Dynamic Device Groups for Automation and Reporting
It would be extremely useful if Atera offered a way to define dynamic device groups. These groups could be created based on:
- Folder structures
- Naming conventions (e.g., Notebook, Desktop, Server*)
- Custom filters
- Manually assigned devices
Once defined, these groups could be used as target collections for various actions, including:
- Script execution
- Software deployment and removal
- Patch management
- Reporting and analytics
- Other automation tasks
This would allow administrators to perform recurring tasks across multiple customers, locations, or device types without having to repeatedly search for and select individual devices.
Practical Example
Today, I can use software reporting to identify devices that have an outdated application installed. I can also generate a list of all affected devices.
However, at that point the workflow becomes cumbersome. It would be much more efficient if I could:
1.) Select a predefined device group directly from the reporting interface.
2.) Scan only the devices that belong to that group.
3.) Immediately launch a script, software installation, or uninstallation task from the same dialog.
For example, if an outdated application is detected on devices within the "Notebooks" group, I should be able to directly initiate an update, uninstall, or remediation script against all affected devices without leaving the report.
Alternative Enhancement
Another valuable approach would be to allow actions directly from the software reporting results. After identifying affected devices, administrators should be able to:
- Select all or specific devices returned by the report.
- Run a script on those devices.
- Deploy software packages.
- Trigger automation profiles.
This would significantly reduce the number of steps required for software maintenance and remediation, streamline administration, and improve efficiency when managing large environments.
Guido Meyer
shared this idea