How to Setup Autotask Notifications

ZoneWatcher connects to Autotask with an API-only user. Tickets are created as that user, so give the user its own login instead of a person's password.

To create the API user in Autotask:

1. Go to Admin → Company Settings & Users → Resources/Users (HR) → Resources/Users
2. Choose New → New API User
3. Name the user something descriptive like "ZoneWatcher Integration"
4. Set the security level to API User (system) so it can add tickets and read companies, queues, and ticket fields
5. Generate a secret and copy it immediately — it is only shown once
6. Save the username (the email address on the API user). That username is what ZoneWatcher uses to find your Autotask zone

Every Autotask API request also needs an integration tracking identifier. Create one for ZoneWatcher rather than reusing a code from another product.

1. Go to Admin → Company Settings & Users → Resources/Users (HR) → Security → API Tracking Identifiers
2. Add an identifier named "ZoneWatcher"
3. Copy the tracking code
4. Assign that identifier to the API user you created above

You do not paste an Autotask website address into ZoneWatcher. The address you use in the browser (for example ww2.autotask.net) is not the API address. ZoneWatcher looks up the correct API zone from the username when you save the channel.

ZoneWatcher allows you to create unlimited Notification Channels, which can file tickets differently in Autotask.

Once you have your credentials, you can create a new Notification Channel by providing:

1. Channel Name: A descriptive name like "Autotask Tickets"
2. API Username and API Secret: From the API user you created above
3. Integration Tracking Code: The tracking identifier you created for ZoneWatcher

As soon as those credentials are entered, ZoneWatcher loads companies, queues, statuses, ticket types, and priorities from your Autotask zone so you can choose exactly how tickets are filed:

• Company (required): The Autotask company tickets are filed against
• Queue (required): The queue new tickets are created in
• Status (required): The status new tickets start in, usually New
• Ticket Type (optional): Leave empty to use your Autotask default
• Priority Mapping (optional): Map ZoneWatcher's severity levels (Critical, High, Medium, Low) to your Autotask priorities. Unmapped severities use your Autotask default priority

Tip for MSPs: combine the Company setting with the channel's Provider Filter to give each customer their own ticket routing — create one channel per customer, pick their DNS providers in the filter, and file their tickets against their Autotask company.

When a DNS event occurs, ZoneWatcher creates one Autotask ticket with:

• Title: A concise title describing the event (e.g., "example.com DNS changes detected")
• Description: Full information about the DNS event, including a link back to the affected zone in ZoneWatcher
• Company, Queue, Status, Ticket Type, and Priority: Applied from your channel's mapping configuration

You can also customize which events you want to receive notifications for. Current events include:

• Zone Changed
• New Zone Discovered
• Zone Expiring Soon
• Zone Expired
• Zone Renewed
• Zone Nameservers Changed
• Zone Certificate Issued
• Zone Certificate Expiring Soon
• Zone Listed on Blocklist
• Zone Removed from Blocklist
• Zone Sync Failed
• Provider Auto-Disabled
• Changeset Submitted
• Changeset Cancelled
• Changeset Schedule Reminder
• Changeset Approval Requested
• Changeset Approved
• Changeset Rejected
• Changeset Applied
• Changeset Failed
• Changeset Rolled Back
• Changeset Conflict Detected
• Changeset Propagated
• Changeset Propagation Timeout
• Changeset Rollback Failed

If ticket creation fails repeatedly (for example after the API secret is revoked), ZoneWatcher automatically disables the channel after five consecutive failures and emails your team admins, so failures never go unnoticed.

• Credentials are stored encrypted in ZoneWatcher's database
• Create a dedicated API user and tracking code for ZoneWatcher rather than reusing a person's login
• Regularly rotate the API secret
• Review Autotask's API usage if ticket activity looks unexpected