Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs Administrator Guide
- Type
- Administrator Guide
SupportAssist for Business PCs with
Windows OS
Administrator Guide—Early access to next generation
user experience
May 2021
Rev. A02
Notes, cautions, and warnings
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.
WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.
© 2020 - 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................. 5
Version................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Audience................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Document purpose.............................................................................................................................................................. 5
New features and enhancements in this release......................................................................................................... 6
TechDirect overview...........................................................................................................................................................6
SupportAssist capabilities available in TechDirect and Dell service plans............................................................. 6
SupportAssist capabilities and roles in TechDirect......................................................................................................7
Supported systems............................................................................................................................................................. 8
Dispatchable parts...............................................................................................................................................................8
Chapter 2: Managing PCs and groups............................................................................................ 9
PCs fleet overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Create service request................................................................................................................................................ 11
Create dispatch request..............................................................................................................................................11
Groups overview................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Create group................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Move assets between existing groups....................................................................................................................12
Update site or group name........................................................................................................................................ 13
Delete asset group....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 3: Managing a single PC................................................................................................. 15
Single PC details.................................................................................................................................................................15
PC overview........................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Actionable PC recommendations for a single PC.................................................................................................15
PC Health....................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Application experience................................................................................................................................................ 17
Chapter 4: Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet................................................................... 18
Chapter 5: Configuring settings.................................................................................................. 20
Select asset identifier.......................................................................................................................................................20
Integrating SupportAssist alerts with ServiceNow................................................................................................... 20
Enable ServiceNow integration.................................................................................................................................21
Disable ServiceNow integration................................................................................................................................21
Roles and permissions.......................................................................................................................................................21
Chapter 6: Audit trail...................................................................................................................23
Chapter 7: Managing SupportAssist alerts in TechDirect............................................................. 25
Configure alert rules in TechDirect...............................................................................................................................25
View SupportAssist alerts in TechDirect..................................................................................................................... 26
SupportAssist alerts......................................................................................................................................................... 26
SupportAssist alert actions....................................................................................................................................... 27
Contents
Contents 3
Introduction
SupportAssist is a proactive and predictive technology that provides automated technical support for your Dell PCs.
When deployed, SupportAssist monitors each PC and proactively detects both hardware and software issues. Depending on
your service plan, when an issue is detected, SupportAssist automatically opens a support case with technical support and sends
you an email notification.
SupportAssist collects and sends the required information securely to Dell technical support. The collected information enables
Dell to provide you an enhanced, efficient, and accelerated support experience.
SupportAssist enables you to optimize your PC by removing unwanted files, optimizing network settings, tuning-up system
performance, and removing virus and malware. It also identifies driver updates available for your PC.
SupportAssist also collects telemetry data proactively from your PCs and provides PC utilization insights based on your service
plan.
Topics:
• Version
• Audience
• Document purpose
• New features and enhancements in this release
• TechDirect overview
• SupportAssist capabilities available in TechDirect and Dell service plans
• SupportAssist capabilities and roles in TechDirect
• Supported systems
• Dispatchable parts
Version
2.4.1
Audience
The information in this administrator guide is intended primarily for administrators who manage SupportAssist on PCs running
the Windows operating system.
Document purpose
This document provides information about:
● Managing your PCs and groups
● Viewing and managing recommendation, health, and application experience for a single PC
● Managing recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet
● Integrating SupportAssist alerts with ServiceNow
● Managing roles and permissions
● Viewing the record of changes and activities performed in TechDirect
For more information about SupportAssist for business PCs, see the documentation resources and other useful links in
Resources.
1
Introduction 5
New features and enhancements in this release
● Early access to next generation user experience for SupportAssist in TechDirect.
● Ability to view a record of the group management and remote actions related changes and activities performed in last 30
days on the Audit trail page.
● View updates to Dell applications installed on your PC, along with BIOS, firmware, and driver updates.
● Improved the criteria based on which the Recommended and Optional driver updates applicable for your PC are displayed.
TechDirect overview
TechDirect is an online portal that enables you to configure SupportAssist, download a customized SupportAssist package, and
manage SupportAssist alerts that are generated by your PCs.
