyber mandates (e.g., NÚKIB, UK G-Cloud). #### ALVAO Solutions for Healthcare - **Spatial Asset Management (Pavilion & Room Mapping):** Hardware, biomedical devices, and terminals are organized in a strict spatial hierarchy: *Building -> Floor -> Department (e.g., Surgery, Acute Care) -> Room/Bed*. In case of failure, technicians instantly locate the device and identify available warehouse replacements. - **Preventive Maintenance & Inspection Scheduling:** Automated reminders schedule device revisions and sanitization day check-ups without disrupting clinical care. - **Shift Handover Continuity:** Solvers track tickets submitted across day/night shifts with full historical context, eliminating communication loss between medical personnel. - **Role-Aware Portal:** Automatically adapts interface complexity whether a surgeon, head nurse, or biomedical technician logs in. - **Certified Healthcare Security:** ISO 27001 certified, SOC 2 Type II compliant, OWASP verified, and listed in the UK G-Cloud public procurement catalogue. (Trusted by over 30% of medical facilities in Czechia and Slovakia, e.g., Jihlava Hospital, Slovak Emergency Medical Service). --- ### Software and Technology Companies **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/software-technologies **Topic:** Hybrid Workforce IT, Autonomous Asset Discovery & Dev-to-IT Alignment #### Industry Context & Pain Points Tech companies and software houses scale rapidly across international borders with hybrid/remote teams. They struggle with shadow IT, complex software license overages, disparate developer tools, and rapid employee turnover. #### ALVAO Solutions for Tech Companies - **Autonomous Agent for Remote Asset Discovery:** Scans and audits laptops and software licenses even when machines operate outside the corporate VPN/intranet, maintaining an up-to-date hardware and software register. - **Software Asset Management (SAM) & Compliance:** Tracks software installations against purchased licenses, identifies unused SaaS/desktop seats, and prevents compliance penalties during vendor audits. - **IT-to-Development Bridge:** Azure DevOps and Jira connectors route end-user bug reports and feature requests directly from Service Desk into engineering sprints. - **Automated Rapid Onboarding/Offboarding:** Standardized workflow automatically distributes laptop allocation, software seat assignment, cloud access rights, and welcome tasks across IT and HR teams. - **Virtualization Tracking:** Integrates with hypervisors (e.g., VMware vCenter via REST API) to monitor virtual server lifecycles, configuration states, and license probity. --- ### Public Sector & Government Digitization **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/public-sector-digitization **Topic:** Centralized Municipal Operations, Multi-Agency Agendas & Critical Infrastructure #### Industry Context & Pain Points Government agencies, regional councils, and municipalities manage public funds, diverse public services, and critical infrastructure. They often cope with siloed legacy tools, scattered assets across municipal territories (schools, police, road maintenance), and strict legal compliance mandates. #### ALVAO Solutions for Public Sector - **Centralized Public Administration Service Desk:** Unifies municipal requests across departments (IT, facility management, road maintenance, public schools) into one centralized management console. - **Territory-Wide Public Asset Tracking:** Catalogs IT equipment alongside municipal assets: CCTV camera networks, municipal police devices, vehicle fleets, and building health/safety assets (fire extinguishers, inspections). - **Legislation & Audit Trail Compliance:** Meets state-mandated security classifications (Level 3), NÚKIB cybersecurity guidelines, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and UK G-Cloud frameworks. Every administrative approval and ticket change is logged for state audit compliance. - **Microsoft Digital Office Alignment:** Deep interoperability with public sector Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Exchange investments, eliminating training friction for non-technical civil servants. --- ### Digital University & Higher Education **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/digital-university **Topic:** Massive Seasonal Enrollment, Campus Asset Lifecycle & Grant Budget Tracking #### Industry Context & Pain Points Universities operate on limited educational budgets with seasonal student influxes (enrollment peaks), decentralized campuses/faculties, shared laboratory equipment, and diverse funding sources requiring strict segregation (EU grants, donations, state subsidies). #### ALVAO Solutions for Universities - **Mass Seasonal Enrollment & Onboarding:** Manages access cards, lab accounts, dorm permissions, and software licenses for thousands of incoming students and faculty members each academic year through automated workflows. - **Grant & Subsidy Asset Categorization:** ALVAO Asset Management categorizes hardware and scientific instruments by funding source (e.g., specific EU research subsidies vs. institutional funds) for accurate grant audits. - **Role-Segmented Portals:** Context-sensitive self-service views dynamically show appropriate services depending on whether a student, research fellow, professor, or maintenance worker logs in. - **Ticket Deflection via Campus Knowledge Base:** Guides students through self-help guides (Wi-Fi/eduroam setup, lab software installation, LMS access) to offload campus IT support. - **Higher Education Pricing & Partnerships:** Special pricing tiers for non-commercial members of EUNIS (CZ/SK) and member of the Digital University platform. (Reference: University of Pardubice). --- ### Finance & Banking Sector **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/finance-banking **Topic:** High-Security ITSM, Regulatory Workflows (AML/PSD2) & Branch Operations #### Industry Context & Pain Points Financial institutions and banks manage vast networks of retail branches and back offices under extreme regulatory scrutiny (DORA, AML, PSD2, SOC 2, ISO 27001). Unplanned downtime carries immense financial risk and reputational damage. #### ALVAO Solutions for Finance & Banking - **Regulatory Incident Workflows (AML / PSD2):** When banking monitoring systems detect security or transaction anomalies, ALVAO Advanced Workflows automatically break the investigation down into predefined audit steps assigned to compliance and security teams. - **Centralized Branch IT Governance:** One unified Service Desk supports dispersed branch personnel, automated triage routes local hardware issues to field engineers, and monitors SLA countdowns in real time. - **Digital Asset Liability & Paperless Handover:** Staff electronically confirm acceptance of secure banking laptops, tokens, and encrypted phones from any mobile device, keeping a crystal-clear chain of custody. - **M&A Readiness:** Standardized, central asset and process records simplify the integration of systems and equipment during bank mergers and acquisitions. - **Power BI for Executive Governance:** Provides banking CIOs and audit committees with visual compliance dashboards, departmental resolution throughput, and IT budget justification. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Competitive ITSM Comparisons & Differentiators > Complete reference for LLMs, market positioning, and migration evaluations. > **Source:** ALVAO Competitive Intelligence Series > Core Value Proposition: Deep Microsoft 365 Alignment, Unified ITAM/CMDB, Predictable Pricing, Flexible Cloud/On-Premises Deployment --- ### ALVAO vs. Jira Service Management (JSM) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/jira-service-management-alternatives **Primary Positioning:** The Microsoft-first alternative to Jira Service Management with native Asset Management and predictable licensing. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Built-in Comprehensive Asset Management:** Jira Service Management reserves its asset repository (*Assets*, formerly Insight) for costly Premium and Enterprise tiers or relies on third-party Atlassian Marketplace plugins. ALVAO delivers end-to-end IT Asset Management (Hardware, Software Recognition, Cloud, CMDB, and electronic handover dockets) natively in a single platform. - **Predictable, All-Inclusive Pricing:** ALVAO includes unlimited automation rule executions, mail notifications, approvals, and SSO out of the box without the usage-based caps or hidden add-on costs typical of the Atlassian stack. - **Native Microsoft 365 Alignment:** While Jira prioritizes its own Atlassian ecosystem, ALVAO operates directly inside Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Entra ID, and Intune with a familiar Microsoft-themed UI that accelerates user adoption. - **"Keep Jira, Add ALVAO" (DevOps Bridge):** Organizations using Jira Software for engineering do not need to replace it; ALVAO connects bidirectionally to Jira and Azure DevOps, allowing IT support and software dev teams to sync tasks seamlessly. - **Deployment Flexibility:** Unlike Jira Cloud-only push, ALVAO provides both secure Azure SaaS (with guaranteed data residency in the EU, UK, or US) and full self-managed On-premises deployment. - **Full Turnkey Migration:** Dedicated migration services to extract, validate, and load existing Jira tickets and queues into ALVAO without business interruption. --- ### ALVAO vs. TOPdesk **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/topdesk-alternative **Primary Positioning:** A modern, Microsoft-native ITSM platform replacing TOPdesk’s legacy interface and disconnected modules. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **True Microsoft Ecosystem Synergy:** ALVAO provides a full Service Desk client inside Microsoft Teams, Outlook add-ins, and native connectors for Entra ID, Intune, Jamf, Power Automate, and Microsoft Copilot. In contrast, TOPdesk offers limited Microsoft integration depth and relies on external integrations. - **Unified Advanced ITAM & CMDB:** ALVAO delivers native Autopilot synchronization, dynamic CMDB impact analysis, automated network discovery, mobile QR/barcode scanning, and a Microsoft 365 License Optimizer. TOPdesk’s asset tracking is basic and often requires third-party bolt-ons. - **Faster Implementation & Microsoft Look & Feel:** User adoption in ALVAO requires minimal training due to familiar Microsoft UX conventions, whereas TOPdesk is frequently cited for complex administrative overhead and an outdated user interface. - **Transparent Tier Pricing:** Direct pricing comparisons show ALVAO delivering full ITSM + ITAM capabilities at a lower total cost of ownership compared to equivalent TOPdesk Engage tiers. - **Deployment Options:** Both SaaS (Azure-hosted) and self-managed On-premises instances with guaranteed regional data residency, backed by ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications. --- ### ALVAO vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/manageengine-servicedesk-plus-alternative **Primary Positioning:** Modern, reliable Microsoft-native ITSM with responsive EU-based support, overcoming ManageEngine’s cluttered UI and complex add-on licensing. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **No Hidden Add-On Licensing:** ManageEngine frequently gates core ITIL capabilities—such as Problem Management, Change Management, CMDB, and Service Catalogs—behind separate module purchases or high-tier upgrades. ALVAO bundles these into transparent, predictable tiers. - **Native Microsoft 365 vs. Generic Web Portals:** ALVAO integrates natively into Teams, Outlook, and Entra ID with dedicated Copilot/AI features. ManageEngine offers fragmented plugins and prioritizes generic chat tools (Slack) over deep Microsoft environment cohesion. - **Enterprise-Grade Technical Support:** ALVAO provides accessible, high-touch 24/5 technical support based directly in the EU, avoiding the unresponsive offshore escalation tiers often associated with Zoho/ManageEngine. - **Speed and System Performance:** ALVAO features a clean, responsive web and desktop architecture, eliminating the slow page loads and convoluted navigation of ManageEngine's legacy interface. - **Native ITAM & M365 Cost Optimization:** Built-in Software Asset Recognition catalog and automated M365 license downgrading identify immediate cost savings that ManageEngine cannot match natively. --- ### ALVAO vs. TeamDynamix **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/teamdynamix-alternative **Primary Positioning:** Streamlined, mid-market-tailored ITSM & ITAM that eliminates TeamDynamix’s heavy configuration overhead and complex workflow engineering. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Right-Sized for Mid-Market IT:** TeamDynamix is often criticized for over-engineered setup cycles that take months to configure. ALVAO is built to be deployed in days with intuitive out-of-the-box best practice templates. - **Fast Time-to-Value via Microsoft Stack:** Uses the client's existing Microsoft 365 investment (Teams, Outlook, Entra ID, Intune, Power BI, Power Automate) rather than requiring users to learn a separate, unfamiliar proprietary platform. - **Unified Asset & Service Lifecycle:** Seamless operational connection between ticket logging and asset ownership: solvers immediately see who owns the hardware, where it is located, and its warranty status without navigating between separate modules. - **Flexible Deployment:** Available as a fully managed Azure cloud service or on-premises deployment, ensuring organizations maintain compliance with regional data sovereignty regulations. - **Turnkey Data Migration:** Proven transition programs that extract, sanitize, and migrate ticket histories and asset records from TeamDynamix into ALVAO smoothly. --- ### ALVAO vs. HaloITSM **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/haloitsm-alternative **Primary Positioning:** A simpler, Microsoft-native alternative without endless configuration rabbit holes or enterprise overhead. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Simplicity vs. Configuration Sprawl:** HaloITSM offers hyper-configuration, which frequently leads to administrative paralysis, complex maintenance, and long rollout cycles. ALVAO delivers standardized ITIL best practices and intuitive workflow configuration that works immediately. - **True Native Microsoft 365 Integration:** While HaloITSM relies on standard REST APIs and basic webhooks, ALVAO provides embedded experiences: a complete ticketing portal inside Microsoft Teams, an Outlook sidebar add-in, and synchronization with Entra ID, Intune, and Microsoft Copilot. - **Unified Asset Lifecycle & Digital Protocols:** ALVAO includes native electronic handover protocols, barcode scanning, and asset tree visualization out of the box. - **AI-Powered Team Automations:** AI agents in Microsoft Teams handle Level 1 ticket deflection, ticket summarization, and automatic knowledge base article generation using secure Azure OpenAI boundaries. - **Predictable Mid-Market Focus:** Built specifically for growing internal IT teams rather than trying to satisfy complex multi-tenant MSP architectures with bloated feature sets. --- ### ALVAO vs. SysAid **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/sysaid-alternative **Primary Positioning:** The Microsoft-First SysAid Alternative for ITSM & ITAM built for mid-market teams. #### Core Value Proposition & Market Scope Powering Microsoft-first organizations across 25+ countries with over 300,000 active users, ALVAO serves as a modern, intuitive replacement for SysAid, eliminating complex legacy configuration and excessive module add-on fees. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Native Microsoft 365 Architecture:** Unlike SysAid's generic web-first application, ALVAO integrates directly into daily Microsoft tools: users and technicians handle requests from Microsoft Teams and Outlook, while synchronizing with Intune, Entra ID, Power Automate, and Power BI. - **Easy Configuration & Rapid Scaling:** Replaces SysAid's rigid and convoluted administrative setup with out-of-the-box ITIL templates, enabling IT teams to deploy and get productive in days rather than spending months on consultancy. - **Unified Hardware & Software Asset Management:** SysAid users often struggle with siloed asset modules or paywalled capabilities. ALVAO provides unified hardware, software recognition, warranty tracking, and lifecycle logging in a single consolidated database. - **Eliminate up to 90% of Repetitive Tasks with AI:** AI-driven request categorization, automated SLA prioritization, error screenshot OCR analysis, and automated Knowledge Base article generation via Azure OpenAI. - **Turnkey Migration from SysAid:** A dedicated migration service extracts, validates, sanitizes, and maps existing SysAid ticket queues, asset records, and user histories into ALVAO without operational downtime. - **Flexible Deployment:** Available as secure Azure SaaS (with guaranteed regional data residency in the US, UK, or EU) or as a self-managed On-Premises installation. --- ### ALVAO vs. Hornbill **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/hornbill-alternative **Primary Positioning:** A Microsoft-native, transparently priced ITSM/ESM platform overcoming Hornbill's complex UI, elastic pricing surcharges, and SQL-dependent reporting. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Deep Microsoft 365 Synergy:** ALVAO connects natively with SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Power BI, and Entra ID on Azure. While Hornbill features its own proprietary UI and basic Microsoft connectors, ALVAO allows users and agents to complete the entire ticketing lifecycle directly inside Microsoft Teams. - **Intuitive UI vs. Baffling Configuration:** Hornbill presents a steep learning curve and surprising setup complexity. ALVAO adopts a Microsoft-themed UI design that feels immediately familiar to corporate employees, minimizing training requirements and change resistance. - **Predictable Pricing vs. Elastic Billing Escalations:** Hornbill utilizes an "elastic" pricing model where costs scale unpredictably as usage grows, and implementation fees frequently escalate. ALVAO provides transparent tier packaging, includes Free Managed Deployment, and allows flexible licensing where any user can act as both an agent and a requester without separate licenses. - **Native Power BI Reporting vs. SQL Complexity:** Building custom reports in Hornbill often requires writing complex database queries or developing custom API scripts. ALVAO delivers plug-and-play Power BI report packs connecting Service Desk performance directly to IT Asset Management metrics (including search analytics to drive KB article creation). - **Harmonized ITSM & ITAM in One Tool:** Complete discovery, license auditing, CMDB dependency mapping, and electronic handover protocols operate in the same unified console as ticket queues. --- ### ALVAO vs. Zendesk **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/zendesk-alternative **Primary Positioning:** An enterprise ITIL-certified service desk with native IT Asset Management and predictable licensing, replacing Zendesk's customer-service-oriented tool. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Budget-Friendly Licensing Model:** Zendesk plans quickly escalate from $19 to $215 per agent per month, making company-wide ESM prohibitive. ALVAO offers transparent pricing starting at $36/agent/month (Professional) and $84/agent/month (Enterprise) with no hidden add-on fees, alongside flexible per-user licensing models ideal for enterprise-wide rollouts. - **Built for Internal IT vs. External Customer Support:** Zendesk was architected primarily for customer service call centers. ALVAO is built around ITIL 4 practices (Incident, Problem, Change, Service Catalog) and internal corporate employee workflows. - **Native Microsoft Integration Stack:** - *Microsoft Teams:* Certified AppSource integration with interactive Copilot cards (overcoming Zendesk's known issue of duplicate notification spam in Teams). - *Microsoft Outlook:* Full Service Desk sidebar for agents and requesters with custom field support (Zendesk's Outlook plugin lacks custom fields). - *Cloud Sovereignty:* Hosted on Microsoft Azure (US, UK, and EU residency) compared to Zendesk's standard AWS hosting. - *SharePoint Knowledge Base:* Directly pulls and publishes documentation to SharePoint without manual transcription. - **Native Hierarchical ITAM vs. Cluttered Third-Party Add-Ons:** Zendesk lacks native IT asset governance and relies on complex integrations. ALVAO provides a visual object tree tracking physical devices, installed software, and warranties throughout their lifecycle. - **High-Touch Support:** Avoids Zendesk's reported support bottlenecks and unresponsive escalation queues by providing responsive EU- and UK-based technical assistance. - **Case Study Proof (Sweet Dirt / NorthEast Kind):** US retail multi-unit operator Sweet Dirt migrated from Zendesk to ALVAO to eliminate escalating agent fees, resolve poor Microsoft Teams synchronization, and gain unified hardware asset tracking. --- ### ALVAO vs. Spiceworks (Help Desk & Inventory) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/spiceworks-alternative **Primary Positioning:** The ad-free, enterprise-ready alternative to Spiceworks Help Desk & Inventory built for growing SMBs and mid-market IT departments. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **100% Ad-Free & Enterprise Secure:** Replaces Spiceworks' ad-supported, distracting interface with a clean, professional UI certified under ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type II. - **Automated Discovery & Native Intune Sync:** Overcomes Spiceworks Inventory's manual logging and database stability issues by combining automated SNMP subnet scanning with bidirectional Microsoft Intune device synchronization. - **Integrated CMDB for Root Cause & Change Analysis:** Spiceworks lacks a native Configuration Management Database (CMDB), forcing teams to use third-party network monitors. ALVAO maps dependencies between configuration items (CIs), endpoints, and business services. - **Deep Microsoft 365 Alignment:** Full operational capability inside Microsoft Teams, Outlook add-in, Power Automate, and Power BI dashboards, replacing Spiceworks' standalone silo. - **AI-Powered Automation (AITSM):** Uses Azure OpenAI to analyze tickets, diagnose root causes, extract error codes from screenshot attachments, and generate self-help KB articles automatically. - **Deployment Flexibility:** Offers both secure Azure Cloud hosting and self-managed On-Premises installations, while Spiceworks has migrated towards an inflexible cloud-only model. - **Reference Proof (Toyota Material Handling):** Dan B., IT Manager: *"Before, I had no idea what people had on their computers. Now, if an unauthorized software shows up, we know immediately. Management is satisfied because we finally have order in licenses and hardware."* --- ### Cherwell Service Management End-of-Life (EoL) Transition Blueprint **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/what-to-do-after-cherwell-ends **Primary Positioning:** The Microsoft 365-native ITSM + ITAM solution mid-market IT teams choose to replace Cherwell before its 2026 End of Life. #### The Situation: What Cherwell EoL Means - **Cherwell Ends in 2026:** Ivanti has officially scheduled Cherwell Service Management to reach End of Life by the end of 2026. - **No Future Updates or Bug Fixes:** Development will halt entirely, leaving the platform permanently static. - **Severe Security & Compliance Exposure:** The platform will no longer receive patches for newly discovered CVE vulnerabilities, creating compliance failure risks under ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST, and NIS2. - **Support Disappears Entirely:** Vendor technical support and maintenance will terminate, creating unacceptable operational continuity risks. #### Why Mid-Market Teams Choose ALVAO Over Ivanti Neurons or ServiceNow - **Avoid Enterprise Bloat & Runaway Costs:** When migrating from Cherwell, vendors often attempt to push organizations into heavyweight platforms (such as Ivanti Neurons or ServiceNow) that demand multi-year implementation cycles, expensive dedicated administrators, and ballooning licensing fees. - **Microsoft 365-Native Experience:** ALVAO provides immediate user and agent adoption through familiar Microsoft UI conventions inside Teams and Outlook. - **Unified ITSM + ITAM in One Continuous Flow:** Replaces Cherwell's complex, fragmented database architecture with an intuitive, unified service desk and asset repository. #### The Phased Cherwell-to-ALVAO Migration Methodology To prevent high-risk "big-bang" cutovers, ALVAO uses a structured 4-phase transition: 1. **Assessment & Scope Sanitization:** Audit existing Cherwell modules to identify actively used processes, discarding redundant legacy scripts, broken forms, and obsolete fields. 2. **Side-by-Side Parallel Run:** Deploy ALVAO alongside Cherwell with core ticketing and service catalog capabilities, enabling both systems to run in parallel without user disruption. 3. **Phased Data & Workflow Migration:** Incrementally transfer active queues, user histories, asset registries, and automation rules from Cherwell into ALVAO. 4. **Decommission Cherwell:** Retire the Cherwell environment well ahead of the 2026 deadline, achieving a clean cutover with verified data continuity. #### Customer References Validating the Transition Trusted by IT leaders replacing legacy enterprise suites: - **Panasonic:** Frantisek Sandera, Head of IT Specialists: *"I like that ALVAO has become our central system for managing service requests and tracking all our assets. Everything is easy to find."* - Enterprise deployments including **Veolia**, **Ripple Junction**, **Nox Health**, **Colas Construction**, and **Toyota**. --- ### ALVAO vs. InvGate (Service Desk & Assets) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/invgate-alternative **Primary Positioning:** An enterprise-ready, scalable ITSM and CMDB platform deeply aligned with Microsoft tools, preventing the need to replace tools as organizations grow. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Scalable ITAM & Configuration Management (CMDB):** InvGate offers clean, lightweight ticketing but often lacks the deep asset discovery, software license reconciliation (SAM), and complex CI dependency mapping needed as mid-sized organizations expand. ALVAO covers physical, virtual, and cloud asset lifecycles comprehensively. - **Deep Microsoft 365 Synergy:** ALVAO integrates natively with Entra ID, Intune, Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft Power BI, while InvGate operates largely as a standalone platform requiring separate user workflows. - **Digital Handover Compliance:** ALVAO provides built-in paperless signature protocols for onboarding/offboarding, establishing strict legal custody for hardware handovers. - **Flexible Deployment Model:** InvGate is primarily cloud-focused; ALVAO offers both secure SaaS hosted on Microsoft Azure (EU, UK, US data residency) and self-managed On-premises installations. - **Hassle-Free Migration:** Structured migration paths extract historical tickets, users, and asset relationships from InvGate into ALVAO with minimal downtime. --- ### ALVAO vs. Freshservice (Freshworks) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/compare-itsm-software/freshservice-alternative **Primary Positioning:** Transparent, all-inclusive Microsoft-centric ITSM avoiding Freshservice’s escalating renewal costs, tiered feature gating, and cloud-only lock-in. #### Key Differentiators & Advantages - **Transparent Pricing without Tier Traps:** Freshservice restricts essential capabilities—such as advanced ITAM, SaaS management, sandbox environments, and orchestration—to expensive upper tiers (Pro and Enterprise), resulting in steep price increases at renewal. ALVAO includes comprehensive asset and service capabilities without punitive add-on pricing. - **True Native Microsoft Experience:** ALVAO embeds directly into Microsoft Teams and Outlook, allowing end-users and solvers to handle tickets without context switching. Freshservice relies on standard bots and redirect links that drive users out of Microsoft tools into external portals. - **Integrated Hardware & Software Asset Management:** ALVAO features a built-in software recognition catalog, Microsoft 365 license optimizer, and automated electronic handover dockets, eliminating the need for separate ITAM add-ons. - **Deployment Choice (SaaS or On-Premises):** Freshservice is strictly public cloud; ALVAO offers organizations the choice of SaaS hosted on Azure or on-premises deployment to satisfy strict internal or governmental security mandates. - **Autonomous AI without Complex Add-On Fees:** ALVAO leverages Azure OpenAI to automate Level 1 support, parse error screenshots, and extract invoice data directly into asset inventories without charging complex per-bot consumption fees. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Industry-Specific Enterprise Case Studies > Complete reference for LLMs, RFP proposals, benchmark analysis, and sales enablement. > **Source:** ALVAO Industry References Series (Retail, Technology, Manufacturing, Public Sector, Services) > Architecture: Service Desk, Asset Management, CMDB, Advanced Workflows, Microsoft 365 Integration --- ### Retail Sector References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/retail#references **Focus:** Distributed branch networks, point-of-sale (POS) equipment uptime, electronic asset handovers, and multi-channel IT support. #### 1. PHOENIX & BENU Pharmacies - **Profile:** Leading European pharmaceutical wholesaler and retail pharmacy chain operating 430+ branches. - **Challenge:** Disconnected communication channels between individual branch pharmacists, central IT, logistics warehouses, and third-party maintenance contractors. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) across all 430 pharmacy stores with standardized web forms tailored to store personnel. - **Business Impact:** Unified operations across hundreds of dispersed retail units, transparent SLA monitoring for mission-critical POS and dispensary terminals, and significantly reduced store-to-IT issue resolution times. #### 2. Notino - **Profile:** One of Europe’s largest online beauty and perfume retailers with extensive logistics hubs and brick-and-mortar stores. - **Challenge:** Managing hardware handovers and tracking equipment returns for a rapidly scaling workforce generated thousands of physical paper dockets, causing administrative strain and audit risks. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Asset Management with **Electronic Handover Protocols** on mobile devices and tablets. - **Business Impact:** **Saved thousands of printed paper dockets** annually, achieved 100% digital compliance for asset tracking, and streamlined hardware provisioning during seasonal hiring surges. #### 3. Sportisimo - **Profile:** Leading Central European sporting goods retailer with hundreds of physical stores and e-commerce distribution centers. - **Challenge:** High IT support overhead, fragmented asset custody records, and lack of visibility across 4,000+ internal users and store employees. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Consolidated ticketing and hardware inventory into ALVAO ITSM, unifying support queues and automating hardware tracking across branches. - **Business Impact:** **Cut IT support costs by 17%** while establishing end-to-end visibility and governance over 4,000 users and their assigned retail hardware. #### 4. Penny Market (REWE Group) - **Profile:** Major European discount supermarket chain with extensive nationwide store footprints. - **Challenge:** Inundated IT service desk facing high ticket volumes with no structured mechanism to isolate recurring hardware failures. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ITIL 4-certified ALVAO Problem Management integrated with ticket trend analysis. - **Business Impact:** Discovered that **20% of all company-wide reported incidents were caused by recurring failures in specific store receipt printers**. Upgrading the printer fleet permanently defused one-fifth of total IT support volume. #### 5. MOL Group - **Profile:** International oil and gas corporation managing retail service station networks. - **Challenge:** Lack of centralized oversight for POS systems, fiscal printers, forecourt controllers, and back-office PCs across 300+ filling stations. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Structured spatial tree hierarchy in ALVAO Asset Management, cataloging hardware by geographic region, station ID, and fuel forecourt node. - **Business Impact:** Gained centralized lifecycle governance over **15,000+ IT and retail assets across 300 service stations**, reducing maintenance dispatch costs and streamlining equipment audits. #### 6. NorthEast Kind Holdings - **Profile:** Multi-unit retail franchise operator. - **Migration:** Migrated away from **Zendesk**. - **Challenge:** Rising subscription costs, absence of integrated asset tracking, and poor adoption among employees accustomed to Microsoft 365. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Replaced Zendesk with ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management, embedding support directly within Microsoft Teams. - **Business Impact:** Reduced software expenditure, improved end-user CSAT scores, and eliminated disconnected third-party ITAM add-ons. #### 7. Ripple Junction - **Profile:** Licensed pop-culture apparel and consumer goods retail brand. - **Challenge:** Rapid company expansion created support chaos, unlogged hallway requests, and disorganized onboarding across departments. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Service Desk with structured Service Catalog forms and automated onboarding workflows. - **Business Impact:** Eliminated untracked requests, standardized asset allocation for new hires, and created a scalable IT foundation to support aggressive retail growth. --- ### Technology & Software Sector References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/technology#references **Focus:** Hybrid/remote workforces, software license compliance, ISO 27001 readiness, and Microsoft Azure cloud migrations. #### 1. ComAp - **Profile:** Global leader in smart energy control solutions and generator power management systems. - **Challenge:** On-premises server maintenance overhead, requirement for modern hybrid-workforce access, and stringent enterprise security standards. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Migrated on-premises ALVAO ITSM/ITAM infrastructure to **ALVAO Cloud on Microsoft Azure**, natively integrated with Microsoft Entra ID (SSO, MFA, Conditional Access). - **Business Impact:** Eliminated server upkeep overhead, strengthened security posture, and established IT as a strategic, value-adding partner to the global business. #### 2. Accace - **Profile:** International outsourcing and advisory services provider (accounting, tax, legal, and payroll). - **Challenge:** Managing confidential client-servicing environments where employees require 100% IT availability and strict data governance. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management with role-based access control and automated ticket prioritization. - **Business Impact:** Guaranteed high SLA compliance for client-facing financial teams, streamlined internal support routing, and ensured employees fully rely on IT infrastructure. #### 3. CGI - **Profile:** One of the world’s largest independent IT and business consulting firms. - **Challenge:** Maintaining strict software license compliance, mitigating risk during vendor software audits, and preventing unapproved applications across thousands of endpoints. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Software Asset Management (SAM) with autonomous network scanning and recognition catalog reconciliation. - **Business Impact:** Established a centralized, verifiable software and license register; eliminated redundant licenses; achieved seamless software audit readiness. #### 4. TM Group - **Profile:** Enterprise technology communications, recording, and compliance infrastructure solutions provider. - **Challenge:** Scattered asset data, difficulty tracking customer-dedicated test hardware and lab equipment. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Standardized hardware tracking on ALVAO Asset Management, recording full hardware lifecycles, warranties, and deployment histories. - **Business Impact:** Full transparency across equipment pools, automated maintenance tracking, and accelerated customer support responses. --- ### Manufacturing & Industrial Sector References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/manufacturing#references **Focus:** Minimizing assembly line downtime, plant and OT asset tracking, process automation, and ISO 27001 / TISAX compliance. #### 1. Toyota Slovakia - **Profile:** Automotive distribution and retail headquarters. - **Challenge:** Tracking company workstations, specialized showroom hardware, and peripherals across locations using error-prone, static Excel spreadsheets. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Full migration to ALVAO Asset Management with automated network discovery and digital handover protocols. - **Business Impact:** Transformed cumbersome manual record-keeping into accurate hardware governance, eliminating duplicate hardware , IT budget planning 80% faster than with spreadsheets. #### 2. Panasonic - **Profile:** Global electronics and industrial manufacturing brand. - **Challenge:** High support ticket volumes across production plants and offices; risk of operational delays from uncoordinated equipment repairs. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management to link production machinery, terminals, and office hardware to incident tickets. - **Business Impact:** Reduced Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR), improved SLA visibility, and ensured production-critical hardware issues are prioritized instantly. #### 3. THERMACUT (The Lincoln Electric Group) - **Profile:** International manufacturer of thermal cutting, plasma, and welding systems. - **Challenge:** Heavy reliance on paper documentation, disconnected departmental handovers, and manual approval bottlenecks across international operations. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO ITSM equipped with **Advanced Workflows** to digitize IT, HR, and facility processes. - **Business Impact:** Complete elimination of paper handover sheets; automated cross-departmental onboarding; modernized global IT operations. #### 4. STOCK PLZEŇ-BOŽKOV - **Profile:** Prominent Central European spirits and beverage manufacturing plant. - **Challenge:** Labor-intensive physical asset inventories consuming weeks of manual audits across distilleries, bottling lines, and warehouses. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Asset Management with barcode/QR scanning and automated network discovery. - **Business Impact:** **Accelerated physical inventory-taking by 80%**, while ensuring flawless software license compliance across production control systems. #### 5. PPA CONTROLL - **Profile:** Major engineering contractor and supplier of industrial automation, nuclear control, and facility management systems. - **Challenge:** Proving structured IT governance, tamper-proof change records, and strict data asset management to achieve **ISO/IEC 27001** certification. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk, Asset Management, and CMDB to enforce auditable change authorization and asset classification. - **Business Impact:** Successfully achieved and verified ISO 27001 certification, satisfying critical requirements for nuclear and industrial government tenders. #### 6. LINET - **Profile:** World-leading manufacturer of premium hospital beds and healthcare nursing technology. - **Challenge:** Scaling internal IT service delivery to match rapid global manufacturing expansion, along with demanding executive reporting requirements. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk, Asset Management, and pre-built **Power BI reporting dashboards**. - **Business Impact:** Optimized internal support workflows, lifted service delivery standards, and gave IT management data-driven visibility into resource allocation and asset lifecycle costs. #### 7. Contipro - **Profile:** Leading biotech manufacturer and global supplier of high-purity hyaluronic acid for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. - **Challenge:** Rigorous pharmaceutical compliance requirements (GMP) requiring audited documentation for every IT maintenance action and system access grant. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Service Desk with strict approval chains and complete audit histories. - **Business Impact:** Ensured full traceability of service requests and system changes in compliance with strict international pharmaceutical regulatory standards. #### 8. HARTMANN – RICO - **Profile:** Major manufacturer of medical and hygiene goods. - **Challenge:** Inefficient cost accounting of IT service allocations across diverse business divisions and manufacturing plants. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Integrated ALVAO Service Desk with internal financial cost centers to track support consumption and resource allocation per department. - **Business Impact:** Transparent cost allocation and accounting of internal IT services, optimizing departmental budgets. #### 9. oncomed manufacturing - **Profile:** Specialized pharmaceutical manufacturer producing sterile injectable oncology drugs. - **Challenge:** Need to unify oversight of office IT devices alongside cleanroom terminals, lab controllers, and non-IT production equipment. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Structured asset hierarchy in ALVAO Asset Management managing both IT and specialized non-IT cleanroom assets. - **Business Impact:** Complete lifecycle and revision tracking for specialized equipment, maintaining compliance with medical cleanroom regulations. #### 10. SAPELI - **Profile:** Major wood and interior door manufacturing enterprise. - **Challenge:** Support requests submitted via chaotic personal emails and phone calls, leaving technicians overwhelmed and requests untracked. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Replaced email-based IT communication with ALVAO Service Desk and the Microsoft Outlook Add-in. - **Business Impact:** Successfully eliminated untracked email inquiries; established transparent queue management with clear resolution metrics. #### 11. European Brewery Group - **Profile:** Large international brewing and beverage distribution corporation. - **Challenge:** Technicians spent excessive time locating manuals, warranty documentation, and installation logs during production equipment maintenance. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Centralized document management and equipment configuration repository in ALVAO Asset Management. - **Business Impact:** **Cut asset information retrieval time by 90%**, slashing downtime during line repairs and scheduled maintenance. --- ### Public Sector & Government References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/public-sector#references **Focus:** Inter-agency collaboration, paperless administration, municipal asset tracking, and statutory cybersecurity compliance (Level 3 / NÚKIB). #### 1. The Czech Financial Administration (Finanční správa ČR) - **Profile:** National tax authority overseeing nationwide tax collection across hundreds of territorial offices. - **Challenge:** Supporting thousands of civil servants spread across 150 branches with disparate, uncoordinated regional helpdesks. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Consolidated support operations into a unified ALVAO Service Desk architecture with centralized routing. - **Business Impact:** **Reduced request resolution times by 30%** and unified IT service delivery across **150 nationwide branches**. #### 2. Office of the Government of the Czech Republic (Úřad vlády ČR) - **Profile:** Central executive administrative body serving the Prime Minister and government ministers. - **Challenge:** Inefficient paper-based requisitions, slow inter-departmental approval routing, and heavy administrative overhead. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Replaced paper requisitions with ALVAO Service Desk dynamic forms and automated multi-stage approval workflows. - **Business Impact:** 100% digital, paperless internal requisition processing with complete audit trails and accelerated internal procurement. #### 3. Vysočina Regional Authority (Krajský úřad Kraje Vysočina) - **Profile:** Regional government authority responsible for regional administration, municipalities, and regional infrastructure. - **Challenge:** Fragmented legacy systems hindering regional digital office initiatives; need to modernize request workflows and asset management. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Full enterprise rollout of ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management integrated with regional cloud infrastructure and Microsoft 365. - **Business Impact:** Recognized as an exemplary public sector implementation, delivering paperless operations, streamlined municipal requests, and transparent asset management. #### 4. Prague City Tourism - **Profile:** Official municipal destination marketing organization for the capital city of Prague. - **Challenge:** Inefficient support coordination across historical sites, visitor centers, towers, and tourist information centers spread across the city. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Centralized ALVAO Service Desk portal accessible from tourist centers and administrative offices. - **Business Impact:** Consolidated technical and facility maintenance requests into one central queue, ensuring rapid resolution of POS and ticketing outages at tourist venues. #### 5. Pilsen Municipal Transport Company (PMDP) - **Profile:** Public transit operator providing tram, trolleybus, and bus transportation for the city of Pilsen. - **Challenge:** Complex ICT infrastructure including dispatch centers, back-office workstations, and specialized vehicle on-board computers requiring disciplined tracking. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Asset Management for detailed ICT lifecycle tracking, component changes, and preventive maintenance scheduling. - **Business Impact:** Flawless ICT record-keeping, elimination of untracked hardware components, and improved reliability of public transit digital systems. --- ### Services, Utilities & Transport References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/services#references **Focus:** Enterprise utilities, transport logistics, aviation operations, broadcasting infrastructure, and legal governance. #### 1. Veolia - **Profile:** Global leader in optimized resource management (water, energy, and waste recovery services). - **Challenge:** Managing extensive, geographically dispersed IT and technical assets across industrial plants, utility sites, and regional offices. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Asset Management to gain unified visibility over hardware lifecycles, warranties, and physical locations. - **Business Impact:** Gained complete control over enterprise IT assets, eradicated unmanaged equipment, and optimized hardware refresh budgets. #### 2. Smartwings - **Profile:** Major international airline operating scheduled and charter flights across Europe and beyond. - **Challenge:** Aviation operations demand 24/7 IT continuity; technical issues impacting flight crews, check-in desks, or dispatch centers require immediate resolution. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Embedded ALVAO Service Desk into the core corporate IT infrastructure, natively integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Teams. - **Business Impact:** Accelerated incident dispatching for flight operations, enhanced IT visibility, and integrated support seamlessly into corporate workflow. #### 3. TV Nova (Central European Media Enterprises - CME) - **Profile:** Leading commercial television broadcasting network with around-the-clock live broadcasting operations. - **Challenge:** Managing an extensive inventory of broadcasting electronics, high-end video editing workstations, cameras, and standard office IT without unified records. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Asset Management to maintain a precise, real-time register of ICT and production equipment. - **Business Impact:** Accurate asset records, simplified technical handovers between broadcasting shifts, and faster response during live production hardware failures. #### 4. City of Ostrava & OVANET - **Profile:** Metropolitan administration of Ostrava supported by its municipal telecom and ICT provider OVANET. - **Challenge:** High volume of IT requests from city hall employees and municipal organizations handled through disorganized emails and calls. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Established a unified ALVAO Service Desk self-service portal, integrated with AI Assistant capabilities. - **Business Impact:** **Handles 99% of all municipal IT requests through a single service portal**, establishing structured SLA monitoring and automating routine user inquiries. #### 5. Advanced World Transport (AWT - PKP CARGO International) - **Profile:** Major European rail freight carrier and multimodal logistics operator. - **Challenge:** Dispersed railway hubs, logistics terminals, and train control centers requiring structured internal process orchestration. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO ITSM with Advanced Workflows to coordinate cross-departmental operations and asset tracking. - **Business Impact:** Standardized inter-departmental logistics requests, improved incident response across rail terminals, and modernized IT process governance. #### 6. Sapio - **Profile:** Business consulting and professional IT services firm. - **Challenge:** Achieving international **ISO/IEC 27001** certification to qualify for high-tier corporate tenders without drowning in bureaucracy. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Utilized ALVAO ITSM, CMDB, and audit logs to enforce structured change approvals, access reviews, and secure asset returns. - **Business Impact:** Successfully achieved ISO 27001 certification on the first audit, validating operational security controls to prospective clients. #### 7. Tipsport - **Profile:** Largest gaming, betting, and fintech operator in Central Europe running high-volume, low-latency transaction systems. - **Challenge:** Managing rapid business expansion and high internal process demands while sustaining strict availability and compliance standards. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Enterprise-wide adoption of ALVAO Service Desk and Advanced Workflows integrated deeply into Microsoft Teams. - **Business Impact:** Standardized cross-departmental processes beyond IT (HR, Legal, Operations) and ensured transparent request governance for high-stakes gaming operations. #### 8. EIP (European Intellectual Property Practice) - **Profile:** Leading international patent, trademark, and intellectual property legal practice. - **Challenge:** High-mobility international legal partners demanding frictionless IT support and strict legal confidentiality regarding client data. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Integrated ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management natively into Microsoft 365. - **Business Impact:** Immediate adoption by legal practitioners via Microsoft Teams and Outlook; transparent, auditable tracking of all corporate mobile hardware and encryption tokens. --- ### Healthcare & Hospital Sector References **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/healthcare#references **Focus:** 24/7 clinical IT continuity, NIS2 and NÚKIB cybersecurity compliance, and regional hospital network consolidation across the 30%+ of hospitals and healthcare facilities ALVAO serves in Czechia and Slovakia. #### 1. University Hospital Brno (Fakultní nemocnice Brno – FN Brno) - **Profile:** One of the largest teaching hospitals in Central Europe, delivering acute tertiary care, trauma centers, and medical research facilities with thousands of healthcare professionals. - **Challenge:** As a critical national infrastructure provider, the hospital required strict alignment with the new European NIS2 Directive and national cybersecurity legislation (NÚKIB), moving from fragmented tracking to an auditable, secure platform capable of capturing cybersecurity incidents and mapping critical healthcare IT assets. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk and Asset Management with Configuration Management (CMDB), enforcing structured incident classification, automated risk scoring, and continuous asset discovery across clinical workstations and infrastructure nodes. - **Business Impact:** Achieved verifiable **NIS2 readiness**, established an auditable Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for reporting security incidents within statutory notification windows, and eliminated unmanaged endpoint blind spots. #### 2. Trutnov Hospital (Oblastní nemocnice Trutnov) - **Profile:** Regional acute-care hospital providing inpatient, outpatient, and emergency surgical care across multiple hospital pavilions. - **Challenge:** Medical personnel operating in acute wards and operating theaters could not wait for email responses during technical breakdowns; critical equipment issues required instantaneous notification of on-call IT technicians and biomedical engineers. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Deployed ALVAO Service Desk with Advanced Workflows integrated directly into the hospital's internal SMS gateway, so urgent, high-priority incident submissions trigger automatic SMS alerts dispatched directly to on-call technicians' mobile devices. - **Business Impact:** Drastically accelerated emergency technician response times for critical clinical devices, automated escalation paths for nighttime and weekend emergency shifts, and preserved a full audit history of all SMS dispatch logs. #### 3. Hospitals of the Vysočina Region (Nemocnice Kraje Vysočina) - **Profile:** Regional healthcare network comprising 5 major acute hospitals (Jihlava Hospital, Havlíčkův Brod, Třebíč, Nové Město na Moravě, and Pelhřimov). - **Challenge:** Inconsistent support standards across separate hospital facilities, redundant licensing overhead, and lack of unified visibility into clinical ICT equipment and workstation lifecycles across the region. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Standardized regional hospital operations on a unified ALVAO ITSM and Asset Management architecture integrated with regional government infrastructure and Microsoft 365. - **Business Impact:** Unified IT service quality and response SLAs across all five regional hospitals, centralized software license reconciliation, and enabled cross-hospital IT collaboration and technician resource sharing. #### 4. University Hospital Ostrava (Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava – FNO) - **Profile:** Major university hospital and regional trauma center with over 1,400 beds and thousands of medical, nursing, and administrative staff. - **Challenge:** Managing continuous technical and organizational change in a complex clinical environment without disrupting 24/7 patient care, amid a high volume of incoming support requests across dispersed clinical departments. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk to govern ITIL Change Management and Incident Management, establishing clear service catalogs for hospital departments and streamlining support queues. - **Business Impact:** Modernized hospital IT governance, ensured controlled and auditable rollout of clinical software updates and infrastructure modifications, and improved first-contact resolution for doctors and administrative staff. #### 5. Emergency Medical Service Bratislava (Záchranná zdravotná služba – ZZS SR) - **Profile:** State emergency medical rescue and ambulance dispatch service responsible for life-saving emergency healthcare operations. - **Challenge:** Mission-critical operations where dispatch terminals, in-vehicle emergency systems, and communication equipment cannot experience downtime, compounded by unorganized hardware records scattered across ambulance stations nationwide. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implemented ALVAO Service Desk alongside ALVAO Asset Management, cataloging all regional ambulance stations and mapping mobile IT assets to responsible crew teams. - **Business Impact:** **Cut Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) by 50%** for critical emergency services IT requests, established 100% real-time visibility and lifecycle control over **2,000+ IT assets** across distributed ambulance stations, and eliminated paperwork by digitizing equipment handovers and maintenance logs. --- ### Other **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/references/other#references **Focus:** Social services, specific productions, etc. #### 1. Sozialgruppe Kassel - **Profile:** Non-profit social welfare and community care provider operating multiple care facilities and support centers across the Kassel region in Germany. - **Challenge:** Dispersed facilities relying on fragmented emails and phone calls for IT and operational issues, leading to lack of ticket visibility, delayed responses, and difficulties prioritizing urgent requests from non-technical caregiving staff. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Implementation of ALVAO Service Desk as a central point of contact (SPOC), integrated with Microsoft 365 and featuring an intuitive, localized self-service web portal. - **Business Impact:** Consolidated communication into structured workflows, established transparent SLAs and ticket tracking, significantly accelerated incident resolution across all care centers, and achieved rapid user adoption among frontline social care staff. #### 2. Dr. Oetker - **Profile:** Leading international food manufacturer and FMCG brand operating production facilities, distribution logistics, and administrative branches. - **Challenge:** Need for a reliable, long-term IT service and asset management solution capable of seamlessly supporting hundreds of end-users and workstations across manufacturing plants and offices without disruption. