One key opens one direction. The integration has two directions — and the half everyone forgets is the reason so many setups work on one side and stay silent on the other.
Here is the single most misunderstood fact about connecting Endpoint Central with ServiceDesk Plus: there is no one integration password. There are two API keys, one generated in each product and pasted into the other, because each server must prove itself when it calls its partner. Understand that one idea and the whole setup — and every future half-working mystery becomes obvious.
Think of how the traffic flows. Endpoint Central pushes inventory and raises tickets into ServiceDesk Plus — ServiceDesk Plus needs proof those calls are genuine. ServiceDesk Plus asks Endpoint Central to start remote sessions and deploy software — Endpoint Central needs the same proof in reverse.
An API key is that proof: a long secret the calling server presents with every request. And because each product both calls and gets called, each product generates a key that the other one checks. One shared password for both directions would be simpler — and worse security, because leaking it once would compromise both servers.
Start in the Endpoint Central console with an administrator login and generate the API key for the ServiceDesk Plus integration. Then cross to ServiceDesk Plus: open the Endpoint Central server settings under Admin, and enter the Endpoint Central server name, port number and protocol along with this key.
From this moment, ServiceDesk Plus can authenticate communication with your Endpoint Central server. Inventory, agent-raised tickets and deployment status can flow. Many people stop here, see data moving, and declare victory — while ticket-side actions still fail, because direction two is not authenticated yet.
The second key belongs to a technician in ServiceDesk Plus. The documented routes: edit the technician under Admin → Users → Technicians and generate the key under API key details, or — for your own logged-in account — use the user icon at the top right and open API Key Generation. The technician needs login enabled and SDAdmin privileges.
Then carry the key across: in the Endpoint Central console go to Admin → Integrations → ServiceDesk Plus settings, enter the ServiceDesk Plus server details, paste the key and save. Now Endpoint Central trusts calls arriving from ServiceDesk Plus — and remote control and deployment from a ticket start working.
Symptom pattern: assets sync, tickets arrive from agents, but clicking remote control or deploy inside a ticket fails. Or the mirror image: ticket actions work but no inventory ever lands. This is not a mysterious partial failure — it is one key missing, stale or regenerated.
Nine times out of ten, the fix is a paste, not a reinstall.
These keys can act with administrator-level reach across your endpoint fleet and your help desk. Handle them accordingly: generate them under a dedicated integration technician, paste them only into the two consoles, and never send one through a ticket, email or chat screenshot. If a key is ever exposed, regenerate it in its home product and update the partner console the same day — the old key dies the moment the new one is generated, so plan the two-minute window instead of being surprised by it.
The full ManageEngine integration — server settings, API keys and live ticket actions, shown step by step.
▶️ Watch Full VideoRegenerating a key invalidates the old one immediately. The partner console is still presenting the old key, so its calls are rejected. Paste the new key into the other product and the integration recovers — no reinstall needed.
In the Endpoint Central console: Admin → Integrations → ServiceDesk Plus settings, in the ServiceDesk Plus details section, along with the server name, port and protocol. Save after pasting.
No. Each product generates its own key and checks the key of the caller. Two keys, two directions — that separation is what keeps a single leak from compromising both servers.