Best Practices for Organizing Your Atera Device Groups

Key Takeaways

Organize devices using tags, filters, and custom fields for clarity

• Smart groups help automate patching, reporting, and alerts
• Align device groups to departments, clients, or risk tiers
• Regular audits ensure the system stays clean and optimized

Introduction

As your device inventory grows—whether in a corporate IT environment or across multiple MSP clients—keeping everything organized can make or break your efficiency. Fortunately, Atera offers dynamic ways to group, tag, and filter your devices for streamlined management.
 

This guide walks you through the best practices to get the most out of Device Groups in Atera, enabling better monitoring, automation, and reporting.

Why Grouping Matters in IT Management

When you manage dozens (or thousands) of devices, visibility is key. Grouping helps:

• Speed up troubleshooting
• Apply policies to targeted device sets
• Prioritize monitoring and alert thresholds
• Run patch cycles by role, department, or client
• Generate custom reports by logical groupings

Whether you're managing by location, OS, business unit, or client type—grouping is essential for scalability and clarity.

1. Use Tags for Flexible Categorization

Atera allows you to assign custom tags to devices, like:

• Finance, Marketing, Remote
• Windows, Mac, Critical-System
• Client-A, Client-B, Onboarding

Pro Tip: Tags can be assigned manually or automatically via scripts or agent deployment profiles.

You can filter any dashboard or report using tags, making them a lightweight but powerful way to categorize without rigid structure.

2. Build Smart Groups with Filters

Smart groups allow devices to be auto-assigned based on:

• Operating system
• Last login or check-in time
• Installed software
• Agent status or alerts
• Hardware properties (RAM, disk, etc.)

For example, create a group like:

“All Windows 11 Devices Not Patched in 7 Days”
or
“Client A > Critical Servers > CPU Usage > 80%”

This lets you apply alerts, policies, or patches to only the relevant devices.

3. Use AI Copilot to Group Devices with Intelligent Filters

New Feature Spotlight
Atera’s AI Copilot now supports intelligent filtering and device grouping assistance. When you’re unsure how to best organize your growing list of endpoints, the Copilot can:

• Suggest logical groupings based on device type, usage patterns, or software installed
• Help filter devices with overlapping attributes (e.g., “All remote devices with antivirus disabled”)
• Automatically surface high-risk or underperforming machines and recommend group categorization

• Assist in building smart group filters through plain-English prompts like “Show all devices with < 8 GB RAM not updated in 30 days”

   

Use Case: Instead of manually building filters, ask Copilot: “Group all critical devices with failed patch history last month.” Copilot will identify, filter, and help you apply a group or tag for follow-up.

Not sure how to structure device groups for your environment? Fill out the form and our experts will send you tailored recommendations.

4. Align Groups to Organizational Structure

For internal IT teams, create groups like:

• Executive Devices
• Remote Workers
• R&D Lab Machines
• Office Workstations
• Legacy Systems
   

For MSPs, group by:

• Client name (e.g., ABC Corp, XYZ Legal)
• Device type (e.g., Printers, Endpoints, Servers)
• Service level tier (Platinum SLA, Basic Monitoring Only)

This structure helps segment automation, security rules, and escalation processes.

5. Leverage Automation for Grouping

Combine Atera’s scripting and automation profiles to:

• Assign tags based on software or hardware detected
• Remove devices from inactive groups
• Place newly added devices into default groups during onboarding

DIY Tip: Use PowerShell scripts via automation to audit device inventory and categorize by department or use-case.

6. Clean Up Regularly

Like any digital workspace, device groups need periodic review. Best practices include:

• Archiving deprecated or offboarded devices
• Removing unused tags
• Re-aligning group structures during IT re-orgs
• Reviewing device count anomalies or duplicates

Set a quarterly task to validate group structure and tagging consistency.

Final Thoughts

Device groups aren’t just about visual organization—they’re the foundation of efficient automation, alerting, patching, and reporting in Atera. When done right, they eliminate clutter and improve service delivery across every level of IT operations.

Ready to streamline device grouping and automation with Atera? Book your free consultation today and let our specialists walk you through a tailored setup.

FAQs

1. Can I assign a device to multiple groups in Atera?

Yes. In Atera, a single device can belong to multiple smart groups simultaneously by using tags and dynamic filters. This enables flexible categorization for automation, patching, and reporting.

2. How do I automate tag assignment in Atera for device grouping?

You can automate tag assignment in Atera through:

• Automation profiles during agent deployment
• PowerShell scripts that apply tags based on hardware, software, or user role
• AI Copilot suggestions for dynamic grouping based on risk or usage patterns

3. Can I group devices in Atera based on their online or offline status?

Yes. Atera allows you to filter and group devices based on agent connectivity, such as:

• Online/Offline status
• Last check-in time
• Alert presence or severity

These smart filters help track availability and prioritize patching or remediation.

4. Is it possible to export Atera device groups for reporting or audits?

Absolutely. Atera includes export options for device groups, letting you include tags, properties, and group affiliations in your reports. These exports support custom documentation, audits, and client summaries.

5. How should MSPs structure client-based device groups in Atera?

MSPs using Atera should follow a clear naming convention, such as:
ClientName > Department > Device Role
Example: AcmeCorp > HR > Workstations
This ensures consistency, enables targeted policies, and simplifies report generation across multiple clients.

6. Can I automate stale device cleanup in Atera?

While Atera doesn’t have a native cleanup scheduler, you can:

• Use automation rules and scripts to flag or tag inactive devices
• Create smart groups to identify devices not checked in for 30+ days
• Manually review and archive deprecated endpoints during routine audits

7. What’s the best way to build smart groups in Atera?

Smart groups in Atera can be built using:

• Filters (OS type, check-in time, software, alerts)
• Custom tags and fields
• AI Copilot prompts, like “Show all devices with less than 8 GB RAM not patched in 30 days”
  These smart groups update automatically as device conditions change.

8. Does Atera AI Copilot help with organizing devices into groups?

Yes. Atera’s AI Copilot can:

• Suggest logical device groupings based on patterns
• Build filters via natural language prompts
• Identify high-risk or underperforming endpoints
  This reduces manual work and improves grouping accuracy across large environments.

9. How often should I audit device group structures in Atera?

Atera best practices recommend a quarterly review of:

• Group membership and naming conventions
• Unused or outdated tags
• Archived vs. active endpoints
  Routine audits help maintain efficiency and data integrity within your Atera workspace.

10. Why are Atera device groups essential for automation and alerting?

Device groups in Atera are the foundation for scalable IT operations. They enable:

• Targeted automation profiles
• Patch management scheduling
• Customized alerts and reporting
  Organized groups lead to faster remediation, clearer insights, and more efficient service delivery.