FAQ for IT Department Users

This FAQ provides answers to the most comment questions IT Department users initially have about patching, remote access, and Microsoft 365 integration to help you understand how Syncro's logic fits your existing team habits.

Asset Organization & Policy Hierarchies

When managing a growing network, "one size fits all" rarely works. Whether you’re overseeing multiple office locations, various franchises, or a mix of device types, Syncro’s flexible structure ensures the right rules land on the right machines.

How do I organize assets for different locations?

For multi-site management, the best approach is to use a nested folder system or Organizations.

• Organizations: Use these to create hard boundaries between geographic locations (e.g., "New York Office" vs. "London Office"). This is ideal if each location requires different administrative permissions or completely separate billing/reporting. See Best Practices for Creating Organizations for details.
• Policy Folders: If the locations share the same administrative team but need different settings (like time zones or local update caches), you can create subfolders within a single Organization to manage them. See Work with Policies for details.

How do I organize assets for different device types?

The most effective way to manage different hardware, such as separating Servers from Workstations, is through Policy Folders.

Because different device types require unique security configurations, update schedules, and monitoring thresholds, placing them into dedicated folders allows you to:

• Inherit global settings from a top-level folder.
• Override specific policies (e.g., aggressive reboot cycles for Workstations vs. strictly manual reboots for Servers).
• Easily filter and deploy software based on the specific needs of the hardware.

See Work with Policies for details.

How do policies work?

Syncro uses a Policy Inheritance Model. This means that any "parent" policy you set at the organization level will automatically "waterfall" down to all subfolders and assets within them. This allows you to set broad security standards globally while still applying specialized rules (like stricter patching for Servers) at the subfolder level. See Work with Policies for details.

Can I track custom data, like site codes or warranty dates?

Yes. If our default fields don't cover what you need, you can create Custom Asset Fields. These allow you to tag devices with specific metadata such as site codes, purchase dates, or department IDs. Once added, you can use these fields to dynamically filter, group, and report on your inventory with surgical precision. See Custom Fields for Assets & Tickets for details.

What if I need to move a device to a different group?

It’s as simple as dragging and dropping. When you move an asset from one folder to another, it will automatically shed its old policy and adopt the rules of its new "parent" folder. See Create a Policy Folder Structure & Assign Assets for details.

Microsoft 365 & Entra ID

Integrating Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) with Syncro allows you to bridge the gap between user identity and endpoint management, creating a more cohesive workflow.

How do I bring my Microsoft users into Syncro?

You don’t have to import your entire directory at once. The integration allows for granular filtering so your Syncro contact list stays clean. You can filter the sync based on:

• Specific Domains: Only sync users from verified organizational domains.
• Departments: Bring in specific teams (e.g., "Accounting" or "Sales") rather than the whole company.
• Licensed Status: Automatically exclude unlicensed or shared mailbox accounts to ensure you're only managing active users.

See Manage Microsoft Tenants for details.

Can I manage Microsoft accounts without leaving Syncro?

Yes. One of the biggest advantages of this integration is the "single pane of glass" management. To save time and reduce "tab fatigue," you can perform common administrative tasks directly within Syncro, including:

• Password Resets: Change a user's password instantly.
• MFA Management: Reset Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) if a user loses their device.
• Session Control: Revoke active sessions to secure an account immediately if a device is lost or compromised.

See End User Details & Actions for details.

Does this replace the Microsoft Admin Center?

While it doesn't replace every niche setting in the Microsoft Admin Center, it is designed to handle 90% of your daily tickets. By executing these tasks from the Syncro contact card, you skip the multiple login screens and search bars of the Microsoft portal.

Ticket Submission & Routing

Setting up a smooth intake process is the first step toward a sane helpdesk. Whether your users are "email-only" traditionalists or prefer a more modern, integrated approach, Syncro provides several ways to capture and categorize requests without missing a beat.

How do my end-users submit a support request?

You can meet your users wherever they are comfortable working. There are two primary methods:

• Email Integration: You can set up multiple mailboxes (e.g., HR@yourcompany.com vs. Support@yourcompany.com). When an employee sends or forwards an email to these addresses, Syncro automatically converts it into a ticket in the correct queue. See Automatically Create Tickets from Inbound Emails for details.
• System Tray Icon: For a more integrated experience, you can deploy a branded icon to the user's taskbar. This allows them to submit a ticket, start a live chat, or even attach a screenshot of an error message directly from their desktop. See Create Tickets From the System Tray With Agent Contact Forms for details.

Can we automate how tickets are assigned to technicians?

Yes. You don't have to manually sort every request. By using Ticket Automations and Tags, you can set rules to auto-assign tickets based on the sender, the subject line, or the source. See Work with Ticket Automations and 7 Powerful Ticket Automation Examples for details.

How do we keep different workflows organized?

To keep your team focused, you can create Custom Ticket Views. This allows individual technicians or departments to see only the tickets relevant to them, ensuring that high-priority tasks don't get buried in a general inbox. See Work with Ticket Views for details.

Remote Access & User Privacy

Transitioning from platforms like ScreenConnect or TeamViewer? You’ll find Syncro’s remote suite familiar but with a few specialized twists designed to keep your technicians efficient and your end-users uninterrupted.

What are the primary remote tools built into Syncro?

Syncro provides two distinct ways to access a machine, depending on the task at hand:

• Splashtop: This is your go-to for standard screen-sharing. It allows you to see the user's desktop, control the mouse/keyboard, and provide direct visual support. See Enable Remote Access and Remotely Access a Machine via Splashtop for details.
• Backgrounding Tools: Our proprietary toolset for "invisible" maintenance. You can access the Command Line, Registry, Task Manager, and File System to fix issues silently without interrupting the end-user’s work. See Use Backgrounding Tools for details.

Can we require user approval before connecting?

Yes. You can enforce Attended Access via policy. When enabled, the end-user must click "Approve" on a pop-up before a technician can view their screen. This is a critical feature for clients in high-privacy industries like healthcare or finance.

How do we support devices that don't have our agent installed?

For unmanaged or "one-off" support sessions, you can use Splashtop SOS. This allows you to remote into a device by having the user run a small executable and provide you with a unique code, bypassing the need for a pre-installed agent. See Splashtop SOS for details.

Windows & Third-Party Patch Management

Maintaining a secure and stable environment shouldn't be a manual chore. To help you get up to speed quickly, we’ve rounded up the most common questions IT pros ask when setting up Syncro to automate and customize their patching schedules.

How do I handle specific Windows KB updates?

You have total control. You can approve, defer, or reject specific KB numbers based on your needs. Whether you want to apply a rule globally across all clients or refine it by policy folder, you can ensure that only the right patches hit your endpoints. See Windows Update Management for details.

Can I avoid breaking the entire network at once?

Absolutely. We recommend a staggered rollout strategy. By scheduling patches for different locations or departments on different days, you create a "canary in the coal mine" scenario to ensure a buggy update is caught in one small group before it can impact your entire infrastructure. See Windows Update Management and Create a Policy Folder Structure & Assign Assets for details.

Does this cover third-party apps like Chrome or Adobe?

Yes. Syncro features a built-in integration with Chocolatey. This allows you to automate the "heavy lifting" for third-party software. It can automatically install missing applications or update existing ones to the latest version without manual intervention. See Third-Party Patch Management for details.