Schedule scans and analysis

[ Applies to ] StorageGuard 9.2 and later / All supported storage, backup, SAN and cloud systems / Windows and Linux deployments

Once every system scans cleanly, you'll want StorageGuard to collect and analyze on its own. Everything runs from the Schedule page: scan tasks collect configuration data, Security Risk Analysis tasks evaluate it against your enabled policies, and a Full Cycle task does both in one go. This article explains which to use, how to set each up, and how to run a task on demand.

In this article

Choose the task type
Schedule a scan task
Schedule a Security Risk Analysis task
Schedule a Full Cycle task
Run a task now
Review and manage tasks

Before you begin

Every system you intend to scan is Fully Scanned at least once. See Run your first scan and confirm collection succeeded and Fix scan errors.
The policies you want are enabled. See Choose and create baseline policies.
You're signed in as an administrator.

Choose the task type

Task type	What it does	Use it when
Scan Task	Collects configuration data from the systems in scope. No analysis.	You want to control collection and analysis separately, for example to scan at night and analyze in the morning, or scan one platform on its own schedule.
Security Risk Analysis	Runs every applicable check from your enabled policies against the data already collected, and creates or closes findings. No collection.	You scan with separate scan tasks, or you've changed policies or tuned checks and want findings refreshed without a rescan.
Full Cycle	Scans the whole scope, then analyzes it, in one task.	The simplest recurring setup. One task keeps both data and findings current.

Tip: Most environments need just two tasks: a weekly Full Cycle for everything, and a Security Risk Analysis you execute by hand after changing policies. Add separate scan tasks only when one platform needs a different window or frequency.

Every task type shares the same scheduling fields:

Field	What to enter
Task Identifier	A name. It must be unique among tasks of the same type.
Time Zone	The time zone the start time refers to. With America/New_York and 10:00 AM, the task starts at 10:00 AM New York time, wherever the server is.
Weekly schedule	The weekdays and time.
Monthly schedule	The day of the month and time. Select Last for the last day of the month.
One time	A single date and time.

Schedule a scan task

Go to Settings > Schedule and click +.
In Type, select Scan Task.
Enter the Task Identifier and Time Zone.
In Max Task Duration, set a limit long enough for the whole scope. If the scan reaches the limit, it's stopped.
Set the schedule: weekly, monthly or one time.
Set the scope: All items in scope for every enabled system, or Select Scope to pick systems, sites or CI groups. A CI group is the easy way to scan one system type, for example all arrays of one vendor.
Click Save.

Tip: To size Max Task Duration, look at how long recent scans took: open Task Manager, select the Finished tab and compare start and end times. See Drill into a scan in Task Manager.

Schedule a Risk Analysis task

Go to Settings > Schedule and click +.
In Type, select Security Risk Analysis.
Enter the Task Identifier and Time Zone.
Set the schedule. Start it after your scan task usually ends, with some margin, so it analyzes fresh data.
Click Save.

Note: An analysis task uses whatever data the last scan collected. If a system hasn't been scanned since a change, the findings reflect the old configuration until the next scan.

Schedule a Full Cycle task

Go to Settings > Schedule and click +.
In Type, select Full Cycle.
Enter the Task Identifier and Time Zone.
Set the schedule.
Set the scope: the default scope scans every enabled system; or select specific systems and scan groups.
Click Save.

Note: You can define several Full Cycle tasks, but only one full scan runs at a time. If two overlap, the second waits.

Run a task now

You don't have to wait for a task's scheduled time. Run it on demand after fixing scan errors, enabling a policy, tuning checks, or adding systems.

Go to Settings > Schedule.
Select the task and click Execute.
The task's Status icon rotates while it runs. Click Last Execution to see each system in the task and its status, or follow it in Task Manager on the Active tab.

To scan and analyze a few systems without a task, select them in Assets > Inventory, right-click and select Scan and analyze risks. See Run and schedule a risk analysis.

Review and manage tasks

The Schedule page lists every task with its type, schedule, scope, last execution and status. Calendar View shows all tasks on a daily, weekly or monthly calendar, which is the quickest way to spot overlaps.

Action	How
Edit a task	Select it and click the edit icon. Change its schedule or scope; the type can't be changed.
Delete a task	Select it and click the delete icon. Past executions stay in Task Manager.
See why a run failed	Open Task Manager, select the Failed tab, click … on the task and select Scan Overview. See Fix scan errors.
Check the last run at a glance	The Last Scan panel on the Health Check dashboard. See Check system health.

The same page schedules housekeeping: support bundle creation and service restarts. See Maintain the database and restart StorageGuard.

[ Next step ]

Set up email notifications, so scheduled reports and alerts reach their owners.

[ Still need help? ]

Our support team can help with scheduling and day-to-day operation. Submit a request