Administrator guide

Introduction

This guide is for administrators responsible for configuring, maintaining, and operating notifications. Administrators don’t manage individual user preferences. Instead, they define how notifications can be delivered and what notifications are available to users.

This guide focuses on configuration and operational responsibilities rather than end-user actions.

Administrator’s responsibilities

As an administrator, you’re responsible for:

• Configuring providers.
• Creating and managing topics.
• Creating and managing organizational channels.

How notifications work for administrators

Administrators define the capabilities of the system. Users control their preferences within those boundaries. As an administrator, you configure and maintain providers as well as create and manage notifications.

Key concepts for administrators

Administrators should be familiar with the following concepts:

• Provider. A configured service managed by administrators responsible for delivering notifications for a specific channel type.

• Provider Type. The foundation of any given provider configuration. The provider type is used to create providers. It standardizes and defines their required configuration fields, authentication methods, and supported message formats.

• Notification. A message delivered to a user or system to communicate information.

• Topic Type. The foundation of one or more topics that defines the structure and meaning of a specific kind of event.

• Topic. A specific notification scenario based on a topic type.

• Filter. A specific condition or set of conditions which helps determine if a notification will be sent.

• Organizational Channel. The method by which notifications are delivered to multiple users, groups, or teams.

• Template. Templates define the content and format of a notification message.

• Rules. Schedules control when notifications are allowed to be delivered.

Providers

Communication providers define how you receive notifications. You can create multiple providers and manage them independently.

Adding a provider

To add a provider:

1. Select + Add provider. This launches the Add new communication provider wizard.
2. Select the kind of provider you are configuring. Common options include Email and SMS. Select Next to proceed.
3. Select your preferred provider service. Options displayed depend on the kind of provider you selected and what’s available in the system. Select Next to proceed.
4. Enter the parameters required to configure your preferred provider. Select Next to proceed.
5. If required, enter the contact information required for communication provider verification, then select Send code.
6. After you receive the verification code, enter it in the space provided, then select Verify.
7. Once the communication provider is verified, select Next to proceed. In the event communication provider verification fails, you can review the test log data displayed at the bottom of the dialog to determine the cause.
8. Review the new communication provider’s access, details, and configuration. Additionally, if you want to enable it immediately upon completion of the wizard, select the applicable checkbox. You can only have one active communication channel of each type enabled at once. Enabling the new communication provider will disable the current active communication provider of the same type.
9. Select Finish to close the wizard.

Managing existing providers

After a communication provider is created, you can use the Actions menu options at the right of user interface to:

• Edit its configuration.
• Enable or disable it.
• Delete it.

If a communication provider is disabled or unverified, notifications won’t be delivered through that provider.

Enabling and Disabling Providers

To enable or disable a provider, access the providers area of the user interface, click the menu icon at the far right of the applicable provider, then select Enable or Disable to alternately enable or disable that provider.

Best Practices for Providers

• Use clear names that identify the service and purpose.
• Limit the number of active providers to those required.
• Re-test providers after configuration changes.

You can only have one active Email and SMS provider at any time.

Topics

Topics represent distinct kinds of messages you can receive. These may include operational alerts, informational messages, or system notices. In other words, they represent a specific category of system behavior or outcome that may result in notifications being sent. For example, “Tell me when all my ping monitors are down.” Administrators are responsible for creating and maintaining topics. However, users can’t modify topics; they can only enable or disable their subscription to them.

What topics represent

Topics typically correspond to system conditions or outcomes such as:

• Monitored resource status changes.
• Configuration application failures.
• Performance threshold breaches.
• Compliance audit results.
• Informational notices.

Topics provide a clear, user-facing way to describe what a notification is about without exposing implementation details. When creating a topic, administrators define:

• A clear and descriptive topic name.
• The underlying topic type which determines the data structure.
• Optionally add a series of rules (for example, all EMEA Cisco switches that are down).
• Whether the topic is enabled and visible to users.

Topics should be named so users can easily understand what enabling the topic means.

Adding a new topic

To add a new topic:

1. Select +Add topic. This launches the Add new topic wizard.
2. Select the type of topic you are configuring. Select Next to proceed.
3. Enter a name for the topic in the space provided. You can also add a description of the topic as well, if desired. Select Next to proceed.
4. If you would like to apply a rule to the new topic, select +Add filter.
5. Use the controls provided to build your filter. You can select +Add filter to build and apply another filter; this step can be repeated to build and apply multiple filters.
6. When you’ve applied your desired filters, select Next to proceed.
7. Review the new topic details, then select Finish to close the wizard.

Managing existing topics

After a topic is created, you can use the menu options at the right of user interface to:

• Edit its configuration.
• Enable or disable it.
• Delete it.

If a topic is disabled, notifications won’t be delivered for that topic.

Best practices for topics

• Use clear, action-oriented topic names.
• Avoid creating overlapping or duplicate topics.
• Review topic usage periodically.
• Disable unused topics instead of deleting them.
• Communicate changes to widely used topics when possible.

Troubleshooting topic issues

Users can’t see a topic:

• Confirm the topic is enabled.

Users report unexpected notifications:

• Review topic filters.

• Determine if the user is part of both an organizational channel and a user channel that would result in duplicate notifications.

Organizational channels

Channels provide contact information available for use by the application and are visible to, and editable by, all administrators in the organization. For each channel displayed, you can see the following information:

• Channel name. The name entered when the channel was created.
• Recipient. The specific contact information receiving messages.
• Method. Indicates how the communication channel delivers a notification.
• Status. Indicates if the communication channel is Active, Inactive, or Unverified.

Adding a new channel

To add a new channel:

1. Select +Add channel. This launches the Add a new communication channel wizard.
2. Select the method by which you want to be notified.
3. Enter a name for the channel and the contact information, then select Send code.
4. Enter the verification code you received, then select Verify.
5. Select Next to proceed.
6. Use the provided toggle controls to select the topics to which the channel should subscribe.
7. If you want to apply a rule, enter a descriptive name, then use controls provided to build a rule set consisting of active time and/or severity. You can add more rules after your channel has been created. Select Next to proceed.
8. Review the new channel details, then select Finish to close the wizard.

Managing existing channels

After a channel is created, you can use the menu options at the right of user interface to:

• Edit its configuration.
• Enable or disable it.
• Delete it.

Selecting Edit launches the Edit channel interface where you can modify channel details and create new or edit, enable/disable, or delete existing rules. If a channel is disabled or unverified, notifications won’t be delivered through that channel.

Operational best practices

• Test providers regularly.
• Use clear, user-friendly topic names.
• Avoid creating redundant or overlapping topics.
• Disable unused or deprecated topics.

Troubleshooting common issues

Users report not receiving notifications:

• Verify providers are enabled and healthy.

• Confirm the notification is enabled.

• Check for schedules that may block delivery.

Delivery failures:

• Test the provider.

• Review recent configuration changes.

• Verify credentials and connectivity.