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Zendesk Connector (Preview)

This connector integrates Zendesk with ALVAO Asset Management, enabling you to assign Alvao objects representing computers, peripherals, and other IT assets (Configuration Items in terms of the ITIL) to Zendesk tickets.

With this connector, agent agents will be able to:

  • View the requester's assets automatically when a ticket is opened — no manual lookup required
  • Link assets to tickets, creating a persistent record of the hardware involved
  • View full asset details — including specifications, location, compliance status, and ticket history — without leaving Zendesk
  • Search for any asset by name, type, serial number, or MAC address

This connector is available starting with version 26.3.

Requirements​

  • ALVAO Asset Management
  • Zendesk Support (Suite or equivalent plan with custom app support)
  • Alvao REST API accessible over HTTPS from the internet

Security​

The table below summarizes all system access the connector requires.

SystemAccess required
ALVAO REST APIRead and write access to Alvao objects via a dedicated service account
ALVAO object propertiesRead and write the External Ticket Ids string field on asset records
Zendesk ticket dataRead the ticket ID and requester email address only — no ticket content, comments, or attachments are accessed
Zendesk agent identityRead the requester email to look up matching assets in ALVAO

Installation​

Setting up ALVAO SaaS​

To configure this connector in ALVAO SaaS, please contact support@alvao.com for assistance.

Setting up on-prem Alvao​

  1. Go to the Administration - Asset Management - Property definitions page and use the New property command to create object property with following values:

    • Property name: External Ticket Ids
    • Data type: string

  2. On the Administration - Asset Management - Object templates page, add the External Ticket Ids property to object templates of object types that should be assignable to Zendesk tickets (Computer/laptop, Computer/desktop, Tablet, Network device, ...).

  3. On the Administration - Data queries page, create a new data query and name it Zendesk tickets.

    Click on Edit - Query command and enter the following SQL query:

    SELECT
        TRIM(value) AS 'Ticket id',
        (select sPropertyValue from tProperty where sProperty = 'Zendesk.TicketUrl') + TRIM(value) AS 'Url'
    FROM NodeCust n
    CROSS APPLY STRING_SPLIT(n.ExternaLTicketIds$, ',') AS value
    WHERE n.ExternaLTicketIds$ IS NOT NULL AND n.NodeId = @customId

    Take note of the data query numeric id that is contained in the query page url.

    Use the Edit - Permissions to grant the Everyone user group permission to view the data query.

  4. Go to Administration - Settings - Advanced and add the following settings:

    • Zendesk.DataQueryId enter the data query numeric ID created in the previous step.
    • Zendesk.TicketUrl - enter the URL of your Zendesk ticket pages without the ticket ID, for example: https://yourcompany.zendesk.com/agent/tickets/.

  5. Go to the Administration - Applications and select the Zendesk Connector application.

    Enable the application using the Enable command.

  6. Go to Administration - Users and create a new user account dedicated to the Zendesk Connector. Use the following values:

    • First name and surname - for example, Zendesk Connector
    • User name - for example, zendesk-connector@yourcompany.com
    • Extended - Application account - select Other applications

    Select the account and set its password using the Change password command.

    Click Edit - Object security and set read and change permissions to objects.

Setting up Zendesk​

  1. Download the ZendeskAlvaoApp.zip file.

  2. In Zendesk, go to Admin Center – Apps and Integrations – Zendesk Support apps - Upload private app, and select the downloaded ZIP file.

  3. During installation, fill in the following parameters:

    • alvao_domain - enter the base domain of your Alvao instance, e.g. yourcompany.onalvao.com. Do not include https:// or any path after the top-level domain.
    • alvao_basic_b64 - enter the Base64-encoded credentials of the previously created Zendesk Connector user account in the format username:password. The value is stored encrypted and is not visible to agents or admins after it is saved.

  4. Click Install.

  5. Test the installation:

    Open any ticket in Zendesk where the requester's email also exists in Alvao. The ALVAO widget should appear in the right sidebar.

    The widget should display the Recommended section, listing assets assigned to he ticket requester in Alvao.

    Link an object to the ticket using the + button and confirm that it appears in the Linked objects table.

Linking object to ticket​

  1. Open a ticket in Zendesk.
  2. Locate the ALVAO widget in the right sidebar.
  3. Review the Recommended section — assets assigned to the requester are listed automatically.
  4. Click + next to an object to link it , or click Add object to search by name, type, serial number, or MAC address.

To unlink an object, click the Manage icon (resize button) and click the delete icon next to the object.

Viewing object details​

  1. Click an object name in the widget to open the object detail view.
  2. The detail view shows the object's Properties, Zendesk tickets history.
  3. Click Open in ALVAO to navigate to the full object record in Alvao.

Viewing linked tickets in Alvao​

Go to Alvao - Objects - Object - Zendesk tickets tab to view a table of Zendesk tickets assigned to the object.

Click the ticket URL in the table to open the corresponding Zendesk ticket page.