SolarWinds Categories & Priorities
Learn how to configure categories and priority mappings for incidents created by Cynteo Alert Bridge.
Categories
What are Categories?
SolarWinds uses a two-level categorization system to organize incidents:
Category
└── Subcategory
Example:
Infrastructure
├── Azure Monitor
├── Cloud Services
└── On-Premises Systems
Default Categories
Cynteo Alert Bridge uses these defaults:
- Category: Infrastructure
- Subcategory: Azure Monitor
Custom Categories
You can specify custom categories during deployment. Categories must already exist in your SolarWinds instance.
To create categories in SolarWinds:
- Log into SolarWinds Service Desk
- Go to Setup → Incidents → Categories
- Click "+ Add Category"
- Create your category and subcategories
- Note the exact names (case-sensitive)
Priorities
Priority Mapping
Cynteo Alert Bridge maps Azure alert severities to SolarWinds priorities:
| Azure Severity | Default Priority | Customizable |
|---|---|---|
| Sev0 (Critical) | Critical | ✅ Yes |
| Sev1 (Error) | High | ✅ Yes |
| Sev2 (Warning) | Medium | ✅ Yes |
| Sev3 (Informational) | Low | ✅ Yes |
| Sev4 (Verbose) | Low | ✅ Yes |
Custom Priority Mapping
Priority mappings can be customized during deployment to match your organization’s SolarWinds priority structure.
Common customizations:
- All critical alerts → Critical priority
- Production alerts → Higher priority than dev
- Different priorities by resource type
Contact support@cynteocloud.com to configure custom mappings.
Checking Your SolarWinds Configuration
View Available Priorities
- Log into SolarWinds
- Go to Setup → Incidents → Priorities
- Note your priority names
Common SolarWinds priority structures:
- Critical, High, Medium, Low
- P1, P2, P3, P4
- Urgent, High, Normal, Low
View Available Categories
- Log into SolarWinds
- Go to Setup → Incidents → Categories
- Review your category hierarchy
Assignment Groups
Auto-Assignment
SolarWinds can automatically assign incidents to teams based on category and priority.
Example Assignment Rule:
IF category = "Infrastructure"
AND priority = "Critical"
THEN assign to "On-Call Team"
This is configured in SolarWinds, not Cynteo Alert Bridge.
Configuring Assignment
Cynteo Alert Bridge can optionally specify an assignment group during incident creation. This is configured during deployment.
Benefits:
- Automatic routing to correct team
- No manual triage needed
- Consistent incident handling
Best Practices
Category Strategy
Option 1: By Platform
Cloud Services
├── Azure
├── AWS
└── Google Cloud
Option 2: By Service
Infrastructure
├── Compute
├── Storage
└── Networking
Option 3: By Environment
Production
└── Azure Monitor
Development
└── Azure Monitor
Priority Strategy
Recommendation: Keep priority mapping simple and consistent
- Critical issues → High priority
- Warnings → Medium priority
- Informational → Low priority
Adjust based on your operational needs and SLA requirements.
See Also
- SolarWinds Setup - Initial configuration
- API Token Guide - Token management
- Priority Mapping Guide - Advanced mapping options
Questions? Contact support@cynteocloud.com