SupportAssist capabilities available in TechDirect and
Dell service plans
The following table summarizes the SupportAssist capabilities available in TechDirect for different service plans:
Table 1. SupportAssist capabilities available in TechDirect for Dell service plans
Capability Description Basic ProSupport ProSupport Plus
and ProSupport
Flex for Client
Schedule hardware
and software scans
Schedule hardware and software
scans depending on your
preference.
Manage PCs and
groups
View asset inventory and group
monitored assets.
Manage
SupportAssist alerts
Manage alerts for monitored
assets.
View PC
recommendations
for a single PC
View PC recommendations for a
single PC.
Actionable PC
recommendations
for a single PC
Perform remote optimizations
instantly on a PC or initiate remote
optimization tasks to run later.
View PC
recommendations
for your Dell PCs
fleet
View PC recommendations for your
PCs.
Actionable PC
recommendations
for your Dell PCs
fleet
Review recommendations for your
PCs and remotely optimize them.
View PC insights SupportAssist monitors system
utilization data. View these details
for all the PCs monitored by
SupportAssist or PCs in a specific
group.
NOTE: If autoforward is turned off in TechDirect for technical support or parts dispatch, you can review and determine if
the alert should be forwarded to Dell.
6 Introduction
NOTE: Premium Support service plan offers the same capabilities as ProSupport. Similarly, Premium Support Plus service
plan offers the same capabilities as ProSupport Plus.
SupportAssist capabilities and roles in TechDirect
TechDirect enables companies to designate administrators and add technicians under that administrator account.
To add an administrator, go to Utilities > Administrator Control Panel, and click ADD COMPANY ADMINISTRATOR.
To add a technician, go to Utilities > Administrator Control Panel, and click ADD TECHNICIAN.
The following table summarizes the SupportAssist capabilities available for different roles in TechDirect:
Table 2. SupportAssist capabilities and roles in TechDirect
Capability TechDirect
navigation
Description Device Management
Administrator
Device Management
Technician
Configure and deploy
SupportAssist
Device Management
> Manage My Fleet
of PCs > Manage >
Deployment
Configure
and download
SupportAssist to
centrally manage and
monitor your Dell PCs.
Requires permissions
from the
Device Management
Administrator.
Manage your PCs Device Management
> Manage My Fleet of
PCs > Manage > PCs
● View details about
PCs in your fleet.
● View
recommendations,
PC health,
and application
experience data.
Actionable PC
recommendations for a
single PC
Device Management
> Manage My Fleet of
PCs > Manage > PCs
Remotely optimize a
single PC by performing
optimization tasks
instantly or by initiating
optimization tasks to
run later.
Manage groups Device Management
> Manage My Fleet of
PCs > Manage > PCs
Create or delete a
group, move assets
across groups, and edit
the site name.
Requires permissions
from the
Device Management
Administrator.
Recommendations for
your Dell PCs fleet
Device Management
> Manage My Fleet
of PCs > Manage >
Recommendations
Review
recommendations for
your Dell PCs fleet
and remotely optimize
them.
Requires permissions
from the
Device Management
Administrator.
Configure settings Device Management
> Manage My Fleet
of PCs > Summary >
Audit trail
● Select an asset
identifier to identify
assets associated
with your PCs fleet.
● Integrate alerts with
ServiceNow.
● View and modify
Device Management
Technician roles and
permissions.
Audit trail Device Management
> Manage My Fleet of
PCs > Settings
View the record of
group management and
remote actions related
changes and activities
performed by the
Requires permissions
from the
Device Management
Administrator.
Introduction 7
Table 2. SupportAssist capabilities and roles in TechDirect (continued)
Capability TechDirect
navigation
Description Device Management
Administrator
Device Management
Technician
Device Management
Administrator and
Device Management
Technician.
Manage SupportAssist
alerts
Device Management
> Manage Alerts
Manage alerts for
monitored assets.
Configure alert rules Device Management
> Configure Alert
Rules
Configure rules
to determine how
SupportAssist alerts are
handled in TechDirect.
