🎁 JSM Advent Calendar - Day 18: Opsgenie / Alerting (The Red Phone)

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☎️ Waking the Head Elf

We’ve talked about managing changes (Day 17). But what happens when something explodes in the middle of the night?

The Scenario:

It’s 3:00 AM on a Sunday in July. The toy factory catches fire. You can’t simply send an email to the Head of Security and hope they check their inbox on Monday morning. You need a siren. You need to wake someone up right now.

The HR Reality:

HR and IT aren't usually 24/7 jobs, but some things are critical.

• Example: A severe workplace accident, a PR scandal involving an executive, or a physical security breach.

• The Problem: If a ticket comes in marked "Urgent," but nobody looks at the queue until 9:00 AM, the damage is already done.

The JSM Solution:

Opsgenie (Alerting). Included with JSM, Opsgenie handles the "wake up call."

• Set up an On-Call Schedule for your Crisis Team.

• The Trigger: If a ticket comes in marked "Priority: Critical" AND "Category: Safety," JSM triggers Opsgenie.

• The Action: Opsgenie calls their mobile phone, sends an SMS, and pushes notifications until someone actually acknowledges it. If they don't answer in 5 minutes? It automatically escalates to the next person on the list.

🎁 Tip of the Day:

Prevent Burnout with Rotations. Even Santa needs a silent night. Opsgenie allows you to set "Rotations." Week 1 is the VP of HR; Week 2 is the Director. This ensures you have 24/7 coverage without ruining the same person's sleep every single weekend.

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❄️ Let’s chat: Have you ever been "On-Call" during the holidays? 📟 What is the worst time you've ever been woken up for a work emergency?