This page outlines common use cases for leveraging our Azure Sync for Jira Assets app, along with best practices and tips to integrate it seamlessly into your workflows and processes. If you have additional ideas for its use or any questions about its capabilities, feel free to reach out to us by submitting a ticket at https://support.sykorait.com.

IT Asset Management (ITAM)

Synchronization of Azure resources is an integral part of a broader IT Asset Management (ITAM) process. It can seamlessly integrate with other key IT service management (ITSM) processes such as:

Service Request Management: Enabling efficient handling of resource requests and provisioning.
Incident, Problem, and Change Management: Facilitating smooth coordination in addressing incidents, troubleshooting problems, and managing changes to Azure resources.
Service Portfolio and Service Level Management: Supporting the alignment of Azure resources with the services offered and ensuring compliance with agreed service levels.
Cloud Asset Cost Management: Helping to track and optimize the costs associated with cloud-based assets, ensuring financial transparency and accountability.

This broader scenario defines a predefined service portfolio with services that can be ordered via the support portal, along with the necessary Azure infrastructure to support them. The workflow typically follows these steps:

Service Selection:
End users can browse and select predefined service offerings via the support portal. For example, a user might request a new virtual machine in Azure. During the selection process, the user can specify parameters such as RAM size, disk capacity, location, and more.
Service Request Management:
Once the service is selected, the request ticket is generated and managed through the Service Request Management (SRM) process. This step may optionally involve an approval workflow.
Request Approval:
After approval (either manual or automatic) the SRM process uses an assigned Terraform template to provision the required Azure infrastructure.
Tag Assignment:
The SRM process also assigns all necessary Tags, ensuring that the newly created Azure resources are linked to the ticket, the service, and other relevant objects.
Azure Sync to Jira Assets:
Azure Sync for Jira Assets synchronizes all this information, bringing the data into Jira Assets within Jira Service Management (JSM).
CMDB Integration:
The Azure data is now available in the Jira Assets Configuration Management Database (CMDB), where it can be utilized for further tasks or assignments.
Incident/Change/Problem Ticket Assignment:
If a new ticket is created (Incident, Change, Problem, etc.), either a user or the system can select and assign the relevant Azure resources.
Service and Application Mapping:
Services and applications can be mapped to Azure resources using the assigned Tags.
Cost Management:
If Azure costs are imported, automation can be used to assign those costs to the corresponding Azure resources, applications, or services for better financial management.

Overview of your Azure infrastructure, CMDB

Once Azure data is synchronized into Jira Assets, it can be used to generate valuable insights and support decision-making. Some of the key questions that can be quickly and easily answered include:

Geo Locations of Resources: In which geographic regions are my resources located?
Compliance Check: Are any resources deployed in unauthorized or non-compliant geographic regions?
Resource Distribution: Which subscriptions have the highest concentration of resources?
Unused Resources: Are there any unassigned or underutilized resources that could be optimized or decommissioned?
Impact Analysis: What are the potential consequences of removing a specific resource from the infrastructure?

These capabilities make it easier to track, analyze, and optimize Azure assets across the organization.

Risk Management:
A complete and up-to-date CMDB is also essential for effective risk management. By understanding the relationships and dependencies between resources, teams can proactively identify and mitigate risks, ensuring greater operational resilience and compliance with regulatory requirements.