Health Checks & Device Actions in Atera: From Detection to Autonomous Remediation

IT teams rarely struggle because they lack technical skill. They struggle because diagnosing issues takes too long, switching between tools slows everything down, and routine fixes absorb hours each week. The result is a constant firefight: slow devices, full disks, crashing apps, unpatched endpoints, tickets piling up.

Atera’s approach to health checks and device actions eliminates that pattern.
By bringing continuous monitoring, AI-driven diagnostics, live device data, and autonomous remediation into a single platform, Atera transforms troubleshooting from a manual activity into an intelligent, automated workflow.

For MSPs, this means healthier SLAs and fewer escalations.
For internal IT teams, it means more time for strategic work instead of repetitive device repair.

This blog breaks down exactly how Atera health checks work, what they detect, how AI Copilot and IT Autopilot act on them, and why these capabilities now sit at the foundation of modern autonomous IT.

Understanding Health Checks in Atera

Atera defines health checks as immediate, AI-assisted diagnostics that analyze a device’s performance, stability, and security in real time. These checks combine insights from the Atera Agent—which continuously monitors endpoint health—with AI Copilot’s ability to interpret system signals, logs, and usage patterns to find the actual root cause.

Health checks evaluate a wide range of device metrics, including:

• CPU load, RAM usage, and top processes
• Disk usage, S.M.A.R.T. health, storage growth trends
• Battery health and hardware temperatures
• Windows Event logs across all major categories
• Network activity, bandwidth spikes, and port availability
• Antivirus and firewall status
• Service states and specific running processes
• Software inventory, patch status, and version drift

Instead of merely showing raw numbers, Atera interprets them to answer questions like:

• “Why is this device slow?”
• “What’s causing this application to crash?”
• “Which devices are at risk based on recent behavior?”

This intelligence is available whether you are an MSP looking after hundreds of endpoints, or an internal IT team managing employees’ systems across different locations.

Where Technicians Trigger Health Checks

Atera embeds health checks directly into the workflows technicians use most. You never have to hunt for them—they appear where you need them, when you need them.

1. AI Copilot Chat (Global Entry Point)

Accessible from anywhere within Atera, Copilot allows you to type natural language instructions such as:

• “Check disk space on this device.”
• “Run a performance diagnostic.”

Copilot attaches the appropriate device and begins analysis immediately.

2. Device View & Agent Console

From the Devices list or the Agent Console, technicians can launch Copilot for targeted diagnostics. This is ideal when troubleshooting a specific user’s machine.

3. Alerts Panel

When a threshold breach occurs—high CPU, low disk space, critical events—Atera generates an alert.
Copilot can be opened right from the alert to interpret the issue and recommend or execute the fix.

4. Tickets

If a ticket is raised, Copilot can:

• Summarize the ticket
• Map the user to their device
• Run diagnostics in context
• Suggest or run corrective actions

This drastically reduces the time spent gathering context during support.

What AI Copilot Analyzes During a Health Check

AI Copilot pulls together multiple types of live and historical data to diagnose issues accurately:

Live Device Telemetry

• CPU, RAM, disk activity
• Active processes and resource spikes
• Application behavior and crash indicators
• Storage availability and fragmentation
• System changes and recent configurations

Log and Event Intelligence

• Recent Windows log entries
• Security events
• Driver or update-related issues
• Application-level warnings or failures

Environmental and Account-Level Insights

• Devices consistently going offline
• Machines approaching storage limits
• Out-of-date software versions
• Devices missing patches or running outdated builds

Visual Troubleshooting (Screenshot/Image Analysis)

Technicians can upload screenshots for Copilot to analyze.
This is especially useful for UI-based errors, odd system behaviors, and user-submitted error images.

Together, these signals allow Copilot to provide root-cause analysis that feels like a senior technician’s assessment—only faster and instantly repeatable.

What a Health Check Output Looks Like

A typical AI-driven health check presents three core elements:

1. Diagnostic Summary

A clear explanation of what is happening and why:

• “Disk usage is critically high due to temporary files and browser cache.”
• “Consistent CPU spikes caused by a runaway background process.”
• “Browser crashes linked to extension conflicts and outdated version.”

2. Suggested Actions or Fixes

Copilot provides recommended actions such as:

• Clear temporary files
• Kill or restart a problematic process
• Restart specific services
• Remove conflicting extensions
• Install missing patches
• Free up storage

Where possible, Copilot can run the fix immediately—if the script or action has been pre-approved by your admin.

3. Logged Activity

Any executed action is recorded for audit and compliance:

• Script execution logs
• Ticket notes
• Timeline entries in the Agent Activity log

This ensures complete visibility into what was done, by whom, and why.

What Device Actions Atera Can Perform

Device actions are the “hands” of Atera’s AI ecosystem. They turn diagnoses into results.

