SolarWinds Integration
🎫 SolarWinds Service Desk Integration
"Connect IT service management to your GRC workflow — browse incidents, problems, changes and CMDB items from Brainframe, and link them to risks, controls and remediation trackers."
Use a SolarWinds Service Desk JSON Web Token to search your tenant through the Samanage REST API, work on records in Brainframe, and tie ITSM work directly to compliance documents.
The SolarWinds Service Desk integration (internally SWSD) connects Brainframe to your SolarWinds Service Desk tenant via the Samanage REST API. Once configured, you can search and manage incidents, problems, change requests, and CMDB configuration items from the integrations area — and link or import those records as tasks or folder documents, alongside other task integrations such as JIRA, Asana, Monday.com, and Azure DevOps.
Brainframe proxies all API traffic through the backend. Your JSON Web Token is encrypted at rest and never returned to the browser after you save configuration.
1️⃣ Before You Begin
To configure and use the integration you will need:
- 🛠 A Brainframe account with access to the integrations area.
- 👤 A workspace administrator to open the credential configuration page and save workspace credentials (see Credential scope below).
- 🔐 A SolarWinds Service Desk tenant in the correct region (EU, US, or APJ — see Regional URLs).
- 🎫 A JSON Web Token generated for an admin (or appropriately privileged) user in Service Desk.
- 📂 Sufficient Service Desk permissions for that user to list, create, update, and delete the record types you expect to use in Brainframe.
⚠️ Brainframe speaks to the Samanage REST API (X-Samanage-Authorization: Bearer …). Your web portal URL and API endpoint must match the same tenant and region, or searches and “Open in Service Desk” links will fail.💡 Unlike Microsoft Entra ID or Microsoft Defender, this integration does not provide a KPI dashboard — it focuses on search, CRUD, import/link, and inline document views of live Service Desk records.
2️⃣ Configure the Integration
Step 1 — Generate a JSON Web Token in SolarWinds Service Desk
- Log in to your SolarWinds Service Desk portal (e.g.
https://appeu.samanage.comfor EU). - As an administrator, go to Settings → Users.
- Select an admin user (or a dedicated integration user with the rights you need).
- From the user’s action menu, generate a JSON Web Token.
- Copy the token immediately — you will paste it once into Brainframe.
📌 The token inherits the permissions of that Service Desk user. For workspace-wide use, prefer a service account with stable access rather than a personal admin token that might be rotated with offboarding.
Step 2 — Enter credentials in Brainframe
Go to Workspace Settings → Integrations → SolarWinds Service Desk → Configure (/integrations/swsd/config).
📌 The configuration route is restricted to workspace administrators. Non-admin users rely on credentials an administrator has already saved (typically workspace scope).
Fill in:
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Credential scope | Individual or Workspace — see Credential scope. |
Web interface URL | Portal URL for your tenant (used for Open in Service Desk links). |
API endpoint | REST API base URL for the same tenant and region. |
JSON Web Token | The token from Step 1. Encrypted at rest; never shown again after save. |
Use the EU, US, or APJ shortcut buttons next to Web interface URL to pre-fill matching portal and API pairs (you can still edit the URLs manually if your tenant differs).
Then click Save configuration. After a successful save, Brainframe opens the Service Desk integration landing page.
📌 If no credentials exist for your workspace, opening SolarWinds Service Desk redirects you toward configuration. Ensure an administrator has saved workspace credentials, or complete setup on the config page as an admin.
Regional URLs
Brainframe presets align with common SolarWinds Service Desk hosting regions:
Region | Web interface URL | API endpoint |
|---|---|---|
EU | ||
US | ||
APJ |
Both URLs must belong to the same tenant. If you use a custom domain, enter the exact URLs your SolarWinds documentation provides.
Credential scope
Brainframe supports two credential models:
Scope | Who can configure | Who can use |
|---|---|---|
Individual | Workspace administrator (on the config page) | Only that user when individual credentials exist for them |
Workspace | Workspace administrators only | Everyone in the workspace (token stays on the server) |
Individual credentials take priority over workspace credentials when both exist for the same user.
📌 Workspace scope is ideal for a shared integration user. Individual scope suits an admin who connects their own Service Desk identity without sharing a token workspace-wide.
You can delete a saved configuration per scope from the config page. Deleting removes stored credentials; you must re-enter the JSON Web Token to reconnect.
3️⃣ Using the Service Desk Integration Page
Open Workspace Settings → Integrations → SolarWinds Service Desk (or the Integrations sidebar entry when enabled for your workspace) — /integrations/swsd.
