We’re super pleased to roll out the newly improved Surface Management and Support Suite. As discussed earlier, this set of portals provides IT admins with a centralized solution to manage and monitor Surface devices at scale, with insights and visibility into your environment along with access to new tools and the latest resources.
What is the Surface Management and Support Suite?
As a quick refresher, the Surface Management and Support Suite provides a choice of two portals: the Surface Management Portal in the Intune admin center and the Surface Support Portal, found in the Microsoft 365 admin center. The portal you choose to use will be based on your organizations’ licensing and management needs. These portals enable you to do things like:
- Streamline device fleet management: Oversee your entire fleet, enhancing online device serviceability and ensuring your devices are always ready and reliable.
- Monitor health and compliance: Gain deep insights into the health and compliance of your Surface devices, ensuring they meet your organization's policies and standards with real-time data.
- Simplify warranty and support: Access instant visibility into warranty and coverage status, and initiate support and service requests with ease, reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.
- Advance sustainability goals: Utilize the unique feature to estimate your Surface devices' carbon emissions, aligning with your sustainability objectives and making informed decisions towards reducing your environmental impact.
- Access essential tools and documentation: Quick access to vital tools and technical documentation, streamlining your management processes and keeping you informed.
How can the Surface Management and Support Suite help you?
Beyond just a set of portals, the Surface Management and Support Suite provides IT admins with the following benefits:
- Cut through complexity: Centralizing device monitoring and support reduces the complexity and time required to manage your Surface fleet.
- Boost security and productivity: Keep your devices secure, up-to-date, and compliant with the latest encryption and policy standards, directly impacting your organization's security posture and overall output.
- Optimize budget and resources: Quickly determine which devices are under warranty and coverage, avoiding unnecessary costs and delays for support and service requests.
- Enhance environmental performance: Leverage advanced tools to estimate the emissions of your Surface devices and identify opportunities to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Integrate with existing systems: The suite's advanced API capabilities allow for smooth data export to third-party tools for asset management, reporting, or ticketing systems, enhancing your operational efficiency and leveraging your investment in existing technologies.
What's new in the Surface Management and Support Suite?
We’re committed to continually refining the Surface Management and Support Suite, introducing new features and improvements that directly respond to your feedback and operational requirements.
|
Category |
Improvement |
Impact |
|
Efficiency gains |
More device insights |
Gain deeper understanding of device health, performance, and serviceability in more places. |
|
API Management Service |
Seamlessly integrate with other management tools through access to Microsoft coverage and rights details for Surface devices via API endpoints. |
|
|
Combining multiple service requests |
Simplify the service request process by combining types, such as Standard and Advanced Exchange, saving time and reducing overhead. |
|
|
Streamlined service order process |
Save service orders as drafts, automatically saving failed orders, reducing work repetition and frustration. |
|
|
Same Unit Repair option |
Enhance device consistency and minimize user disruptions by selecting eligible devices for Same Unit Repair. |
|
|
Cost management |
Warranty-related cost estimates |
Generate PDFs for potential warranty-related costs, easing budget management and financial planning. |
|
Service availability |
Expanded online device serviceability |
Expand serviceability to 14 new countries, totaling 29, enhancing global support capabilities. |
|
Compliance and security |
Support for Microsoft Government Community Cloud (GCC-M) |
Ensure FedRAMP compliance, reinforcing security and compliance in cloud environments for government customers. |
|
Accessory management |
Eligible accessory exchange submissions |
Submit eligible accessories, with or without serial numbers, for exchange, offering more management flexibility. |
New in Surface Management Portal:
- Carbon emissions estimator: Directly integrated into the portal, this tool allows you to assess the estimated carbon emissions footprint of your Surface devices, promoting environmental awareness and responsibility.
- Enhanced device insights: A new home for device insights provides comprehensive information, from warranty and coverage to device health. The added functionality to create custom dashboards in the Devices Insights blade empowers you to tailor the information display to your needs.
New in Surface Support Portal:
- Enhanced Windows Autopilot device registration: Offers the capability to provide more detailed information during device registration, including Group Tags and Proof of Ownership, and supports registering up to 1,000 devices at a time, facilitating large-scale deployments.
These updates are designed to significantly improve your Surface device management and support experience, addressing key operational challenges with innovative solutions. By prioritizing efficiency, cost management, compliance, and global serviceability, the Surface Management and Support Suite is more equipped than ever to meet the evolving needs of IT professionals.