Atera organizes device actions into several categories:

1. Identity & Account Management

• Reset local or cloud passwords
• Unlock locked accounts
• Manage Azure AD group membership
• Create or update local admin accounts

2. System Performance & Maintenance

• Clear temp files and system clutter
• Check and free disk space
• Clean up the C: drive using custom scripts
• Manage startup programs
• Adjust power settings

3. Application & Service Control

• Install or update applications
• Restart or stop services
• Repair common issues (e.g., Outlook profiles, print queue problems)
• Manage browser extensions and updates

4. Security Enforcement

• Install patches
• Block USB storage
• Fix antivirus or firewall issues
• Address failed login attempts

5. Network & Device Control

• Renew IP address
• Schedule shutdowns or reboots
• Export logs
• Execute PowerShell, CMD, or Bash commands

These actions are especially powerful at scale—each one can be repeated across hundreds of endpoints without manual intervention.

OS Support and Known Limitations

Atera supports health checks and device actions across Windows, macOS, and Linux, but with some practical distinctions:

Windows & macOS

• Full support for health checks
• Full support for auto-healing scripts
• Full support for automation profiles
• Rich device toolset (Event Viewer, Registry, Task Manager for Windows)

Linux

• Monitoring and scripting supported
• Some auto-healing and automation workflows are more limited
• Device tools are primarily terminal-driven
• Software distribution and package management differ by distro

This diversity allows MSPs and IT teams to maintain consistent automation workflows while respecting OS-level constraints.

How Health Checks Connect to Automation

Atera doesn’t treat health checks as passive observations—they are actionable triggers within a broader automation framework.

Thresholds → Alerts → Auto-Healing Scripts

A threshold breach (e.g., CPU over 90% for 5 minutes) can automatically trigger up to three sequential scripts.
This might include:

1. Clearing temp files
2. Restarting a service
3. Sending a notification or creating a ticket only if unresolved

IT Automation Profiles

Used for scheduled tasks like:

• Patching
• Software deployment
• Reboots
• Monthly cleanups
• Disk optimizations

AI Recommendations

AI Copilot identifies recurring patterns and suggests:

• Frequently effective scripts
• KB articles that address repeated issues
• Opportunities to automate similar incidents in the future

IT Autopilot: Truly Autonomous Tier-1 Resolution

Atera's autonomous agent can resolve common issues on its own:

• Password resets
• Basic connectivity fixes
• Software installs
• Diagnostics and guided resolutions

When it cannot fully resolve the issue, it escalates to a technician with complete context and step-by-step history.

This elevates troubleshooting from reactive firefighting to continuous, autonomous maintenance.

Governance, Permissions & Audit Controls

Atera’s autonomous capabilities are wrapped with strong governance:

• Full Admin rights required to configure AI Center
• Scripts must be explicitly approved for AI automation
• User-device mapping is required before AI acts on a device
• Every AI-driven action is logged in ticket notes and device activity
• Human override is always available

This ensures transparency, security, and operational trust—especially important for MSPs with strict client SLAs or internal IT teams managing sensitive data.

Why This Matters for MSPs & Internal IT Teams

For MSPs

• Fewer escalations
• Faster SLA compliance
• Lower technician workload
• Higher endpoint stability
• 24/7 autonomous Tier-1 support

For Internal IT

• Dramatic reduction in repetitive tasks
• Faster ticket resolution
• More time for modernization projects
• Less user downtime and frustration
• Stronger security posture

Atera’s model blends observability, diagnostics, and autonomous action into a single workflow—turning every technician into a higher-level problem solver.

Key Takeaways (At a Glance)

• Atera health checks combine continuous monitoring with live diagnostics.
• AI Copilot interprets system data to find root causes instantly.
• Device actions turn insights into immediate fixes.
• Threshold alerts can run auto-healing scripts automatically.
• IT Autopilot resolves routine issues without human intervention.
• Full audit trails ensure transparency and compliance.
• MSPs and IT teams both gain massive time savings and operational consistency.

Transform your IT operations with AI-driven diagnostics and auto-healing → Schedule a quick Atera demo today.

FAQs:

How do Atera health checks improve troubleshooting?

They provide real-time diagnostics, analyze logs and performance data, and highlight root causes instead of raw metrics—cutting troubleshooting time dramatically.

Can AI Copilot fix issues automatically?

Yes. If scripts are pre-approved, Copilot can run repairs immediately. IT Autopilot can also resolve many Tier-1 issues fully autonomously.

Do health checks work on all operating systems?

They work across Windows, macOS, and Linux, though auto-healing is currently strongest on Windows and macOS.

Can Atera analyze screenshots or images?

Yes. Technicians can upload images, and Copilot can analyze them to identify errors and recommend solutions.

What triggers auto-healing actions?

Threshold breaches (e.g., disk space, CPU, events) can automatically run predefined scripts without a technician needing to intervene.

Are all AI actions recorded?

Absolutely. All actions—AI-driven or manual—are logged for audit, compliance, and full-resolution visibility.

How do health checks help MSP SLAs?

By catching issues earlier, automating fixes, and speeding resolution, MSPs improve uptime and reduce SLA breaches.

How does this help internal IT teams?

Device actions and autonomous fixes dramatically reduce repetitive troubleshooting, freeing time for higher-impact projects.