Can I Automate Agent Assignment based on Target Type?

Use Agent Tags and Scan Templates to approximate automatic Agent assignment.

While the Spirion Console does not currently have a single "Auto-Assign" toggle that matches agents to targets based on type, you can achieve this level of automation using Agent Tags and Scan Templates.

By aligning your organizational logic with these two features, you can create a "set it and forget it" workflow that effectively automates the assignment process.

1. The "Tag-to-Target" Strategy (Recommended)

The most effective way to automate this is to create a naming and tagging convention that links your worker fleet to your data assets.

Step 1: Tag your Agents by Capability

Assign tags to your agents based on what they are optimized to scan.

Tag: DB_Workers (Agents with ODBC drivers and high RAM).
Tag: Cloud_Workers (Agents with high-speed internet egress for M365/SaaS).
Tag: FileShare_Workers (Agents network-close to your NAS/SAN).

Step 2: Create Type-Specific Scans

When you create a scan for a "SQL Database" target, assign the DB_Workers Agent Tag instead of individual agent names.

The Result: Any time you install a new Agent and give it the DB_Workers tag, it is automatically enrolled in every database scan you have scheduled.
You never have to edit the scan definition again.

2. Use Scan Templates for Consistency

If you frequently add new targets of the same type (for example, new SharePoint sites or new departmental file shares), use Scan Templates.

How it works: Create a "Master Template" for each target type (e.g., Template_SharePoint_Scan). In that template, pre-assign the correct Agent Tags (e.g., Cloud_Workers).
The Automation: When a new SharePoint site is added to your environment, simply "Clone" the template. The correct agents are already assigned, ensuring that your "Cloud Workers" are always the ones handling SharePoint data.

3. Advanced Automation via Web API

For large-scale environments, you can fully automate this process using the Spirion Web API.

The Workflow:
1. Write a script that polls your Data Asset Inventory for new targets.
2. If the script detects a new target of type Database, it uses the API to create a new scan (or update an existing one).
3. The script automatically includes the DB_Workers agent tag in the API payload for that scan.
Benefit: This creates a "Zero-Touch" onboarding process where new data assets are discovered, categorized, and assigned to the correct worker fleet without human intervention.

Best Practices for Automated Assignment

Avoid "Universal" Tags: Don't give every agent a General_Worker tag and assign it to everything. This leads to "Agent Contention," where an agent might try to scan a massive database and a local workstation at the same time, causing performance degradation.
Monitor "Agent Health" by Tag: Use the Agents page to filter by tag. If your DB_Workers are consistently showing high CPU usage, you know you need to deploy more Agents with that specific tag.
Proximity is Still King: Even with automation, ensure your tags reflect geography or network segments (e.g., DB_Workers_EMEA). Automating an assignment that pulls data across an ocean will always result in poor performance.

Summary

You can "automate" assignment by moving away from Individual Agent Assignment and moving toward Tag-Based Assignment.

By combining Agent Tags with Scan Templates, you ensure that the right type of worker is always assigned to the right type of data, even as your environment grows.