Supported systems
SupportAssist is supported on the following Dell devices:
● Laptops and desktops
○ Inspiron
○ XPS
○ Alienware
○ Vostro
○ Latitude
○ Precision
○ OptiPlex
● Gateways and Embedded PCs
○ Edge Gateways
○ Embedded Box PCs
● Docking Stations
NOTE: SupportAssist is not supported on virtual machines.
Dispatchable parts
When SupportAssist detects an issue on your PC, a replacement part may be automatically dispatched to you depending on your
PC service plan.
The following parts may be dispatched automatically:
● Hard drive
● Memory module
● Optical drive
● Keyboard
● Mouse
● Battery
● Video card
8
Introduction
Managing PCs and groups
After your deploy SupportAssist, the PCs are automatically displayed on the PCs page in TechDirect within 24 hours after they
connect to the Internet. For information about configuring and deploying SupportAssist, see the SupportAssist for Business PCs
with Windows OS Deployment Guide available on the SupportAssist for Business PCs Manuals and Documents page.
The PCs page enables you to:
● View all the PCs in your fleet, and its performance and utilization details.
● View recommendations, insights about PC health, and application experience for each PC.
● Create groups and organize PCs. See, Groups overview.
To manage your PCs, go to TechDirect Dashboard > Device Management > Manage My Fleet of PCs > Manage > PCs.
Topics:
• PCs fleet overview
• Groups overview
PCs fleet overview
The following table describes the information that is displayed on the PCs page:
NOTE: The performance and utilization data are not available for PCs with Basic or Expired service plan.
Table 3. PCs
Column Description
Site Name of the site to which the asset is assigned.
Group Group to which the asset is assigned.
Service tag A unique five-to-seven digit alphanumeric code which is
found on a white bar-coded label affixed on your Dell PC or
peripheral.
NOTE: To view the asset details, PC health details, and
to optimize the PC, click the Service Tag. For more
information, see Managing single PC.
Asset tag Asset tag of the PC that helps to easily track and inventory
the PC.
NOTE: This column is displayed if you have selected
Asset tag as an asset identifier. See, Select asset
identifier.
NOTE: To view the asset details, PC health details,
and to optimize the PC, click the Asset tag. For more
information, see Managing single PC.
Hostname Unique hostname of the asset.
NOTE: This column is displayed if you have selected
Hostname as an asset identifier. See, Select asset
identifier.
Region Region where the asset is present, for example, Americas.
Product type Type of Dell device, for example, Latitude.
2
Managing PCs and groups 9
Table 3. PCs (continued)
Column Description
Model Model of the PC, for example, Latitude 5400.
Warranty plan Service plan of the asset, for example, ProSupport Plus.
NOTE: A graphical representation of the numbers of
PCs and the associated service plans is displayed on the
Overview page.
Expiration date Date on which the service plan expires.
Version Version of SupportAssist installed on the PC, for example,
2.3.0.125.
NOTE: A graphical representation of the numbers of PCs
and the associated SupportAssist version is displayed on
the Overview page.
Last contact to Dell Date on which the asset last connected to Dell.
OS Edition of Windows operating system installed on the PC, for
example, Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise.
Utilization score* The extent to which a critical hardware component of the PC
is used. The score is used to gauge the overall performance
of the PC. Higher scores indicate that the PC resources are
overused and may affect the user experience.
CPU utilization* The average load on the processor of the PC over a selected
time period. The utilization is categorized as follows based on
the criteria defined by Dell:
● Low—average load on the CPU is normal.
● Medium—average load on the CPU is increased.
● High—average load on the CPU is at the highest level and
may affect the device performance.
GPU utilization* The average amount of video memory (VRAM) used over a
selected time. The utilization is categorized as follows based
on the criteria defined by Dell:
● Low—average GPU utilization is within the normal level.
● Medium—average GPU utilization is sometimes high and
normal at other times.
● High—average GPU utilization is at the highest level which
may affect the device performance and can lead to the
video card to wear out sooner than expected.
Memory utilization* The amount of memory (RAM) installed on the PC and the
average amount of memory used over a selected time period.
Low memory or consistently high memory reduces the device
performance.
Installed memory* Size of RAM installed on the PC, for example, 32 GB.
