Inside Cato’s SASE Architecture: A Blueprint for Modern Security
🕓 January 26, 2025
Thresholds, Alerts & Auto-Healing in Atera (and where AI Copilot helps)
Most IT teams don’t have an alert problem.
They have a reaction problem.
Alerts fire. Someone acknowledges them. Someone investigates. Someone runs the same cleanup steps they ran last week. The issue gets resolved — but the process is repetitive, slow, and difficult to standardize across technicians, customers, and locations.
Atera’s alerting and remediation model is designed to break that loop by introducing three practical layers:
- Monitoring and thresholds to detect issues early
- Alerting and routing so the right people see the right events
- Auto-healing scripts so known issues can be handled immediately, without waiting for human intervention
On top of this foundation, Atera AI Copilot supports technicians by helping them generate scripts and commands faster when remediation logic needs to be created or refined.
What alerts and thresholds do in Atera
At the base level, Atera monitors endpoints and servers and raises alerts when defined conditions are met.
These conditions are expressed through thresholds — rules that define what “too high,” “too low,” or “unhealthy” looks like. Examples include CPU usage exceeding a percentage for a sustained duration, disk space falling below a defined level, or a service stopping unexpectedly.
Thresholds are how vague symptoms (“the system feels slow”) are converted into measurable signals that automation and technicians can act on.
Auto-healing in Atera: the practical shift
The real operational shift comes from auto-healing.
Within a single threshold item, administrators can attach up to three scripts that run automatically when the threshold is triggered.
This matters because real-world remediation is rarely a single step. Safe and effective remediation usually follows a sequence:
- Capture diagnostics
- Attempt a low-risk fix
- Escalate only if the issue persists
Auto-healing allows that logic to be defined once and applied consistently.
How auto-healing works in real life: practical examples
Auto-healing in Atera works best when it mirrors how an experienced technician would respond to a known issue.
Instead of reacting manually every time an alert fires, teams predefine what should happen the moment a threshold is breached.
Each threshold item can trigger up to three scripts, enabling layered remediation — first attempt, fallback, and escalation preparation. This keeps automation predictable, controlled, and safe.
Example 1: High CPU temperature or sustained CPU usage
Condition monitored
- CPU usage above a defined percentage for a sustained duration
- Or temperature-related hardware indicators reported by the agent
Auto-healing scripts attached
- Identify top CPU-consuming processes
A script runs automatically to capture and log which processes are consuming excessive CPU. - Restart a known problematic service or application
Useful when a specific service is historically known to cause CPU spikes. - Trigger a controlled reboot (optional final step)
Executed only if the issue persists and organizational policy allows it.
Outcome
- Many transient CPU issues resolve automatically without technician involvement
- If the issue persists, diagnostics and logs are already available for review
Example 2: Memory pressure or RAM exhaustion
Condition monitored
- Memory usage exceeding a defined threshold for a specified time window
Auto-healing scripts attached
- Clear temporary files or cached memory
Frees memory consumed by non-critical processes. - Restart memory-intensive background services
Common for application servers, monitoring agents, or long-running services. - Generate a memory usage report
Captures data for trend analysis if the issue becomes recurring.
Outcome
- Devices stabilize without disrupting end users
- Repeat offenders become easy to identify and address proactively
Why multiple scripts matter
Allowing up to three scripts per threshold enables a logical remediation flow:
- Fix the problem
- Verify stability
- Prepare context if human intervention is required
This approach avoids aggressive over-automation while still eliminating repetitive manual work.
Built-in and shared script ecosystem
Auto-healing only works when scripts are easy to reuse and govern.
Atera supports this through:
- A built-in script library covering common maintenance and remediation tasks
- A shared script library where vetted scripts can be reused across technicians
- A strong community ecosystem where MSPs share scripts for real-world scenarios
Most auto-healing workflows are created by adapting existing scripts rather than writing new ones from scratch, reducing risk and accelerating deployment.
Where Atera AI Copilot fits (without overclaiming)
Auto-healing still relies on scripts, and scripts still need to be created safely.
This is where Atera AI Copilot becomes practically useful:
- It helps technicians generate PowerShell commands from plain-language requests
- It assists during script creation workflows, reducing time spent on syntax and structure
In simple terms:
- Thresholds decide when something happens
- Scripts define what action is taken
- AI Copilot helps technicians build those scripts faster
MSP vs Internal IT usage patterns
MSPs typically standardize auto-healing around:
- High-frequency endpoint issues
- Customer-specific application behaviors
Internal IT teams usually focus on:
- Conservative remediation for critical systems
- Automatic diagnostics capture before escalation
In both cases, the value is the same: fewer repetitive tickets, faster stabilization, and consistent outcomes.
Let automation handle known fixes. Let AI help with preparation → Explore Atera auto-healing and Copilot’s role in 30 minutes.
FAQs — Thresholds, Auto-Healing & AI Copilot in Atera
How do Atera thresholds work for alerts and remediation?
Thresholds define the conditions that trigger alerts and can also serve as the trigger point for automated remediation scripts.
How many auto-healing scripts can be attached to one Atera threshold?
Each threshold item can have up to three scripts attached, enabling layered remediation.
Can auto-healing scripts run sequentially?
Yes. Scripts execute in order, allowing diagnostics, remediation, and escalation preparation to occur step-by-step.
Does Atera AI Copilot help with script creation?
Yes. AI Copilot assists technicians by generating commands and scripts from natural-language prompts, reducing manual effort.
What’s the difference between thresholds and automation profiles in Atera?
Thresholds define when an issue occurs, while automation scripts define what action is taken in response.
Where are scripts stored for reuse and governance?
Scripts can be managed in technician libraries and shared across teams using the shared script library.
How should teams safely roll out auto-healing?
Start with diagnostics and low-risk actions, then expand remediation gradually based on confidence and policy.
About The Author
Anas Abdu Rauf
Anas is an Expert in Network and Security Infrastructure, With over seven years of industry experience, holding certifications Including CCIE- Enterprise, PCNSE, Cato SASE Expert, and Atera Certified Master. Anas provides his valuable insights and expertise to readers.
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