Often we receive a series of alerts that get auto-resolved within a short period of time. Such alerts are called flapping or transient alerts. In this blog, we'll explore Auto Pause transient alert (APTA) feature that detects flapping alerts and temporarily pause incident notifications hence reducing alert fatigue.

Transient alerts 

For Auto Pause Transient Alerts (APTA), a transient alert is an alert that typically auto-resolves via the configured alert source integration within a short time period of time from its trigger. Examples include sudden spikes in CPU utilization during high traffic periods.

Challenge: Alert Fatigue from Transient Alerts

Transient alerts, which frequently auto-resolve within a short timeframe, can add to the overall noise in the monitoring landscape. Constant alerts for incidents that are expected to self-resolve can disrupt your workflow, creating unnecessary interruptions. In simpler terms, these transient alerts can cause: 

1. Alert noise overload
2. On-Call engineer distraction
3. Resource wastage on non-actionable incidents
4. Reduced focus on critical tasks
5. Increased Incident Response time

Solution: APTA To Silence The Noise And Amplify Efficiency

The Auto Pause Transient Alert (APTA) feature is designed to address the above mentioned challenge, allowing users to intelligently manage and suppress notifications for incidents that are expected to self-resolve.

APTA allows you to set a timeout window, during which the service will refrain from sending out incident notifications. If the incident resolves within this timeframe, you're spared the unnecessary alert bombardment.

Common Use Cases

APTA finds its use case in multiple scenarios. Let’s take a look at a few:

1. Enterprise Scale Operations: Ideal for organizations managing a multitude of services, APTA minimizes alert noise for enterprise-level clients dealing with a high volume of transient incidents.

2. Seasonal Traffic Spikes: Particularly valuable during peak seasons or events, such as holiday sales, where sudden surges in system metrics may trigger transient alerts that can safely be ignored.

Read more: How to Route Alerts to Subject Matter Experts Using Squadcast Tagging & Routing Rules?

Enabling Auto Pause Transient Alerts In Squadcast

There are two ways to enable Auto Pause Transient Alerts in Squadcast:

While creating a new Service: 

• While creating a new service in Squadcast, in the Settings section, enable the Auto Pause Transient Alerts (APTA) toggle.
• Choose a Timeout Window (time for a transient alert to remain suppressed). You can use the recommended window or set a custom one.
• Click Save and Continue to complete service creation and activate APTA.

For an existing Service:

• Go to the Services tab, find the desired service, and click More > Edit Service. 

• In the Settings section, enable the Auto Pause Transient Alerts (APTA) toggle.
• Choose a Timeout Window (as above).
• Click Save to activate APTA for this service.

Understanding the APTA Feedback Loop

APTA lets you fine-tune its accuracy through two types of feedback:

1. Flagging Alerts as Transient:

If a triggered alert should have been marked as transient but wasn't, you can inform the system explicitly by selecting the "Mark Transient" action button on the Details page.

2. Mark as Not Transient: If an alert is wrongly flagged as transient, you can click the "Not Transient" action button. This instantly triggers the incident and trains APTA not to consider similar alerts transient in the future. 

However, it might take multiple instances of feedback for APTA to fully adapt. Remember, your feedback helps APTA become smarter and reduce alert noise even further! The better you refine it, the better result it delivers.

Benefits of Auto Pause Transient Alerts for On-Call Teams

1. Noise Reduction for Enhanced Focus: By intelligently pausing notifications for incidents that auto-resolve, APTA provides On-Call engineers with a quieter workspace, allowing them to concentrate on critical tasks without constant interruption.

2. Data-Driven Optimization: APTA's data science techniques analyze historical transient alerts, offering users informed recommendations for setting timeout windows. This ensures optimal customization based on past incident patterns.

Read more: Keeping Stakeholders Notified of Incidents With Squadcast 

3. Efficient Resource Allocation: With APTA in place, teams gain valuable time that would otherwise be spent addressing non-actionable incidents. This enables a more efficient allocation of resources toward tasks that demand genuine attention.

4. Proactive Incident Management: APTA fosters a proactive approach by allowing users to mark incidents as transient or non-transient. This feedback loop refines the system's understanding over time, reducing misclassifications and improving overall incident management precision.

Conclusion

Auto Pause Transient Alert emerges as a practical solution to a specific yet pervasive problem in Incident Management. It isn't about reinventing the wheel; it's about refining the existing processes to ensure that alerts align with actionable incidents. APTA, with its data-driven approach and user feedback loop, stands as a reliable ally for those seeking to cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters in the world of Incident Response. Experience the modern approach to Incident Management by signing up for Squadcast free today!