Choose a data type
The landing page lets you pick one of four collections:
Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
Incidents | Service incidents — triage and status tracking |
Problems | Underlying problems — symptoms, workarounds, root cause |
Changes | Change requests and approval workflow |
CMDB items | Configuration management database assets |
Selecting a type navigates to /integrations/swsd/{type} (e.g. /integrations/swsd/incidents).
The gear icon opens credential configuration (admin). New opens the create form for the current type (/integrations/swsd/{type}/new).
🔎 Search and filters
Control | Behaviour |
|---|---|
Search | Text search across name, description, and requester context (Samanage |
Status | Filter by workflow state (incidents, problems, changes — not CMDB). |
Priority | Filter by priority where applicable. |
Category | Filter by category when the type supports categories (e.g. incidents, CMDB). |
Item type | CMDB only — filter configuration item type. |
Clear | Resets filters and reloads the first page. |
Results paginate with Load more (default 10 records per page). The list shows how many items are loaded versus the total reported by the API.
📊 Results list
Each row represents one Service Desk record. Typical columns include title, status, priority, assignee, and dates — exact fields depend on the data type. Actions include:
Action | Description |
|---|---|
Open row | View detail in Brainframe ( |
Open in Service Desk | Opens the record in the SolarWinds portal (new tab) using your saved web interface URL. |
Select | Checkbox for bulk delete on the integration page. |
➕ Create, view, edit and delete
Action | Where |
|---|---|
Create | New on the list page, or New inside the integrations browser dialog. |
View | Click a row, or open a linked/imported document whose integration URL points to |
Edit | Edit on the detail page or inline document view — updates are sent to Service Desk via the API. |
Delete | Delete on the detail page, or bulk delete from the list when rows are selected. |
When a record is opened inline on a Brainframe document and you delete it in Service Desk through Brainframe, the linked Brainframe document can be archived automatically.
Create / edit fields (typical)
Field | Notes |
|---|---|
Name | Required title; on update with a linked document, can sync to the Brainframe document title. |
Description | HTML-rich text; images in descriptions may be adjusted for display ( |
Status / priority | From your tenant’s schemes (filter dropdowns mirror common values; API may return additional labels). |
Category / sub-category | Loaded from Service Desk metadata where supported. |
Group, site, department | Reference data from your tenant (groups, sites, departments APIs). |
Assignee | Selected by user email from Service Desk users. |
Problems only | Symptoms, workaround, root cause fields in addition to description. |
CMDB | Item type and CMDB-specific attributes instead of incident-style status workflow. |
Detail view also shows Created and Updated timestamps, assignee, and structured metadata in read mode before you click Edit.
4️⃣ Task Integrations — Linking Work to Documents
Beyond the standalone Service Desk pages, Brainframe treats SWSD as a task integration: you can attach external ITSM records to GRC documents without leaving your compliance context.
Task integrations in Brainframe include:
Integration | Badge | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
SolarWinds Service Desk | Tasks / Incidents / Assets | Incidents, changes, problems, CMDB |
JIRA | Tasks | Issue tracking |
Asana | Tasks | Project tasks |
Tasks | Work management | |
Azure DevOps | Tasks | Work items |
Service Desk appears under Tasks, Incidents, and Assets filters on the integrations catalog.
Two modes: Link vs Import
Mode | Purpose | Result |
|---|---|---|
Link | Attach a record to the document you are working on | Creates an Action (or task) document linked as a child; stores |
Import | Add records into a folder | Creates document(s) in the folder you choose; supports bulk selection with checkboxes. |
The browser title is Add from integrations. When linking from a document, the catalog can be pre-filtered to Tasks integrations.
Workflow in the browser
- Choose SolarWinds Service Desk.
- Pick Incidents, Problems, Changes, or CMDB items.
- Search and filter, or click New to create a record in Service Desk first.
- Link (document context) or Import (folder context) on one or more rows.
5️⃣ Document Bolt Icon — Task from integrations
On any open document, the bolt (⚡) menu in the document header provides quick actions:
Menu item | Action |
|---|---|
Create task in Brainframe | Adds a native Brainframe task. |
Request document review | Starts a document review workflow. |
Task from integrations | Opens the integrations browser in link mode, filtered to Tasks. |
Workflow — link a Service Desk record to the current document
- Open a document (risk, control, audit finding, policy, etc.).
- Click the bolt icon → Task from integrations.
- Select SolarWinds Service Desk.
- Choose the data type, search for an existing record, or New to create one.