Battery health* Average percentage of charge that the battery holds against
its designed capacity, when it is fully charged.
Battery runtime* Average number of hours the PC ran when it was not
connected to an electrical outlet.
Free storage remaining* Average storage remaining out of the installed memory.
PC age* Number of years/months/days since Dell shipped the PC, for
example, 3 yr, 6 mo, 7 d
OS failures* Number of operating system failures that occurred on the PC.
App failures* Number of application failures that occurred on the PC.
10 Managing PCs and groups
* This data is collected only when the user has logged in and is actively using the PC.
You can use the Filter option to filter and view specific information about the PCs, and use the Advanced Search option to
specify additional requirements for a search. The PCs page also enables you to view the PC details weekly or daily based on
your preference.
Create service request
Create a service request for an asset and submit it to Dell.
Prerequisites
Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator or Device Management Technician rights.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Select the asset for which you want to create a service request and click Create Service Request.
The Create Service Request page is displayed.
5. Verify the Service Tag, select an asset group, and click NEXT.
6. Enter the incident and contact information.
7. Review the information that you entered and click NEXT.
8. Click SUBMIT.
Results
The service request is submitted to Dell.
Create dispatch request
Create dispatch requests for parts if there is a hardware failure.
Prerequisites
Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator or Device Management Technician rights.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Select the asset for which you want to create a dispatch request.
5. Click
and click Create Dispatch.
The Create Dispatch Request page is displayed.
6. Verify the Service Tag, select an asset group, and click NEXT.
7. Enter the incident and contact information.
8. Review the information that you entered and click NEXT.
9. Click SUBMIT.
Results
The dispatch request is submitted to Dell.
Managing PCs and groups
11
Groups overview
Site
When you configure and download SupportAssist from TechDirect using the Device Management Administrator account, a site
is automatically created for that account.
When you deploy SupportAssist on PCs, all the PCs on which SupportAssist is deployed is displayed in TechDirect for that site.
By default, every site contains a Default group.
Groups
A group is a logical group of assets within a site. You can create groups to organize the assets during deployment or in
TechDirect. You can create one or more groups and organize your PCs within a site, but you cannot move PCs across groups in
a different site.
The Groups tab on the PCs page enables you to create a group and organize your PCs.
NOTE: You require Device Management Administrator rights to organize groups in TechDirect. Device Management
Technicians can organize groups if permitted by the administrator. See Roles and permissions.
Create group
Prerequisites
Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator rights.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Click the Groups tab.
5. Click Create group.
The Create a new group window is displayed.
6. Select a site and enter a group name.
7. Click Create.
Results
The group is created, and the default group configuration of the site is copied to the newly created group.
NOTE:
If the primary and secondary contacts are different for PCs running Windows and Chrome operating systems,
ensure that you create separate groups and assign unique primary and secondary contacts for managing these devices.
Move assets between existing groups
Prerequisites
● Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator rights.
● To move PCs from one group to another, the source and target groups must be within the same site.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
12
Managing PCs and groups
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Click the Groups tab.
5. Click Organize PCs.
The Organize PCs window is displayed.
6. Select one of the following options:
● By using online forms—to organize PCs by moving them from one group to another group in TechDirect.
You can move upto 5000 PCs by using online forms.
● By downloading and uploading a spreadsheet—to organize PCs by moving them from one group to another using a
spreadsheet.
You can move unlimited number of PCs by using the spreadsheet.
7. If you selected By using online forms, perform the following steps:
a. From the Site list, select the site.
b. From the From group list, select the group from which you want to move the assets.
c. From the To group list, select the asset group to which you want to move the assets.
d. Select the PCs that you want to move and click Move.
8. If you selected By downloading and uploading a spreadsheet, perform the following steps:
a. From the Site list, select the site.
b. From the Select group list, select the groups.
c. Download and update the inventory file, and then click Next.
In the spreadsheet, enter the group names in the To Group column. If you do not want to move the PC to another
group, leave the To Group cell blank.
d. Upload the inventory file and click OK.
The group names provided in To Group column is automatically created, if they do not exist.
Results
The PCs are moved to the new group within a few minutes.
