Automating Yourself Out of a Job

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Customers First | Proven Performance | Lasting Relationships

7
YOU MUST SPEND TIME TO MAKE TIME
Section 1 of 6

8
Titus Maccius Plautus
254 – 184 BC, Roman playwright (primarily comedies)

9
You must spend time to make time
> Putting in more resources up-front will pay dividends in the long-term
– Return on Investment (ROI)

10
> Kaseya is an investment!
> Software in general is an investment!
– If you’re going to spend the money, then make it work for you!

How often do you see slides like this?
• Probably entirely too often
• Are you putting your best foot forward?
• Is this getting the most out of your investment?

12
> Kaseya is so much more than Remote Control
> Out-of-the-box experience can seem daunting at first
> A good place to start:
– Kaseya Learning Center
https://lms.kaseya.com/kedu/

13
> More good places to start:
– Standard Solutions Package
(more on this later)
– Kaseya Certification Exam
– The Help file
• I know, right?!
– Props to Kaseya’s Technical
writing staff!
– Kaseya Community

14
THINK OF KASEYA AS A FRAMEWORK, NOT
A SOLUTION
Section 2 of 6

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Think of Kaseya As a Framework, Not a
Solution
> Before the Marketing folks chase me down…
– What is a framework?
– What is a solution?

16
What’s a
Framework?
To use an analogy…
A framework is a
workshop:
• Hand tools
• Power tools
• Raw materials
• Welders

17
Solution> Depending on your skill level and experience, you can create whatever you’d
like
– The results will almost always reflect your time investment
“Geoff” electric car | Top Gear UK | Series 14, Episode 2

18
Solution> Spending the time
is worth it in the end

19
Solution> If you don’t know what you’re doing…
…you can get into trouble
> It’s in your best interests to know your tools:
– What can it do?
– What can’t it do?
– What shouldn’t I do?
> With great power there must also come great responsibility!

21
Solution> So what’s a solutionthen?
俳句
(haiku)
Quite inflexible
Difficult troubleshooting
Solutions just… aren’t
Would you buy a car if the hood was welded shut?
Are your Customers one-size-fits-all?

22
SolutionIf any vendor says they have a “solution” to all of your woes…

25
LET’S MAKE A PLAN!
Section 3 of 6

26
Let’s make a plan!
> STEP 1: Stand up a test server
– Doesn’t need to be beefy—only needs to support two (2) Agents
– http://download.kaseya.com/kinstall.exe
– Run this with VMWare Player on your laptop/desktop
• Use the built-in MSDE option
• Take a snapshot before attempting anything silly
– Use your same license key that you use in Production
• They draw from the same license pool

27
> STEP 2: Install the Standard Solution Package
– Remember this popup on first login?
Did you “Snooze” it? No problem!
System > User Settings > Preferences
Click on “Clear Snooze”:
Click the green Install button:

28
> STEP 3: Read about the Standard Solution Package
– Grab a coffee (or beer?) and read through the documentation:
http://help.kaseya.com/WebHelp/EN/SSP/1000000/
– What does the Standard Solution Pack get you?
• Policies
• Agent Procedures
• Monitor Sets
• Views
• Patch Management Policies
• Event Sets
• Systems Management tab (really ties the room together)

29
> STEP 4: Visit the Systems Management tab
– System > Orgs/Groups/Depts/Staff > Manage:
– Create a new organization
– Click on the Systems Management tab for that organization and click the
Configure button:
– Run through the wizard

30
> STEP 5: Understand what just happened
– Added Automated Systems Monitoring
• Applied Monitor Sets, Event Log Alerts to machines based on what each machine is
doing (look at View > Label):
– Defined Alert Destinations
– Configured Workstation Maintenance
– Deployed Patch Policies
– Set Patch Schedules

31
> STEP 6: Assimilate knowledge
– Study how Views, Policies, Monitor Sets, Event Log Alerts and Agent Procedures
all work together to form cohesive monitoring

32
> STEP 7: Copy, paste, extend & improve, rinse, repeat
– Use what you’ve learned as “best practices”
– Copy what you like to your Production server
– Make improvements
where necessary
• Further filter Event
Log Alerts
• Integrate your current
methodology &
improve upon it

33
MACHINE CUSTOM FIELDS ARE YOUR
FRIENDS
Section 4 of 6

34
Machine Custom Fields are your friends
> What is metadata?
– Data about Data
• Designed & built by Dr.
Noonien Soong
• Self-aware
• Sentient
• Second Officer & Chief
Operations Officer on
USS Enterprise-D & E

35
> What does this mean in Kaseya?
– Audit collects data about endpoints:
…but there’s
nothing in
here that
“knows” how a
machine
should be
monitored,
patched &
maintained.

36
> You know what each endpoint needs to do!
When should this
endpoint be patched,
and what Patch Policy
should it be part of?
Should this endpoint be monitored like a
server or a workstation?
How should different
severity alerts be
handled for this
individual Customer?
Is there something
that the Customer
does not want
monitored?
Did I leave the oven on?
How should this
endpoint be
rebooted after
patching?

37
> You also know what each Customer wants!
I want all of my servers
patched on Sundays,
and an e-mail sent
when they reboot.
I want all of my workstations patched on
Wednesdays.
The Hyper-V server
needs patched
manually… don’t patch
it through Kaseya.
You can remotely
control any machine
without user
permission… except
for my machine.
Don’t defragment
SSD laptops.