- Click Link on the row.
Brainframe creates a linked task document, sets the integration URL to /swsd/{type}/view/{id}, and relates it in the Tasks / Activities panel.
📌 Task from integrations requires a saved document in a folder context. Save the document first if the folder context is not yet available.
Opening a linked task from the document loads the inline Service Desk viewer (IntegrationDocumentView) — live fields, edit, delete, and Open in Service Desk without leaving your GRC record.
6️⃣ NEW Menu and Table View — Add from integrations
You can bring Service Desk records into a folder without linking them to a specific parent document.
Folder view — NEW dropdown
In any folder, open the NEW menu:
- Choose Add from integrations.
- Select SolarWinds Service Desk and a data type.
- Search or create records, then Import (or bulk-import with checkboxes).
- Pick the target folder and document type in the folder selection step.
Table view — cloud button
In a table view, the toolbar cloud button (Add from integrations) opens the same browser in import mode and can pre-select the current table’s document type.
Inside the Service Desk browse step
Action | Import mode | Link mode |
|---|---|---|
Search | Filter by text, status, priority, category (or CMDB item type). | Same |
Import / Link | Per-row action; bulk toolbar for multi-select. | Link only |
Open | Opens record in Service Desk portal. | Same |
New | Creates in Service Desk, then imports or links based on mode. | Same |
Configure | Shortcut to credential settings (admin). | Same |
7️⃣ Sidebar Integrations Menu
When SolarWinds Service Desk is configured and enabled for your user or group, it appears under the workspace Integrations sidebar menu (alongside other enabled integrations).
- SolarWinds Service Desk opens
/integrations/swsd— the data type selector and browse flows in section 3. - Greyed-out entries mean the integration is visible in menu configuration but not enabled or not accessible for you — ask an administrator to enable it under Workspace Settings → Menu interface.
Configuration remains at Integrations → SolarWinds Service Desk → Configure (/integrations/swsd/config) for workspace administrators.
8️⃣ Permissions Summary
Action | Requirement |
|---|---|
Open configuration page | Workspace administrator |
Save workspace credentials | Workspace administrator |
Save individual credentials | Workspace administrator (on config page) |
Browse / create / edit / delete records | Valid credentials (individual or workspace) + Service Desk rights for the API user |
Task from integrations (link) | Document saved in a folder; permission to create documents and relations |
Add from integrations (import) | Write access to target folder |
Integrations sidebar menu item | Integration enabled in menu config + user/group access |
📌 Brainframe never exposes the JSON Web Token to the browser after save. All Samanage API calls are proxied through the Brainframe backend with
X-Samanage-Authorization.
9️⃣ Tips for GRC Use Cases
Scenario | Suggested approach |
|---|---|
IT incident linked to a risk or finding | Open the risk document → bolt → Task from integrations → Service Desk → link or create an incident. |
Change record for a control deployment | Browse Changes, link to the control document, track approval status inline. |
Problem management for recurring audit themes | Import problems into an audit folder; use symptoms/workaround fields for assessor context. |
CMDB asset as evidence | Import CMDB items into an asset or evidence folder; badge Assets on the integrations catalog. |
Bulk cleanup after import test | Use row selection and bulk delete on |
Shared vs personal connection | Workspace credentials for a shared integration user; individual when only one admin’s token should apply for that admin’s session resolution. |
🔟 Troubleshooting
Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Redirected away from Configure | Not a workspace administrator | Ask an admin to save workspace credentials, or grant admin access for setup. |
Redirect to config when opening SWSD | No credentials for your user/workspace | Admin saves workspace (or individual) credentials on |
Failed to load search results | Invalid token, wrong API endpoint, or revoked JWT | Regenerate JSON Web Token in Service Desk; verify EU/US/APJ API URL matches portal tenant. |
Empty list | Filters too strict or no matching records | Clear filters; broaden search text; confirm API user can see records in Service Desk UI. |
Open in Service Desk wrong tenant | Web interface URL mismatch | Align website field with the portal you use to log in (use regional preset buttons). |
Create/update fails | Missing required Service Desk fields or insufficient role | Check mandatory fields for that type in Service Desk; widen integration user permissions. |
Link does nothing | Document not saved / missing folder context | Save document to a folder first. |
Record visible in Service Desk but not in Brainframe | API user lacks visibility | Grant the token user the same catalog/search rights as in the portal. |
Inline view does not load | Integration URL not in | Re-link or re-import so the document stores the correct |
Updated on: 17/07/2026
Thank you!