Update site or group name
After you have created a site or group, you can update the name of the site or group.
Prerequisites
● Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator rights.
● To edit the site name, ensure that you have created one or more asset groups within a site.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
5. Locate the row where the details of the asset site or group that you want to update are listed, click
, and click Edit.
6. Edit the site or group name, and click Save.
Delete asset group
Prerequisites
● Ensure that the group that you want to delete does not contain any assets. To delete a group that has assets in it, move the
assets to another group. See Move assets between existing groups.
Managing PCs and groups
13
● Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator rights.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Manage > PCs.
The PCs page is displayed.
4. Click the Groups tab.
5. Locate the row where the details of the asset group that you want to delete are listed, click
, and click Delete.
NOTE: You cannot delete the Default group.
14 Managing PCs and groups
Managing a single PC
SupportAssist for business PCs enables you to view recommendations and perform remote optimizations on a PC. SupportAssist
also provides insights about PC health and application experience for the PCs. To manage the PCs, go to the PCs page and
click the Service Tag of the PC.
NOTE: You can view the recommendations for all the PCs, but can only perform the optimizations on PCs with an active
ProSupport Plus or ProSupport Flex for Client service plan.
Topics:
• Single PC details
• PC overview
Single PC details
When you click a Service Tag on the PCs page, the following details are displayed:
● Device Overview
○ Model type—model of the PC, for example, Latitude 5400.
○ Service tag—unique five-to-seven digit alphanumeric code.
○ Asset tag—asset tag of the PC.
○ Express service code—unique numeric code that Dell uses to identify the PC.
○ Hostname—unique hostname of the PC.
○ Operating system—edition of Windows operating system installed on the PC, for example, Microsoft Windows 10
Enterprise.
○ System BIOS version—version of BIOS installed on the PC.
○ PC age—number of years/months/days since Dell shipped the PC, for example, 3 yr, 6 mo, 7 d.
○ Display—the display information of the PC.
● Service information
○ Service plan—service plan of the asset, for example, ProSupport Plus.
○ Warranty expiration—date on which the service plan expires.
○ SupportAssist version—version of SupportAssist installed on the PC, for example, 2.3.0.125.
○ Last contact to Dell—date on which the asset last connected to Dell.
○ Recent case details—case or dispatch request details and its status.
PC overview
The PC overview section enables you to manage the following:
● PC Recommendations
● PC Health
● Application experience
Actionable PC recommendations for a single PC
You can perform remote optimizations instantly or by initiating an optimization task to run when the PC is online.
To perform updates and optimizations on the PC, go to the PCs page and click the Service Tag of the PC.
3
Managing a single PC 15
Performing remote optimizations instantly
To perform the optimizations immediately, the PC must be online and connected to Dell, and the user must be available for
SupportAssist to run the tasks.
You can perform the following remote optimizations on the PC:
● Scan and install driver updates that are available for the PC.
● Scan the PC for hardware issues.
● Clear temporary, redundant, and other unwanted files from the PC.
● Adjust the power settings, registry files, and memory allocations to fine-tune performance of the PC.
● Optimize network connectivity by adjusting the settings to have an efficient and reliable network.
● Isolate, remove, and restore files that are corrupted by viruses and malware to keep PCs secure.
When you run a remote optimization task, the task is queued to run when the PC is online and connected to Dell. To perform the
tasks immediately, click SHARE LINK, provide the link to the user, and inform the user to open the link in a new web browser
window. The browser window in the user's PC must be kept open while SupportAssist performs the optimizations remotely.
After the remote optimization tasks are complete on the PC, a confirmation message is displayed on each tile. You can then
inform the PC user to close the browser window.
NOTE: After drivers and downloads updates are complete, a message is displayed if a PC reboot is required. You cannot
perform other optimizations until the PC is rebooted.
Initiating remote optimization tasks to run later
You can initiate the following optimizations on PCs for maintenance purposes at regular intervals:
● Scan and install driver updates that are available for the PC.
● Scan the PC for hardware issues.
● Clear temporary, redundant, and other unwanted files from their PC.
● Adjust the power settings, registry files, and memory allocations to fine-tune performance of the PC.