38
> Create your custom fields here:

39
> Tips & Tricks:
– Don’t use spaces in the name of your Machine Custom Fields
– Reference through Agent Procedure variables in this format:
#vSystemInfoManual.Your_Field_Name#
(this is why you can’t have spaces in the Machine Custom Field name)
– Always assume the variable doesn’t exist or is blank before trying to use its value
– Machine Custom Fields (“MCFs”) can be up to 100 characters
– Field names are global… so name them carefully!
(User_Is_A_Pain_In_The_Butt probably not advised)

40
> Remember this setting?

41
> Incorporate the Customer’s requirements :
– “You can remotely control any machine without user permission… except for my
machine.” – The Boss
• Create a Machine Custom Field called:
Remote_Control_Policy
• Define acceptable values for this MCF:
– Allow – Allow “silent” remote control of this machine at any time
– Notify – If a user is logged in, notify the user that RC is starting
– Prompt – If a user is logged in, prompt the user to allow it
– Strict – Even if a user isn’t logged in, you’re still not getting in
• Define a “default value” for the Customer:
– In this case, it could be “Allow” (or “Notify” if you’re nice)…
except for the Boss’ machine
(more on this exception in a moment)

42
> Build the accompanying Views:
– Name the Views to match the MCF name
– Use some way to denote that this View is used in a Policy
• [P] Remote_Control_Policy – Allow
• Remote_Control_Policy – Allow*
– In the View, use Advanced Agent Data Filter:
– Match your “acceptable value” for each view:
– Create Views for each “acceptable value” in the MCF

43
> Build the accompanying Policies:
– Name the Policies to match the MCF name
– Match the required settings for each Policy, and Apply the Policies to their
companion Views:

45
> Here’s where it gets nifty:
– Define things once for a Customer by using an Agent Procedure
– Use the updateSystemInfo step to populate the MCFs
• Remote_Control_Policy = Allow
• For workstations:
– Patching_Schedule = Wednesday
– Reboot_Schedule = Immediate
• For servers:
– Patching_Schedule = Sunday
– Reboot_Schedule = Notify
– Reboot_Notification_E-Mail = the.boss@theCustomer.xxx

46
> Here’s where it gets nifty (continued):
– Create a Policy that will be applied to the Customer’s Machine Group that runs
the script you just created
• Run once
• Past-scheduled
• Do not skip if offline!
– Now what happens?
• Machine checks in, picks up policy to run Client-specific script that has their
monitoring, patching & alerting parameters in MCFs
• Policies are automatically applied based on MCFs’ values
• Each new machine that checks into that group will have a set of “default settings”
applied—what the Customer had specified!

47
First check-
in script
populates
MCFs
Machine falls
into Policy-
associated
Views
Policy
Management
applies Agent
settings

48
> Account for the unique snowflakes:
– Remember, we can’t remotely control The Boss’ machine without his/her
knowledge!
• Update the MCF on that machine only to have a Remote_Control_Policy of “Strict”
– Also remember we can’t patch the Hyper-V server:
• Update the Patching_Schedule MCF to “Disabled”
– And finally, remember not to defragment SSD laptops:
• Update the Scheduled_Defrag MCF on SSD-based computers to “Disabled”
– Make everything flexible! Automatic, but override-able & customizable where
needed

49
STOP USING COPY SETTINGS (EXCEPT FOR THIS
ONE THING)
Section 5 of 6

50
Stop Using Copy Settings (except for this one thing)
> There is one use-case for copy settings
– Okay, possibly more… tell me later 
– Use Copy Settings for past-scheduled Agent Procedures which must run
immediately upon Agent installation
– Branding scripts (rename the Agent service, remove Start Menu entries (and
Add/Remove entry if you’re super-evil))
– Pre-populate the Machine Custom Fields per earlier
> Note: Ensure your template is blank settings-wise!
> Past-scheduled Agent Procedures done through Policy Management will wait
24 hours (as far as I know)
– This may change, and is a Feature Request

51
> Quantify your results!
– Do you have to tell each and every machine what to do the first time it checks in?
No!
– Do you have to each and every server what it should monitor about itself based
on its roles?
No!
– Do you now have the ability to account for “unique snowflakes?”
Yes!
– How much time were you spending before using “Copy Settings?”
Too Much!

52
> Quantify your results (continued)!
– How many times have you “dropped the ball” because you weren’t monitoring a
role/service that the Customer added to the server recently?
Zero Times!
> What else can you do now that this framework is in place?
– Your Service Desk can change monitoring, patching & other policies on-the-fly
without having to involve you!
– You can report to clients detailing how each & every machine is being monitored
& patched… in one place! (Report on MCF values)
– Update a MCF when an Agent Procedure runs for an at-a-glance
look at whether your script succeeded!

53
WRAP-UP, Q&A
Section 6 of 6

54
Wrap-Up, Q&A
> Want more in-depth looks at other tips & tricks for VSA admins?
– Title: Advanced Administration: Kaseya Virtual Administrator
– Presenter: Ben Lavalley - Senior Manager, OEM and Strategic Initiatives
– Co-Host: Me!
– Time: 1:15 PM until 2 PM
– Location: Palm B

Next up in this room (Palm A)
Kaseya Technology Alliance Partner Landscape
Presented By: Ben Lavalley
Begins @ 4:45 PM

Automating Yourself Out of a Job

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