Basic Concepts – OnPage Documentation

Build a foundational understanding of OnPage before getting started. This article explains the six essential concepts every new user should understand: Alerts, Users, Groups, On-Call Schedules, Escalation Policies, and Integrations. Learn how these components work together to ensure critical alerts reach the right people at the right time.

Audience

Relevant for new users, admins, and responders

Learning Objectives

What an alert is in OnPage and how it is delivered to the appropriate responder.
How Users, Groups, On-Call Schedules, and Escalation Policies work together to streamline critical communication.
How OnPage identifies the responsible on-call responder and automatically escalates alerts when they go unacknowledged.
How Integrations connect external monitoring and IT systems to OnPage to automate critical alert delivery and incident response.

Before you begin

Access to an OnPage account (a free trial is fine).
Basic familiarity with incident management, alerting, or on-call workflows.
Having read the Introduction to OnPage documentation.

Core Components of OnPage

Component	What It Does
Alerts	Notify responders of incidents that require attention.
Users	Individuals responsible for receiving and responding to alerts.
Group	A collection of users who share responsibility to receive alerts. On-call schedules and escalation are bound to the group
On-Call Schedules	Define responder availability and determine who is on call at a given time through configurable rotations, shifts, and schedule adjustments.
Escalation Policies	Define how alerts are escalated when the initial responder does not acknowledge them.
Integrations	Connect external monitoring, ITSM, and other systems to OnPage for automated alert delivery.

Alerts

Relevant for all users

Critical alerts are at the core of OnPage’s Incident Alerting and On-Call Management platform. They notify designated responders of urgent incidents that require immediate attention, helping teams respond quickly and minimize disruptions.

Alerts can originate from integrated monitoring systems, ITSM platforms, or other connected tools. They can also be sent manually through the OnPage web console or mobile application.

OnPage helps ensure critical alerts reach the appropriate responders through:

Automated Alert Routing: Directs incoming alerts to the appropriate users or groups based on predefined routing rules and on-call schedules.
High-Priority Notifications: Delivers persistent mobile alerts that can override silent and Do Not Disturb settings, helping urgent messages stand out from routine notifications.
Alert-Until-Read: Continues notifying responders until the alert is read, reducing the risk of missed critical messages.
Automated Escalations: Escalates unacknowledged alerts to designated backup responders according to configured escalation policies.

Users

Relevant for all users and administrators

A user is an individual with an OnPage account who can send, receive, and respond to critical messages. Each user has a unique OnPage ID, which serves as their identifier within the platform.

OnPage users can be assigned to groups, included in on-call schedules, and designated as recipients of critical alerts.

Users play different roles depending on their responsibilities:

Administrators: Manage users, groups, permissions, on-call schedules, and other organizational settings through the OnPage web console.
Responders: Receive and respond to critical alerts through the OnPage mobile application.
On-Call Responders: Users assigned to specific shifts or rotations who are responsible for handling critical alerts during their scheduled coverage periods.

Groups

Relevant for administrators and team managers

Groups allow organizations to organize OnPage users into teams based on their responsibilities, departments, or operational functions.

Groups allow organizations to:

Organize Responders: Assign users to teams based on their roles and responsibilities.
Simplify Alert Distribution: Direct critical messages to the appropriate group instead of manually selecting individual recipients.
Support On-Call Coverage: Coordinate group membership with on-call schedules to ensure the appropriate responders receive alerts.

On-Call Schedules

Relevant for administrators, schedule managers, and responders

On-call schedules determine which users are responsible for responding to critical alerts during specific periods.

OnPage’s on-call scheduling capabilities include:

Automated Rotations: Rotate on-call responsibilities among designated team members according to predefined schedules.
Shift Management: Define coverage periods based on business hours, after-hours support, weekends, or other operational requirements.
Schedule Adjustments: Update assignments to accommodate changes in responder availability.
Schedule-Based Alerting: Direct critical alerts to the responder assigned to the active on-call shift.

Routing Rules

Relevant for administrators

Routing rules determine how incoming alerts are directed to the appropriate users, groups, or on-call responders.

Routing rules help organizations:

Automate Alert Distribution: Route incoming alerts without requiring manual intervention.
Direct Alerts to the Right Teams: Ensure incidents reach the users or groups responsible for handling them.
Reduce Manual Coordination: Minimize the need for teams to determine who should receive each incoming alert.

Escalation Policies

Relevant for administrators and on-call managers

Escalation policies define what happens when a critical alert is not acknowledged or addressed by the initially designated responder.

While routing rules determine where an alert should go, escalation policies establish the next steps when additional attention is required.

Escalation policies help organizations:

Establish Backup Coverage: Identify additional responders who should receive alerts if the initial recipient is unavailable.
Automate Escalation Workflows: Forward critical alerts to designated backup responders according to configured escalation rules.
Reduce Response Delays: Prevent urgent incidents from relying entirely on one individual.
Maintain Accountability: Establish a defined notification sequence for incidents requiring attention.

Example:

An IT organization configures the following escalation workflow:

Initial Notification: The primary on-call responder receives a critical alert.
No Acknowledgment: If the responder does not acknowledge the alert within the configured period, the escalation policy is triggered.
Backup Notification: OnPage sends the alert to the designated backup responder.
Further Escalation: If necessary, the alert continues through the configured escalation sequence.

Integrations

Relevant for administrators

Integrations connect OnPage with external monitoring, IT service management (ITSM), and other business systems to automate critical alert delivery.

Integrations help organizations:

Automate Incident Notifications: Receive alerts from external systems without manual intervention.
Connect Existing IT Workflows: Extend monitoring and ITSM platforms with OnPage’s critical alerting capabilities.
Centralize Critical Communication: Bring notifications from multiple systems into a coordinated alerting workflow.
Improve Response Coordination: Ensure urgent events generated by connected tools reach the appropriate on-call personnel.

Depending on the connected system and supported integration method, alerts can be delivered to OnPage through mechanisms such as APIs, webhooks, or email-based integrations.

How OnPage’s Incident Alerting and On-Call Management Work Together