Creating ticket alerts from Datto Network Manager

With the appropriate configuration, alerts generated in Datto Network Manager will create tickets in Autotask.

Some elements of the configuration are done in Autotask, but the majority of the configuration steps will be completed in Datto Network Manager. In Datto Network Manager, you can configure the integration to generate tickets or to sync devices or to do both. For more information, refer to Configuring the Datto Networking Autotask integration in the Datto Networking online help.

The general workflow is as follows:

  • Establish the connection between Datto Network Manager and Autotask by authenticating an Autotask resource account in Datto Network Manager. This only needs to be done once by one resource. Note that the resource who does the authentication and creates the connection will appear as the resource who creates Datto Networking Alert tickets and as the resource who installed the Datto Network Manager devices in your instance of Autotask.
  • In Datto Network Manager, select which Datto Networking alerts will automatically create alert tickets in Autotask.
  • In Datto Network Manager, map the Datto Networking Alert Severity values to Autotask ticket priorities.
  • Review the system Datto Networking Alert category in Autotask to ensure the appropriate defaults are selected.
  • When an alert occurs in Datto Network Manager, the title of the ticket will contain information about the alert and the device that triggered it. The remaining alert ticket fields are pre-populated based on the editable settings in the system Datto Networking Alert ticket category.
  • Once tickets are created from Datto Networking alerts, they are managed like any other ticket in Autotask. For more information on working with tickets, refer to Introduction to tickets.
  • Use the Created from Datto Network Manager Alert condition in workflow rules and as a search filter, widget filter, widget grouping, and column in the column chooser for ticket tables.
  • You can additionally choose to have Datto Network Manager create and update devices in Autotask. This has the advantage of allowing tickets created from alerts in Datto Network Manager to be automatically associated to the correct device in Autotask. Refer to Creating and managing devices from Datto Network Manager.
  • If the integration is ever disabled, no new tickets will be created by Datto Network Manager alerts, but existing tickets will not be impacted.

Setting up the integration

For an overview of the steps required to initiate the integration between Datto Networking and Autotask, refer to Required setup in Datto Networking. For more detailed information, refer to Configuring the Datto Networking Autotask integration in the Datto Networking online help.

Once the integration is set up in Datto Networking, the selected alerts from Datto Networking will create tickets in Autotask. To ensure that these tickets are created appropriately for your workflow, you should review the system Datto Networking Alert ticket category. For more detailed information, refer to Managing categories.

  1. Navigate to > Admin > Features & Settings > Service Desk (Tickets) > Ticket Categories and locate Datto Networking Alert. Select Edit from the context menu.
  2. On the General tab, review the following items:
    • Ticket Type: By default, the Ticket Type will be set to Alert.
    • Title: Leave this blank. The integration will supply the ticket title. The title will contain the type of alert and the device name.
  3. On the Details tab > Sections and Fields, review the following items:
    • Issue Type/Sub-Issue Type: These fields are initially blank. You can set default values here.
    • Queue: By default, this will be set to Monitoring Alert.  If you want these tickets to go to a different queue, select a different Default Value/Selection here.
  4. Review all other sections and fields for any default settings you want to apply.

Additionally, you should review your existing workflow rules or consider adding new ones to use the Created from Datto Network Manager Alert condition. For example, you could use a workflow rule to update the queue based on the ticket title and the condition. The Created from Datto Network Manager Alert condition is also available for use as a search filter, widget filter, widget group, and as a column in the column chooser for ticket tables.

How do I . . .

If Autotask receives an alert within five minutes of having created a ticket from a previous alert with the same title, and the Status of the ticket is not yet set to Complete, the integration will create a note on the original ticket rather than create a new ticket. However, any alert that is received after that five minute window will generate a new ticket.

EXAMPLE  At 11:05 pm, the Autotask integration receives an alert titled "The device SRV-B has lost utility power". A ticket with that title will be created. At 11:08 pm, the integration receives an identical alert. This second alert will be added to the original ticket as a note, as long as the original ticket Status has not been set to Complete. At 11:12 pm, a third alert with the same title is received. This alert will now generate a new ticket, as it was received more that five minutes after the original alert.

You can use the Created from Datto Network Manager Alert condition to create workflow rules specifically for tickets created by the Datto Network Manager integration. If you are also syncing devices from Datto Network Manager to Autotask, you can create workflow rules for tickets based on conditions from the associated devices. For a list of the fields synced from Datto Network Manager, refer to Field mapping from Datto Network Manager to Autotask. For more information about workflow rule attributes, refer to Workflow rule attributes, operators, and field types.

You can use the Created from Datto Network Manager Alert filter to create widgets for tickets created by the Datto Network Manager integration. If you are also syncing devices from Datto Network Manager to Autotask, you can create widgets for tickets based on conditions from the associated devices. For a list of the fields synced from Datto Network Manager, refer to Field mapping from Datto Network Manager to Autotask. For more information about creating widgets, refer to Adding a widget and editing widget settings.