● Optimize network connectivity by adjusting the settings to have an efficient and reliable network.
● Isolate, remove, and restore files that are corrupted by viruses and malware to keep PCs secure.
To initiate the optimizations, click the required optimization task and the task is queued. When the PC is online and connected
to Dell, it checks for pending tasks every 4 hours. Depending on the SupportAssist configuration, the PC user is notified about
the optimization tasks or the tasks are performed in the background without user intervention. If the user is notified, the user
can opt to defer the task twice, after which the task is performed automatically. The notification is displayed for 90 seconds on
the PC. If the user does not defer the task within 90 seconds, the task is performed automatically.
After the optimization tasks are complete on the PC, a confirmation message is displayed on each tile.
NOTE:
After drivers and downloads updates are complete, a message is displayed if a PC reboot is required. You cannot
perform other optimizations until the PC is rebooted.
PC Health
The Health section of the PC overview page provides an overview of PC usage and operating system crashes.
The PC usage and operating system crashes data is collected only when the user has logged in and is actively using the PC.
PC usage
The PC usage section provides an overview of system utilization and performance.
This section displays the following:
● PC utilization—average utilization score used to gauge the overall performance of the PC. Higher scores indicate that the
PC resources are overused and may affect the user experience.
● Memory utilization—the amount of memory (RAM) installed on the PC and the average amount of memory used over a
selected time period.
● CPU utilization—the average load on the PC's processor over a selected time period.
16
Managing a single PC
● GPU utilization—the average amount of PC's video memory (VRAM) used over a selected time.
● Disk 0—the amount of hard drive still available for file storage and the average hard drive activity over a selected time
period.
● Battery health—average percentage of charge that the battery holds against its designed capacity, when it is fully
charged.
OS crashes
The OS crashes section provides an overview of operating system crashes that help determine the type of errors and detect
potential issues to take the required action.
This section displays the type of crash, bug check string, bug check parameters, crash count, and the date and time of the
crash event.
Application experience
The Application experience section of the PC overview page provides insights on application usage and crashes that helps
understand the PC performance.
This section displays the type of application crash, reason for the crash, and when the crash occurred.
Additionally, this section also displays details about most used applications such as application name, version, crashes per
application, time spent on each application, average CPU usage, average memory usage, and average disk usage by the
application.
The application experience data is collected only when the user has logged in and is actively using the PC.
Managing a single PC
17
Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet
SupportAssist enables you to review the recommendations for the PCs and help take action on them to keep your PCs running
at their best. These recommendations are displayed based on scheduled scans or the latest telemetry data collected from the
PCs.
To optimize the PCs, go to TechDirect Dashboard > Device Management > Manage My Fleet of PCs > Manage >
Recommendations and select the site and groups from the Sites & groups list.
NOTE: You can view recommendations for all the PCs in warranty, but can only remotely optimize PCs with an active
ProSupport Plus or ProSupport Flex for Client service plan.
NOTE: If you have enabled Automatic Software Optimization for PCs in SupportAssist configuration, recommendations are
not displayed for PCs with an active ProSupport Plus or ProSupport Flex for Client service plan using that configuration.
Optimizations for such PCs are automatically performed during scheduled scans.
If there are any actionable recommendations available for your fleet of PCs, a quick view of PC recommendations is displayed on
the Overview page. Click the corresponding link to remotely optimize the PCs fleet.
The following table describes the details of recommendation types that are displayed on the Recommendations for your PCs
page:
Table 4. Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet
Tile Type of Recommendation Action
Drivers & Downloads Indicates the number of updates available for
your PCs fleet. You can also filter for security,
critical, recommended, and optional updates.
● Security—updates that can prevent
potential security threats to your PC.
● Critical—updates that are necessary to
ensure that the PCs are healthy.
● Recommended—updates that can
significantly improve the performance of
your PC.
● Optional—updates that you can choose to
install.
To review the updates available, click REVIEW
UPDATES. To update the drivers, perform the
following steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs on which you want to update
the drivers.