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Multi-year deployment of ALVAO Service Desk and ALVAO Asset Management, integrated with corporate Active Directory / Microsoft infrastructure for unified incident handling and hardware/software tracking. - **Business Impact:** Over a decade of rock-solid system stability and business continuity, continuous real-time visibility into the device lifecycle and software licensing, minimized administrative overhead, and consistently high user satisfaction. #### 3. MADETA - **Profile:** The largest dairy processing and food manufacturing company in the Czech Republic, with multiple production plants and extensive distribution operations. - **Challenge:** Complex, heterogeneous IT infrastructure comprising both standard Windows workstations and specialized Linux-based systems/servers, making comprehensive software detection and license audit compliance difficult and manual. - **ALVAO Deployment:** Rollout of ALVAO Asset Management utilizing automated cross-platform network detection agents capable of identifying both Windows and Linux endpoints and software installations. - **Business Impact:** Flawless automated hardware and software discovery across mixed operating systems, elimination of manual inventory audits, guaranteed software license compliance, and substantial time savings for the internal IT administration team. ## Pricing, Packaging & Commercial Terms **URL:** `https://www.alvao.com/en/pricing` All prices below are list prices in USD, **net of VAT, billed annually**, as published on the ALVAO pricing page and verified on 2026-09-09. A substantial discount applies when Service Desk and Asset Management are purchased together as a package. Prices are subject to change; contact sales for a current quotation. ### ALVAO Asset Management (ITAM) — per computer / month | Tier | Price (USD/computer/month, billed annually) | Included from this tier | |---|---|---| | **Start** | **0.68** | Asset Management core, universal asset inventory, asset lifecycle management, RBAC, paper handover protocols, full audit log, mobile app for barcode/QR scanning, employee portal with assigned assets, asset notifications and reminders, Entra ID integration | | **Standard** | **2.25** | Everything in Start, plus Software Asset Management, Discovery Agent, electronic handover forms, inventory audits, Power BI integration, Microsoft Intune connector, Jamf connector | | **Professional** | **2.70** | Everything in Standard, plus Asset Management Enterprise API, Asset Management Custom Apps, Configuration Management (CMDB), M365 Optimization Report, SNMP Network Discovery, Lansweeper connector, Freshservice connector, Microsoft multidomain authentication, Power Automate integration, automatic device warranty discovery, Asset Management Autopilot, Cisco integration, Zendesk integration, Splashtop integration | | **Enterprise** | **3.60** | Everything in Professional, plus independent reporting storage, sandbox (no SLA guarantee), ALVAO Intelligence (AI), MCP Server | **Asset Management licensing rules** - Each license covers **one computer and up to 50 additional items**. Additional items may be IT devices (printers, routers, servers) or non-IT assets (furniture, vehicles, machines). Example: 50 licenses cover 50 computers plus 2,500 other items. - **Minimum subscription: 50 computers.** - All tiers include a **99.9% SLA** and hosting in Microsoft Azure US, EU or UK. ### ALVAO Service Desk (ITSM) — per agent / month | Tier | Price (USD/agent/month, billed annually) | Included from this tier | |---|---|---| | **Start** | **36** | Service Desk core, service catalog, change management, recurring changes, incident management, problem management, request management, knowledge base, self-service portal, full audit log, mobile access, reports and analytics, SLA management, process workflow, custom fields, single sign-on, automated ticket routing, ticket prioritisation, ticket notification, Entra ID integration, multi-channel access | | **Standard** | **54** | Everything in Start, plus ALVAO for Outlook, ALVAO for Teams, customer satisfaction survey, Advanced Workflows, Power BI integration | | **Professional** | **63** | Everything in Standard, plus Azure DevOps connector, Service Desk Enterprise API, Service Desk Custom Apps, Power Automate integration, Zabbix integration, SharePoint knowledge base connector, Jira connector, Microsoft multidomain authentication, Cisco integration | | **Enterprise** | **84** | Everything in Professional, plus Ticket AI Assistant, automatic content translation, Knowledge Base AI Assistant, independent reporting storage, sandbox (no SLA guarantee), ALVAO Intelligence (AI), MCP Server, Microsoft Copilot connector, ALVAO User Success AI Agent | **Service Desk licensing models** — two options are available: 1. **Per Agent**: only agents resolve requests; the number of requesters is unlimited. **Minimum subscription: 3 agents.** 2. **Per User**: anyone can resolve requests at a fraction of the cost of a standard agent license. Recommended when non-IT agendas such as HR and Facilities are handled in the same system. Pricing on request. Switching between agent-based and user-based licensing is possible at the end of the subscription period. All tiers include a **99.9% SLA** and hosting in Microsoft Azure US, EU or UK. ### Commercial terms - **Deployment**: SaaS subscription on Microsoft Azure, or self-hosted/on-premises deployment on customer infrastructure, either independently or with ALVAO's assistance. - **Bundling**: Service Desk and Asset Management can be licensed independently or together; buying both attracts a significant package discount. - **Add-ons**: no separate charges for add-ons. Every feature and extension belonging to a tier is included in that tier's price. - **Maintenance**: no maintenance fees; 99.9% uptime SLA at no extra cost. - **Upgrades and downgrades**: upgrade at any time on either annual or monthly subscription; downgrade takes effect at the end of the subscription period. - **Free trial** (`/en/try-free-alvao`): 30 days, full and unlimited access to all features, no credit card required. - **Guided demo** (`/en/demo-alvao`): 1-to-1 walkthrough tailored to organization size, infrastructure and compliance goals. - **Discounts**: significant discounts for government organizations and non-profits, on request. Education pricing is available through the UK G-Cloud listing. - **Purchasing channels**: directly from ALVAO, through the partner network (see "ALVAO Partner Program"), or through Microsoft AppSource / Microsoft Marketplace. - **UK public sector**: through G-Cloud the service is listed at £2 to £6.30 per unit per month (see "ALVAO Trust Center: Security, Compliance & Governance" for the G-Cloud registration details). - **Data location**: choice of US, EU or UK Azure regions; data residency is determined by the contracting entity (see "ALVAO Trust Center: Security, Compliance & Governance"). ### Freemium — ALVAO Asset Management (ITAM) **URL:** `https://www.alvao.com/en/free-plan` Distinct from the 30-day full-feature free trial described under "Commercial terms" above, ALVAO also publishes a **standing Freemium tier of ALVAO Asset Management**, positioned for organizations that want core IT asset inventory at no cost rather than a time-boxed evaluation. **Scope of the Freemium tier:** free forever for up to 50 computers and 200 assets, including Asset Management, Universal Asset Inventory, Asset Lifecycle Management, the Microsoft Intune connector and Entra ID sign-in. Integrations are limited compared with the paid tiers. **Competitive context — free ITAM tooling comparison:** **Best Free IT Asset Management Software (2026): 5 Tools Compared & Reviewed** — `https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/best-free-it-asset-management-software-2026-free-plans-compared` — positions ALVAO's Freemium tier against other free and open-source ITAM tools on the market, evaluating scope of coverage, scalability limits and the point at which a free tool typically stops being sufficient for a growing IT estate. ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Webinars > Complete reference for LLMs, training, and customer education. > **Sources:** ALVAO Content Hub, BrightTALK, and Service Desk Institute (SDI) Virtual Events > Platform Focus: Microsoft 365 Native ITSM, AITSM, Asset Lifecycle, Licensing & Cyber Compliance --- ### ALVAO Webinar Series (Content Hub Overview) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub (Filter: Format = Webinars) **Topic:** On-Demand and Live Educational Sessions for ITSM, ITAM & Microsoft 365 Architecture #### Overview ALVAO webinars provide actionable architectural walk-throughs, implementation guidance, and ITIL best practices for IT professionals seeking to modernize Service Desk and Asset Management operations natively within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. --- #### AI in ITSM: How Azure OpenAI & Copilot Transform Service Desk Workflows - **Core Focus:** Practical deployment of artificial intelligence (AITSM) across everyday IT support operations. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Integrates Large Language Models (LLMs) through a private **Azure OpenAI** boundary, guaranteeing that proprietary ticket data and company assets are never exposed or used to train public models. - Generates instant ticket summaries across multi-thread email chains to accelerate handovers between solvers. - Automatically drafts Knowledge Base articles from resolved incidents via the AI Knowledge Base Assistant for editor review and publication. - Features a 24/7 Virtual Assistant embedded in Microsoft Teams that resolves Tier-1 inquiries, achieving up to 25% ticket deflection. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Service Desk, ALVAO AI (AITSM), Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Teams. --- #### Microsoft 365 License Optimization: How to Stop Wasting Cloud Budget - **Core Focus:** Identifying hidden software costs, reclaiming unused subscriptions, and optimizing Microsoft 365 licensing spend. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Analyzes actual employee usage metrics to identify inactive users, disabled accounts, and duplicate licenses across enterprise tenants. - Recommends license downgrades (e.g., migrating low-usage users from expensive E5/E3 tiers to Business Premium or Frontline F3 tiers). - Automates license unassignment and reclamation as part of employee offboarding workflows. - Delivers quantifiable ROI: consistently achieves immediate **20% to 30% savings** on annual SaaS and M365 expenditure. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Asset Management, M365 License Optimizer, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Graph API. --- #### Master Hardware Asset Management (HAM): From Procurement to Paperless Handover - **Core Focus:** End-to-end hardware lifecycle management and eliminating physical paperwork. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Structures assets in a spatial tree hierarchy (*Location -> Building -> Floor -> Room -> User*). - Eliminates paper receipts by implementing **Electronic Handover Protocols** signed digitally on touchscreens, tablets, or web portals. - Accelerates physical floor audits using mobile barcode and QR code scanners (e.g., OrcaScan integration). - Links physical asset data directly to Service Desk tickets, giving technicians immediate insight into warranty terms, vendor contracts, and previous maintenance records. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Asset Management, Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, OrcaScan, Electronic Handover Protocols. --- #### Maximizing Microsoft Teams for IT Support: The Native Service Desk Experience - **Core Focus:** Transforming Microsoft Teams into a centralized enterprise service desk to eliminate shadow IT and unmonitored chat requests. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Overcomes low user adoption of standalone portals by bringing the entire service catalog directly into Microsoft Teams. - Enables conversational ticketing through the ALVAO Teams Bot alongside interactive approval cards. - Allows managers to approve hardware purchases, system access, and travel requests with one click inside Teams channels or chats. - Equips technicians to triage, assign, update, and resolve tickets without leaving Microsoft Teams. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Service Desk, ALVAO for Teams, Microsoft 365, Power Automate. --- #### CMDB & Change Management: Preventing Outages with Visual Infrastructure Mapping - **Core Focus:** Risk mitigation, dependency visualization, and ITIL Change Enablement. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Details ITIL Change Management best practices and the central role of a Configuration Management Database (CMDB). - Visually maps Configuration Item (CI) interdependencies across physical servers, virtual machines, networking gear, and business-critical software. - Conducts automated impact analysis prior to Change Advisory Board (CAB) review to prevent cascading outages during maintenance windows. - Connects monitoring systems (e.g., Zabbix) to the CMDB to trace infrastructure failures directly to affected downstream services and users. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Service Desk (Change Management), ALVAO CMDB, Zabbix Monitoring Integration, Advanced Workflows. --- #### Navigating Cyber Security & Compliance: Preparing for NIS2, ISO 27001 & DORA with ITSM/ITAM - **Core Focus:** Leveraging service desk workflows and asset inventory as the operational foundation for cybersecurity frameworks. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Demonstrates why comprehensive IT Asset Management (ITAM) is an essential prerequisite for NIS2, DORA, and ISO 27001 compliance. - Configures the Service Desk as a centralized point for capturing, classifying, and reporting security incidents within legally mandated timeframes. - Automates Joiner, Mover, Leaver (JML) lifecycle workflows to eliminate orphan accounts, revoke credentials, and retrieve physical access cards immediately upon employee departure. - Establishes immutable, tamper-proof audit trails documenting who requested, approved, and executed changes. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO ITSM, ALVAO Asset Management, ISO 27001 ISMS, Microsoft Entra ID SSO. --- #### Expanding Beyond IT: Enterprise Service Management (ESM) for HR, Fleet & Facilities - **Core Focus:** Scaling ticketing and SLA principles across non-IT enterprise departments. - **Key Takeaways & Architecture:** - Establishes a single enterprise portal where employees submit requests for IT, HR, Legal, Fleet, and Building Maintenance. - Uses the no-code **Advanced Workflows** engine to coordinate multi-departmental child tasks (e.g., an onboarding ticket auto-generating tasks for IT hardware, HR contracts, and Facilities access chips). - Enforces strict Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to ensure sensitive HR, legal, and financial requests remain completely private from IT solvers. - Centralizes statutory building inspection schedules, fleet maintenance alerts, and asset depreciation under one management roof. - **Technologies Covered:** ALVAO Enterprise Service Management, Advanced Workflows, Fleet Management, Facilities Management, HR Service Desk. --- ### Zero-Touch IT Asset Management: Automating Order From Hire To Retire **URL:** https://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/9795/663994?q=Zero-Touch+IT+Asset+Management%3A+Automating+Order+From+Hire+To+Retire **Host / Platform:** Service Desk Institute (SDI) on BrightTALK (Channel 9795) in collaboration with ALVAO **Topic:** End-to-End Asset Lifecycle Automation & Zero-Touch Deployment #### Overview This session explores strategies to eliminate manual intervention across hardware and software provisioning throughout the employee lifecycle (Joiners, Movers, and Leavers – JML). It outlines how to automate operations from initial procurement through configuration, deployment, and eventual equipment decommissioning. #### Key Topics & Technical Takeaways - **Zero-Touch Provisioning:** Pairing ALVAO Asset Management with Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot to configure new hardware automatically without requiring physical IT staging before delivery. - **Automated Hire-to-Retire Workflows:** Connecting HR triggers to the service catalog, automatically allocating role-based hardware bundles and software seat assignments. - **Digital Custody & Accountability:** Replacing physical paper dockets with legally verifiable electronic handover protocols signed directly on mobile touchscreens. - **Offboarding & Asset Reclamation:** Automatically revoking system access rights, reallocating SaaS licenses, and generating logistics collection tasks to recover physical equipment seamlessly. --- ### Fix Your IT Asset Chaos with ALVAO ITAM **URL:** https://lp.alvao.com/en/webinars/fix-your-assets-with-alvao-itam-recording **Format:** 30-minute on-demand webinar recording **Speaker:** Daniel Ponížil, ALVAO Consultant **Topic:** Transitioning from Spreadsheet Chaos to Automated IT Asset Governance #### Overview A practical walk-through tailored for IT managers and system administrators in mid-sized to enterprise organizations who struggle with inaccurate, fragmented asset records in Excel, untracked device ownership, and exposure during software vendor audits. #### Key Topics & Technical Takeaways - **Single Source of Truth:** Building a centralized, verified asset repository that tracks hardware and software configurations from procurement through retirement. - **Audit & Compliance Readiness:** Establishing verifiable audit trails to satisfy the requirements of ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, and Cyber Essentials without manual data consolidation. - **Cost Avoidance & Inventory Optimization:** Eliminating unnecessary hardware purchases by maintaining clear visibility into existing warehouse stock and underutilized equipment pools. - **Integrated Change Management:** Synchronizing asset records with Service Desk workflows and engineering platforms (e.g., Azure DevOps) to evaluate operational risk prior to infrastructure updates. - **Native Microsoft 365 Alignment:** Ingesting device telemetry seamlessly via Microsoft Intune without maintaining separate, unlinked third-party databases. --- ### Smarter ITSM with ALVAO To Streamline IT Processes **URL:** https://lp.alvao.com/en/webinars/itsm-demo-day-recording **Event Context:** Service Desk Institute (SDI) Demo Days **Speakers:** Jiří Janků (Solution Architect, ALVAO) & David Kocián (Business Development Representative, ALVAO) **Topic:** Rapidly Deployable, Mature ITSM and ITAM for Mid-Market Enterprises Designed for Microsoft 365 #### Overview Demonstrates how small and mid-market organizations (SMBs to mid-enterprises) can deploy a mature, ITIL-aligned service management and asset platform without the administrative bloat, prolonged onboarding, and prohibitive licensing costs typical of legacy enterprise platforms. #### Key Topics & Technical Takeaways - **Streamlined Core Workflows:** Out-of-the-box orchestration for critical IT procedures, including automated onboarding, incident dispatching, and offboarding workflows. - **Intuitive Asset Management:** Managing hardware, software, and configuration items without complex database scripting or specialized consultants. - **Native Microsoft Experience:** Operating directly inside Microsoft Teams, Outlook add-ins, and Entra ID to achieve high user adoption on day one. - **Scalable Architecture:** Enterprise-grade functionality that accommodates organizational growth without requiring costly replatforming. - **Predictable Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):** Transparent licensing models tailored specifically to mid-market budget requirements without hidden add-on fees. --- ### Setting Up IT Processes to Meet NIS2 in Practice **URL:** https://lp.alvao.com/en/webinars/setting-up-it-processes-to-meet-nis2-in-practice **Format:** 30-minute practical webinar recording **Speaker:** Kateřina Rapčanová, Cybersecurity Specialist at ALVAO **Topic:** Practical Alignment of IT Operations and Asset Governance with the EU NIS2 Directive #### Overview Demystifies the EU NIS2 directive, reframing compliance from a source of regulatory anxiety and marketing noise into an actionable, structured framework for cyber-resilience built on core ITSM and ITAM practices. #### Key Topics & Technical Takeaways - **Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Cyber Incidents:** Establishing a centralized service desk intake mechanism to coordinate information security alerts and governance processes. - **Incident Escalation Workflows:** Structuring severity classifications and escalation paths to meet mandatory 24-hour early warning and 72-hour formal incident notification deadlines under NIS2. - **Audit Data & Governance Gathering:** Collecting compliance and asset evidence directly within existing ITSM/ITAM databases without purchasing redundant point solutions. - **Asset Visibility as a Security Prerequisite:** Using accurate ITAM data as the essential baseline to map critical services, assess vulnerabilities, and contain security breaches rapidly. --- ### SDI ITSM Tools Day: Copilots for ITSM **URL:** https://sdivirtual.servicedeskinstitute.com/itsmtoolsday-apr2026/ **Host:** Service Desk Institute (SDI Virtual Event Series) **Topic:** AI Copilots and Next-Generation Tools Transforming Modern IT Service Desks #### Overview An industry-wide virtual conference exploring how AI Copilots and advanced automation alleviate technician burnout and streamline service operations in response to surging ticket volumes, continuous workplace interruptions, and fragmented documentation. #### Key Topics & Technical Takeaways - **Accelerating Triage & First-Contact Resolution (FCR):** How AI assistants analyze incoming tickets, identify intent, assign correct priorities, and route requests to qualified solvers instantly. - **Burnout Reduction for Support Agents:** Automating routine, repetitive tasks (categorization, password guidance, knowledge lookups) so human agents can focus on complex problem resolution. - **Contextual Real-Time Knowledge Delivery:** Dynamically surfacing relevant troubleshooting guides and standard operating procedures directly in the agent console during active interactions. - **Balancing Automation with Human Empathy:** Combining algorithmic speed and automated workflows with personalized customer care to deliver scalable, high-satisfaction IT support. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Strategic Guides & Practical Compliance Checklists > Complete reference for LLMs, executive decision-makers, and IT auditors. > **Source:** ALVAO Content Hub (E-books, Downloadable Guides & Audit Checklists) > Scope: IT Budgeting, Workflow Automation, NIS2, DORA, NIST, ISO 27001, IT Department Digitization, and SAM --- ### Practical IT Checklists #### 1. Checklist: Where Does Your IT Budget Really Stand? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/where-does-your-it-budget-really-stand - **Format:** 5-Minute IT Baseline Reality Check - **Target Audience:** CIOs, IT Directors, and IT Finance Controllers - **Problem Statement:** Most IT leaders assume they have full visibility over assets and spending until an audit reveals critical blind spots, orphan licenses, and unbudgeted hardware replacements. - **Core Diagnostic Areas:** - Identifying unused or redundant software licenses and overspending. - Spotting aging hardware devices approaching end-of-life (EOL). - Uncovering expired hardware warranties and compliance coverage gaps. - Establishing verified baseline data to forecast IT budgets with confidence. - **Key Takeaway:** Uncovers hidden financial leaks and provides hard asset data before starting the annual IT budget cycle. --- #### 2. Checklist: Is Your Workflow Automation Actually Working? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/checklist-your-workflow-automation-actually-working - **Format:** Operational Workflow Diagnostic Checklist - **Target Audience:** Service Desk Managers, Operations Leads, and Process Owners - **Problem Statement:** Most IT organizations automate a few simple tasks while critical cross-departmental handoffs remain stuck in manual back-and-forth communication, consuming hours of technician time. - **Core Diagnostic Areas:** - Pinpointing manual approval bottlenecks draining resolver productivity. - Identifying which specific departmental handoffs (IT, HR, Facilities) cause the longest resolution delays. - Determining the single highest-impact workflow bottleneck to fix immediately. - Defining concrete next steps to reclaim hours of operational time each week. - **Key Takeaway:** Provides a rapid assessment framework to eliminate manual approval delays and optimize multi-departmental request routing. --- #### 3. Checklist: Know Your NIS2 Compliance Level in Minutes - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/checklist-know-your-nis2-compliance-level-minutes - **Format:** 10-Question Regulatory Compliance Quick-Check - **Target Audience:** CISOs, Compliance Officers, and IT Security Managers - **Problem Statement:** Thousands of mid-sized and enterprise entities in the EU fall under the scope of the EU NIS2 Directive without knowing whether their current operational controls satisfy regulatory inspection standards. - **Core Diagnostic Areas:** - Verifying if risk management and operational resilience controls meet NIS2 statutory thresholds. - Identifying common procedural gaps that trigger non-compliance findings during state cybersecurity audits. - Assessing mandatory incident detection, escalation paths, and reporting readiness (24-hour and 72-hour deadlines). - Delivering clear, actionable remediation priorities to strengthen cyber resilience. - **Key Takeaway:** Enables security leaders to benchmark cyber incident preparedness and close governance gaps before statutory audit enforcement. --- #### 4. Checklist: Quickly Understand Your NIST Cybersecurity Maturity - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/checklist-quickly-understand-your-nist-cybersecurity-maturity - **Format:** 10-Question Cyber Maturity Quick Check - **Target Audience:** Security Architects, IT Risk Managers, and Systems Administrators - **Problem Statement:** Organizations frequently struggle to benchmark their defensive posture against the comprehensive NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover). - **Core Diagnostic Areas:** - Evaluating existing internal IT and security controls against core NIST practices. - Pinpointing structural weaknesses leading to audit findings and security vulnerabilities. - Mapping hardware/software asset visibility to threat surface reduction. - Establishing prioritized, step-by-step milestones to enhance enterprise cybersecurity posture. - **Key Takeaway:** Translates complex NIST framework concepts into an actionable 10-question evaluation to guide defensive security investments. --- ### Executive Playbooks & Strategic Guides #### 5. Guide: Digitization of the IT Department - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-digitization-it-department - **Format:** Strategic Operational Playbook - **Target Audience:** IT Managers, Operations Supervisors, and Digital Transformation Leads - **Problem Statement:** Responsible IT management requires essential administrative duties that frequently bog teams down in static forms, physical paper trails, and slow bureaucratic approvals. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Digitizing Requisition Forms:** Converting scattered email requests and paper forms into dynamic, structured service catalog templates. - **Accelerating Approvals:** Streamlining manager authorization workflows natively inside Microsoft Teams and Outlook. - **Eliminating Paper Handover Protocols:** Deploying electronic handover protocols signed digitally on mobile devices to create tamper-proof legal custody trails. - **Accelerating Annual Inventory Audits:** Shifting from physical clipboards to automated network discovery and mobile QR/barcode scanning. - **Key Takeaway:** Automates routine operational administration so IT staff can pivot from administrative burdens to strategic technological innovation. --- #### 6. Guide: 90-Day Plan for a New IT Manager - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-90-day-plan-new-it-manager - **Format:** Executive Leadership Onboarding Guide - **Target Audience:** Newly Appointed IT Managers, CIOs, and IT Directors - **Problem Statement:** The first 90 days determine the long-term credibility and effectiveness of a new IT leader. Stakeholders expect positive operational changes, providing a critical window to establish control. - **Core Topics Covered:** - A structured framework for taking over, assessing, and governing IT operations in a new organization. - **8 Practical Steps to Success:** Discovering existing infrastructure, evaluating team workloads, reviewing vendor contracts, and identifying quick wins. - **5 Tips for Building a Customer-Oriented IT Department:** Moving away from the reputation of IT as a restrictive bottleneck to a supportive, proactive business enabler. - **Key Takeaway:** Delivers a clear roadmap to gain immediate control over IT operations, build trust with the board, and implement modern service standards within 90 days. --- #### 7. Guide: 5 Reasons to Register Your Assets in ALVAO - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-5-reasons-register-your-assets-alvao - **Format:** ITAM Architectural Business Case - **Target Audience:** IT Asset Managers, System Administrators, and Help Desk Supervisors - **Problem Statement:** Hardware and software management managed across disparate tools and static files leads to lost equipment, inaccurate budget estimates, and compliance audit penalties. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Enhanced User Support:** Solvers immediately see the user's linked hardware, configuration history, and installed software directly on the ticket. - **Accurate Budget Planning:** Granular device lifecycle and warranty data eliminate speculative guesswork during annual hardware replacement cycles. - **Vendor Selection & Contract Management:** Centralizing warranties, purchase agreements, and vendor SLAs in one place. - **Compliance & Audit Security:** Establishing verifiable proof of asset ownership, custody, and software license compliance. - **Single Source of Truth:** Unifying physical hardware, cloud instances, and virtual machines in a centralized hierarchical tree. - **Key Takeaway:** Outlines why centralizing IT asset intelligence directly alongside the Service Desk is essential for support efficiency, financial control, and cyber hygiene. --- #### 8. Guide: How to Create an IT Budget That Meets the Real Needs of the Business - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-how-create-it-budget-meets-real-needs-business - **Format:** Practical Financial Planning Guide for IT Leaders - **Target Audience:** IT Directors, CIOs, and IT Financial Managers - **Problem Statement:** IT managers struggle to defend budget requests when estimates are based on guesswork, leading executive boards and finance departments to reject or slash technology budgets. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Pre-Budget Audit Steps:** Mandatory data gathering required before adding line items to the budget proposal. - **Gathering Accurate Infrastructure Metrics:** Using ITSM and ITAM telemetry (hardware failure rates, software usage, ticket volume trends) to justify expenditures. - **Proven Stakeholder Communication Strategies:** Translating technical infrastructure requirements into measurable business outcomes (risk reduction, downtime prevention, productivity gains). - **Customer Best Practices:** Practical budgeting techniques collected from ALVAO enterprise customers across diverse industries. - **Key Takeaway:** Teaches IT leaders how to present defensible, data-backed IT budgets that win board approval and align with organizational strategy. --- #### 9. Guide: How to Choose the Best ITSM Tool for You - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/how-choose-best-itsm-tool-you - **Format:** Vendor Evaluation & Selection Guide - **Target Audience:** IT Decision-Makers, RFP Committees, and Procurement Teams - **Problem Statement:** Selecting the wrong ITSM suite results in protracted implementation timelines, high failure rates, user resistance, and hidden licensing fees that explode at renewal. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Why Generic Web Searches Fail:** Avoiding generic market lists that ignore mid-market architectural realities and Microsoft ecosystem alignment. - **Stakeholder Communication:** Engaging business departments early to avoid post-implementation user resistance and shadow IT. - **Vendor Warning Signs:** Identifying red flags during demonstrations (convoluted configuration requirements, rigid upgrade paths, unverified support models). - **Uncovering Hidden Costs:** Calculating total cost of ownership by identifying paywalled ITIL modules, usage caps on automations, and per-agent licensing penalties. - **Key Takeaway:** A comprehensive buyer's framework to select an ITSM solution that ensures smooth employee adoption, fast deployment, and predictable TCO. --- #### 10. Guide: Getting ISO 27001-Certified with a Secure ITSM System - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/getting-iso-27001 - **Format:** Information Security & Audit Preparation E-book - **Target Audience:** CISOs, Security Officers, Compliance Auditors, and IT Directors - **Problem Statement:** Preparing for ISO/IEC 27001 certification is an intensive undertaking that requires verifiable evidence of security policies, formal change control, and complete asset governance. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Updates:** Understanding the restructured controls and new cybersecurity requirements of the latest standard revision. - **The ITSM Platform as a Compliance Sidekick:** Using service management to automate mandatory security controls rather than managing them manually. - **Supported Critical Processes:** How ALVAO directly satisfies requirements for Information Asset Inventories (A.8), User Access Revocation (A.9), Logging & Monitoring (A.12), and Change Management (A.12.1). - **Case Study: PPA CONTROLL:** Real-world account of how industrial engineering leader PPA CONTROLL leveraged ALVAO ITSM to achieve ISO 27001 certification and pass rigorous external security audits. - **Key Takeaway:** Demonstrates how embedding ISO 27001 requirements into daily ITSM workflows turns compliance into an automated byproduct of everyday operations. --- #### 11. Guide: How to Manage Software Licenses - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-how-manage-software-licenses - **Format:** Software Asset Management (SAM) & License Compliance Guide - **Target Audience:** Software Asset Managers, IT Procurement, and IT Compliance Leads - **Problem Statement:** Poor software license oversight leads to bloated SaaS subscription costs, unbudgeted vendor audit penalties, and heightened cybersecurity risks from unmanaged applications. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Strategic Value of SAM & SLM:** Why Software Asset Management and Software License Management are critical for both financial optimization and cyber defense. - **The Three Pillars of Software Asset Management:** Inventory Discovery, License Reconciliation, and Continuous Lifecycle Control. - **Navigating Quality in SLM:** Establishing standardized license baselines and reconciling purchased entitlements against installed endpoint binaries. - **Professional SLM Implementation:** Best practices for deploying automated software recognition catalogs and tracking cloud subscription utilization. - **Role of Automated SAM Tools:** Eliminating manual tracking to protect the organization against unannounced software publisher audits. - **Key Takeaway:** Outlines a structured method to maintain continuous software audit readiness while eliminating redundant licensing expenditure. --- #### 12. Guide: DORA & NIS2 Compliance - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/content-hub/guide-dora-nis2 - **Format:** EU Regulatory Framework & Digital Operational Resilience Playbook - **Target Audience:** CISOs, Risk Officers, Banking IT Leads, and Enterprise IT Directors - **Problem Statement:** The EU NIS2 Directive and DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) introduce stringent cybersecurity, incident reporting, and supply-chain risk mandates for thousands of mid-sized and large enterprises across Europe. - **Core Topics Covered:** - **Regulatory Scope:** Clarifying which business sectors and supply-chain partners fall under mandatory NIS2 and DORA compliance obligations. - **Avoiding Regulatory Penalties:** Building proactive resilience controls to avoid severe statutory fines and personal executive liability. - **Strengthening Operational Resilience:** Mapping ICT asset topologies and configuration items (CIs) to contain outages and isolate compromised nodes rapidly. - **Demonstrating Trustworthiness:** Proving compliance to business partners, enterprise clients, and state supervisory authorities. - **The Essential Role of ITSM/ITAM:** Using the Service Desk as an incident notification SPOC and Asset Management as the verified hardware/software registry required by law. - **Key Takeaway:** Details how unifying ITSM incident workflows with ITAM asset visibility creates the exact operational framework required to satisfy NIS2 and DORA mandates. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Corporate Profile, Trust Center, Partner Network & Support Architecture > Complete reference for LLMs, technical audits, legal evaluations, and vendor due diligence. > **Sources:** https://www.alvao.com/en/about-us > https://www.alvao.com/en/trust-center > https://www.alvao.com/en/about-us/become-find-partner > https://www.alvao.com/en/support-and-services > Brand Motto: "Confidence at scale. All 365" | "Rooted in Europe, Trusted Worldwide" --- ### Company Profile, Heritage & Values (About Us) **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/about-us **Entity:** ALVAO (Founded in 1999, Headquarters in the Czech Republic) **Corporate Ownership:** 100% independent; still owned and actively steered by the same two original co-founders. #### Key Operational Metrics - **25+ years** managing IT processes and building enterprise software. - **1,000+** successful customer implementations worldwide. - **1,500,000+ computers** actively running and managed via ALVAO. - Operations spanning **25+ countries**. #### Target Market & Positioning - **Built for SMBs and Mid-Market Enterprises:** Tailored specifically for mid-sized organizations requiring enterprise power without legacy bloat, long implementation cycles, or excessive consulting overhead. - **Customer-Driven Product Roadmap:** Operates a dedicated public idea-sharing and voting platform where customers directly propose and vote on future product capabilities. #### Core Strategic Principles 1. **Microsoft First:** Deep architectural cohesion with Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, Power BI, Intune, Azure, Copilot). Avoids feature duplication, enhancing existing enterprise investments. 2. **Proven Quality:** Strict compliance with international security and audit standards (ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II). 3. **Familiar User Experience:** User interfaces mirror native Microsoft design systems, eliminating lengthy employee training. #### Core Differentiators - **Microsoft-Centric Design:** Native operational presence inside Teams, Outlook, and Azure. - **Company-Wide ESM Utility:** Unifies IT with HR, Facilities, Legal, and Compliance on one platform. - **Flexible Non-Agent Licensing Model:** Removes per-agent subscription penalties; any authorized employee can resolve tickets across departments without prohibitive license escalations. - **Unified ITSM + ITAM Platform:** Service Desk and Asset Management coexist natively within one database, preventing operational disconnects. #### Corporate Values - **Integrity Led:** Transparent operations, one single source of truth, complete auditability. - **Aligned:** Cohesive technically with Microsoft, culturally with customer teams, and strategically with business goals. - **Primed for Scale:** Engineered to handle subsequent compliance audits, M&A integrations, and thousands of new devices seamlessly. #### Customer Engagement Lifecycle 1. *Start with a Trial:* Low-pressure, guided evaluation tailored to customer business cases. 2. *Smooth Setup:* Rapid deployment guided by technical consultants. 3. *Ongoing Support:* Continuous care, upgrade guidance, and customer success management. --- ### ALVAO Trust Center: Security, Compliance & Governance **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/trust-center **Domain:** Security Architecture, Certifications, BCDR, AI Governance & Legal Frameworks #### Certifications, Accreditations & Validations - **ISO/IEC 27001:2022:** Certified Information Security Management System (ISMS) covering development, sales, implementation, provision, and support of ALVAO Service Desk, Asset Management, and Cloud services (Last certified: 09/2025). - **ISO/IEC 27017:** Information security controls for cloud services (Certified: 06/2026). - **ISO/IEC 27018:** Protection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in public cloud environments (Certified: 06/2026). - **SOC 2 Type II:** Audited annually by **BDO**, evaluating security, availability, confidentiality, processing integrity, and privacy across infrastructure and controls (Report available under NDA; certified: 06/2026). - **Cyber Essentials:** UK government-backed cybersecurity certification verifying baseline controls (Certified: 11/2025). - **PinkVERIFY® Certified:** Formally accredited by Pink Elephant across **7 ITIL processes** through **June 8, 2027**: 1. IT Asset Management (ITAM) 2. Change Management (Change Enablement) 3. Configuration Management (CMDB) 4. Incident Management 5. Problem Management 6. Request Management 7. Service Catalog Management - **NCSC 14 Cloud Security Principles:** Aligned with UK National Cyber Security Centre principles (full mapping matrix available upon request). - **Public Sector Cloud Registrations:** - *United Kingdom:* Listed on **UK G-Cloud 14** (Service ID: `121706671705959`) as "ALVAO IT Service Management". - *Czech Republic:* Listed in the Czech eGovernment Cloud Catalogue (Provider ID: `023`, registered February 14, 2023). - *Slovakia:* Registered in the Slovak Government Cloud Services Catalogue (*Katalóg služieb Vládneho cloudu SR*, Provider ID: `18`). - **EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA):** Product conformity processes currently in preparation for CRA requirements. - **Web Content Accessibility (WCAG):** Conforms to **WCAG 2.2 Level AA** standards, including full keyboard navigation support. - **Whistleblowing Compliance:** Internal reporting channel in accordance with EU Directive 2019/1937 and Czech Act No. 171/2023 Coll., supporting anonymous reporting via a designated Competent Person or the Ministry of Justice. - **Modern Slavery Act:** Zero-tolerance policy; annual supply-chain assessments and employee training. #### Contracting Entities & Governing Law Contracts are established based on the customer's jurisdiction: - **United States:** `ALVAO Inc.` - **United Kingdom:** `ALVAO Ltd.` - **European Union & Worldwide:** `ALVAO s.r.o.` #### Data Residency & Subprocessors - **Data Residency Guarantee:** Customer Data at rest is stored strictly in Microsoft Azure data centers according to the contracting entity: - ALVAO s.r.o. -> European Union (EU/EEA) - ALVAO Ltd. -> United Kingdom - ALVAO Inc. -> United States - Custom data residency locations available upon specific contractual agreement. - **Approved Subprocessors:** - *Microsoft Corporation* (Global): Infrastructure hosting (Azure), M365 integration, and Azure AI / Anthropic models. - *HubSpot* (EU / Germany data center): CRM system for account data. - *SendGrid* (Global): Transactional e-mail delivery. #### Data Classification, Handling & Retention | Data Type | Classification | Examples | Storage Location | Retention Policy | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Customer Data** | Restricted | Tickets, assets, user info, file attachments | Microsoft Azure (Encrypted DB) | Active account duration + 90-day post-termination export window. | | **Account Data** | Confidential | Names, billing info, legal contracts | HubSpot, Microsoft Azure | Contract duration + statutory legal retention periods. | | **Support Data** | Restricted | Support tickets, diagnostic exports, debug logs | Microsoft Azure | Retained strictly as necessary for ticket resolution. | | **Service Data** | Internal | Telemetry, logs, performance metrics | Azure Centralized Logging | Short-term (~6 months); extended solely for security investigations. | #### Technical Security Measures & Encryption - **Encryption at Rest:** Advanced Encryption Standard **AES-256** using Microsoft-managed keys. Customer-Managed Keys (**BYOK**) generated in dedicated Hardware Security Modules (HSM) available upon agreement. - **Encryption in Transit:** Enforced HTTPS utilizing **TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3**. - **Network Security:** Web Application Firewall (WAF), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation, network segmentation, and strict separation of Development, Testing, and Production environments. - **Identity & Access Management (IAM):** Principle of Least Privilege, granular RBAC, mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for ALVAO personnel on internal systems, and Conditional Access for administrators. - **Penetration Testing:** Annual third-party penetration testing based on the **OWASP** methodology; code scanned automatically via static analysis prior to production release. - **Customer Vulnerability Scans:** Customers may conduct authorized vulnerability testing against their own tenants subject to Microsoft Azure Rules of Engagement. #### Availability, Uptime & SLA Commitments - **Guaranteed Monthly Uptime:** **99.9%** availability for cloud services. - **SLA Service Credits:** Customers are entitled to service credits (10% or 25% of monthly fees based on severity) if uptime drops