3. Click UPDATE.
NOTE: Before you update the BIOS on
BitLocker enabled PCs, you must disable
BitLocker encryption on the PC. However, for
PCs running SupportAssist for business PCs
version 2.2 or later, BitLocker is automatically
suspended and enabled after BIOS updates.
NOTE: You may have to restart the PC to
complete the installation of certain drivers.
Scan Hardware Indicates the number of PCs that have not been
scanned in x number of days, where x denotes
30 days, 60 days, or 90 days.
To scan the PC hardware, perform the following
steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs on which you want to run the
scan.
3. Click RUN.
Clean Files Indicates the disk space that is cleanable across
PCs. This data is available for 30 days, 60 days,
or 90 days.
To clean the disk space, perform the following
steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs on which you want to clean
the disk space.
3. Click RUN.
4
18 Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet
Table 4. Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet (continued)
Tile Type of Recommendation Action
Tune Performance Indicates the number of PCs that have not been
tuned for performance in x number of days,
where x denotes 30 days, 60 days, or 90 days.
To tune the PC performance, perform the
following steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs on which you want to tune the
PC performance.
3. Click RUN.
Optimize Network Indicates the number of PCs that have not been
optimized for network settings in x number of
days, where x denotes 30 days, 60 days, or 90
days.
To optimize the network connectivity, perform
the following steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs on which you want to optimize
the network connectivity.
3. Click RUN.
Remove Viruses &
Malware
NOTE: The virus
and malware removal
feature is not
available in certain
regions, for example,
China.
Indicates the number of unwanted programs
available on PCs. You can also filter and view
the count of virus, malware, and Potentially
Unwanted Programs (PUPs).
To remove viruses, malware, or PUPs, perform
the following steps:
1. Click REVIEW PC LIST.
2. Select the PCs from which you want to
remove viruses, malware, or PUPs.
3. Click REMOVE.
NOTE: When you select a PuP for removal,
all the associated references are deleted.
Use the toggle key to switch between two views—Run remotely and View only.
● Run remotely—displays PCs that can be remotely optimized because they have an active ProSupport Plus or ProSupport
Flex for Client service plan.
● View only—displays PCs that cannot be remotely optimized because they do not have an active ProSupport Plus or
ProSupport Flex for Client service plan.
Recommendations for your Dell PCs fleet
19
Configuring settings
On the Settings page, you can configure the following settings:
● Select different options to identify your asset.
● Integrate the alerts with ServiceNow.
● View and modify Device Management Technician roles and permissions.
To configure the settings, go to TechDirect Dashboard > Device Management > Manage My Fleet of PCs > Settings.
NOTE: You require Device Management Administrator rights to configure the settings.
Topics:
• Select asset identifier
• Integrating SupportAssist alerts with ServiceNow
• Roles and permissions
Select asset identifier
Asset identifier is a unique device identifier used by your company to identify the assets associated with your company.
Prerequisites
Sign in to TechDirect with Device Management Administrator rights.
Steps
1. On the TechDirect dashboard, click Device Management.
2. In the Manage My Fleet of PCs card, click START HERE.
3. Go to Settings > Asset identifier.
The Asset identifier page is displayed.
4. Select one of the following options:
● Asset tag—asset tag of the PC that helps to easily track and inventory the PC.
● Hostname—unique hostname of the asset.
NOTE:
Service Tag is the default asset identifier. Service Tag is a unique five-to-seven digit alphanumeric code which is
found on a white bar-coded label affixed on your Dell PC or peripheral.
5. Click Save.
Results
Along with the Service Tag, the PC details associated with the selected asset identifier are displayed on multiple applicable
pages, for example, PCs page.
Integrating SupportAssist alerts with ServiceNow
If your organization uses ServiceNow for IT and Helpdesk management, you can integrate SupportAssist alerts with
your ServiceNow solution. Integration with ServiceNow enables automatic creation of an incident in ServiceNow for your
SupportAssist alerts.
NOTE:
After ServiceNow integration is enabled, SupportAssist alerts cannot be managed using TechDirect. However, you
must use SupportAssist to request a parts dispatch or submit a support request to Dell.
5
20 Configuring settings
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Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs Administrator Guide
- Type
- Administrator Guide
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