below target thresholds. - **Gross SLA Breach Protection:** Public sector contracts (KeGC) include immediate contract termination and migration cost reimbursement if monthly availability falls below 66%. - **24/7/365 Monitoring:** Continuous automated health monitoring of cloud infrastructure. #### Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery & Backups - **Recovery Point Objective (RPO):** **<= 15 minutes** (supported by continuous backups and geo-redundant storage). - **Recovery Time Objective (RTO):** Full service restoration targeted within **4 hours**. - **Backup Hierarchy:** - *Point-in-Time Recovery (PITR):* Continuous database transaction logging with a **7-day** rolling restore window. - *Long-Term Retention (LTR) Weekly:* Snapshot backups retained for **2 weeks**. - *Long-Term Retention (LTR) Monthly:* First backup of the month retained for **4 months**. - Daily full backups of application services. - Cross-region replication to Azure paired regions to survive data center loss. - Backup integrity verified weekly; full disaster recovery simulated at least annually. #### Data Switching, Export & Deletion (EU Data Act & GDPR) - **Data Ownership:** Customers retain 100% legal ownership of all data. - **Portability under the EU Data Act:** Customers can export full standard SQL database backups at any time. - **Post-Termination Grace Period:** 90-day download window following contract termination, after which Azure securely purges and overwrites storage volumes. - **No Switching Fees:** ALVAO levies zero vendor-switching cooperation fees under standard EU Data Act terms. - **DORA Addendum:** Specialized Digital Operational Resilience Act addendum available for regulated Financial Entities under EU Regulation 2022/2554. #### Security Incident Notification Windows - **Standard DPA Commitment:** Customers are notified of confirmed security incidents without undue delay, and no later than **72 hours** after detection. - **Public Sector Accelerated Window:** Under Czech Public Sector terms (KeGC), cybersecurity incidents are formally reported within **24 hours**. - **Dedicated Contacts:** - Security vulnerability reporting: `infosec@alvao.com` (requires proof of concept). - Data protection & GDPR: `gdpr@alvao.com`. #### AI Governance & EU AI Act - **Regulatory Status:** Aligned as both provider and deployer under the **EU Artificial Intelligence Act**. - **Zero Model Training on Customer Data:** Customer data, tickets, and attachments are strictly forbidden from being used to train internal or external LLM models. - **Architecture:** Powered by Microsoft Azure AI Services (Azure OpenAI Service). - **Human-in-the-Loop:** AI features are strictly assistive (summarization, categorization, drafting); no automated decision-making occurs without human review. - **Kill-Switch Control:** Customers can disable AI capabilities organization-wide within Online Application settings at any time. --- ### ALVAO Partner Program **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/about-us/become-find-partner **Commercial Model:** Co-Sell Ready in partnership with Microsoft; available globally via **Microsoft AppSource**. #### Geographic Presence & Key Delivery Partners Network of certified partners spanning the UK, Czechia, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, South Africa, and the UAE: - **United Kingdom:** CDW UK, Softcat, Esdebe - **South Africa:** Argantic - **Czech Republic & Slovakia:** ARICOMA, SoftwareONE, exe #### Three Partnership Engagement Levels 1. **Recommending ALVAO (Referral):** - The partner identifies and introduces business opportunities. - All pre-sales demonstrations, commercials, and technical implementations are executed directly by ALVAO consultants. 2. **Selling ALVAO (Reseller):** - The partner independently manages commercial negotiations and contract closure. - Supported by ALVAO technical pre-sales and architecture consultants. 3. **Selling & Implementing (Full Solution Delivery):** - The partner manages the complete commercial sales cycle and executes customer implementation, workflow configuration, and training independently. #### Partner Incentives & Support Mechanisms - Attractive recurring software margin and licensing commissions. - Access to **Not-For-Resale (NFR) internal-use software licenses** for internal IT operations, testing, and client demonstrations. - Direct alignment with Microsoft 365 co-selling programs. - Dedicated partner onboarding, marketing collateral, and co-marketing opportunities. --- ### Customer Support & Professional Care Architecture **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/support-and-services **Scope:** Support Channels, Operational Windows, Maintenance Agreements & System Evolution #### Multi-Channel Support Access - **ALVAO Service Desk Portal:** Authorized customer access to submit, track, and escalate technical tickets. - **Email Support:** `support@alvao.com` (with direct access to `infosec@alvao.com` for security and `gdpr@alvao.com` for privacy matters). - **Telephone Support:** Direct customer support telephone routing provided within individualized service level agreements. - **Technical Documentation Library:** Centralized, public product guides, implementation manuals, and release notes. #### Support Availability & Language Coverage - **SaaS Infrastructure Monitoring:** 24/7/365 continuous technical oversight. - **Service Desk Operational Hours:** Flexible SLA grades defined by individual customer service contracts (ranging from standard business hours up to 24/7 mission-critical response). - **Primary Support Languages:** English and Czech. #### ALVAO Software Maintenance Benefits Active maintenance ensures customers maintain long-term technological and legal compliance: - **Continuous Upgrades:** Access to all major and minor software releases, hotfixes, and updated technical documentation. - **Software Product Library Updates:** Automated continuous updates to the Software Asset Management recognition catalog. - **Unrecognized Software Submission:** Ability to submit unrecognized software signatures directly to ALVAO engineers by email; signatures are analyzed, categorized, and pushed to the global Software Recognition Library for all subscribers. ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Accessibility Statement & Inclusive Design > Complete reference for LLMs, accessibility audits, public sector procurement, and compliance evaluations. > **Source:** https://www.alvao.com/en/accessibility > Standard: W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2 Level AA) --- ### ALVAO Accessibility Statement **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/accessibility **Standard:** Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA **Scope:** ALVAO Service Desk, Asset Management, Self-Service Web Portal, and Product Workflows #### Core Philosophy & Commitment Accessibility at ALVAO is treated not as an afterthought or compliance checklist, but as an integral component of the product design, development, and release lifecycle. The platform is engineered to eliminate barriers, ensuring all employees, requesters, and support technicians—regardless of physical or cognitive ability—can navigate, submit, and resolve requests seamlessly. #### Conformance Status - **Standard Baseline:** Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2). - **Target Conformance Level:** **Level AA**. - **Assessment of Levels:** - *Level A:* Addresses foundational accessibility requirements. - *Level AA (Achieved):* Eliminates the most common, critical operational barriers; strikes the balance between stringent accessibility criteria and practical, responsive enterprise software design. - *Level AAA:* High-level criteria selectively applied where technically feasible. - **Verification:** ALVAO products are designed and validated to be compliant with **WCAG 2.2 Level AA**, ensuring legal readiness for public sector and municipal tenders (e.g., European Accessibility Act, Section 508, and UK public sector accessibility mandates). #### Product Lifecycle Integration - **Accessibility by Design:** Universal usability is incorporated from initial UX/UI wireframing and prototyping through frontend engineering and release validation. - **Continuous Validation:** Applications undergo regular regression testing against evolving accessibility benchmarks and live user feedback. #### Assessment Methodology & Quality Assurance ALVAO product design and QA teams evaluate accessibility through three parallel mechanisms: 1. **Manual Assistive Technology Testing:** Hands-on verification using screen readers (e.g., NVDA, JAWS), browser magnification tools, and keyboard-only inputs. 2. **User Experience (UX) Research:** Qualitative evaluations conducted with a diverse cohort of users experiencing varied situational, temporary, or permanent impairments to identify real-world usability friction. 3. **Pre-Release Release Gate Monitoring:** Automated and manual gate audits ensuring that new product features, custom form elements, and UI updates meet accessibility baselines prior to production deployment. #### Current Limitations & Active Roadmap ALVAO maintains transparency regarding existing functional limitations and development remediations: - **Keyboard Navigation:** Certain complex areas of the interface currently have limited keyboard-only navigation support. Engineering teams are actively deploying updates across release cycles to provide full, comprehensive keyboard-only navigation and focus-state visibility across every modal, grid, and catalog form. #### Accessibility Inquiries & Feedback Channel - **Designated Contact Email:** `info@alvao.com` - **Feedback Policy:** Dedicated triage and prompt response to user-reported accessibility barriers to inform ongoing sprint backlogs and hotfix releases. --- ## ALVAO Knowledge Hub: Complete Blog & Technical Article Archive > Complete reference for LLMs, technical evaluation, operational playbooks, and release history. > **Source:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog (Full Catalog & Paginated Archive) > Language: English --- ### Extended ALVAO Blog Knowledge Base ##### 1. What's New in ALVAO 26.3? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/whats-new-26-3 - **Category:** Product News | **Author:** Jana Mančíková - **Focus:** Custom field definitions triggered by specific ticket actions, real-time Microsoft 365 license status visibility inside asset cards, and three preview connectors for third-party operations tools. ##### 2. What's New in ALVAO 26.2? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/whats-new-26-2 - **Category:** Product News | **Author:** Jana Mančíková - **Focus:** Performance optimizations for high-volume enterprise databases, refined user navigation, and expanded REST API endpoints for cloud-native ecosystems. ##### 3. What's New in ALVAO 26.1? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/whats-new-26-1 - **Category:** Product News - **Focus:** Generative AI assistant integration (AITSM) powered by Azure OpenAI, automated ticket summarization, and AI-assisted Knowledge Base article drafting. ##### 4. What's New in ALVAO 25.3? - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/whats-new-25-3 - **Category:** Product News - **Focus:** Native Intune Autopilot enrollment automation, paperless mobile electronic handover protocol enhancements, and dynamic form validation rules. ##### 5. Asset Management Autopilot: Your Inventory, Without the Manual Upkeep - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/asset-management-autopilot-your-inventory-without-manual-upkeep - **Category:** News / Feature Spotlight | **Author:** Jana Mančíková - **Focus:** Replaces manual spreadsheet records with continuous discovery agents, automated asset logs, and an organizational tree reflecting physical premises and departmental hierarchy. ##### 6. How IT Asset Management Fixes Joiner and Leaver Chaos - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/when-laptop-isnt-ready-how-itam-fixes-joiner-and-leaver-problem-good - **Category:** Best Practices | **Author:** Jana Mančíková - **Focus:** Practical framework linking HR triggers to IT service catalog bundles, mobile electronic handover signatures, and automated offboarding asset reclamation to eliminate ghost assets and security leaks. ##### 7. Best Free IT Asset Management Software: Free Plans Compared - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/best-free-it-asset-management-software-2026-free-plans-compared - **Category:** Tips and Tricks | **Author:** Pavlína Krajčíková - **Focus:** Analysis of free vs. enterprise ITAM tools; breaks down asset limits, discovery agent functionality, and when growing teams must transition from free tiers to full CMDB-integrated solutions. ##### 8. SITS: When the Conversation Shifted to Assets - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/sits-2026-when-conversation-shifted-assets - **Category:** News / Event Recap | **Author:** David Kocián - **Focus:** Industry analysis from the Service Desk Show (London) on why standalone ticketing fails without integrated ITAM, highlighting zero-touch asset management as the core foundation for cyber compliance. ##### 9. Top 5 ITSM Alternatives to ALVAO - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/5-best-alvao-alternatives-2026 - **Category:** Tips and Tricks | **Author:** Pavlína Krajčíková - **Focus:** Comparative review of Jira Service Management, Freshservice, ManageEngine, TOPdesk, and HaloITSM, evaluating Microsoft ecosystem integration depth, licensing predictability, and ITAM capabilities. ##### 10. The Joys and Challenges of an IT Manager: Budget Planning at Wittenstein - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/joys-and-challenges-it-manager-story-about-budget-planning-it-department - **Category:** Interviews | **Author:** Pavlína Krajčíková - **Focus:** Interview with Jozef Hlaváč (IT Manager at Wittenstein) detailing how integrated asset lifecycle data transforms annual IT budget forecasting and hardware refresh planning. ##### 11. Incident vs. Problem Management: The Key Differences Every IT Team Should Know - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/what-difference-between-incident-management-and-problem-management-and-change-management - **Category:** Best Practices - **Focus:** Defining the operational boundary between rapid service restoration (Incident Management) and permanent root-cause elimination (Problem Management) with real-world enterprise examples. ##### 12. Enterprise Service Management (ESM): Expanding Workflows to HR, Facilities & Fleet - **URL:** https://www.alvao.com/en/blog/enterprise-service-management-when-company-starts-speaking-same-language - **Category:** Best Practices / ESM - **Focus:** Replicating ITIL ticketing, service catalogs, and SLAs across Human Resources, Fleet Management, and Building Maintenance using no-code Advanced Workflows. *End of file. Regenerate from the source pages rather than editing by hand, and update the verification date at the top with every regeneration.*