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Displaying IT Glue Flexible Assets in CloudRadial UCP

Ricky Cecchini
  • Updated

Important Note: Like all V2 API features, Flexible Assets requires development experience to implement. You'll need to make API calls to define asset types and populate data. This is not a point-and-click integration.

Flexible Assets is a powerful feature within CloudRadial's V2 API that allows MSPs to define and display completely custom asset types in the client portal, derived from the feature of the same name in IT Glue. 

They allow you to

  • Create custom asset categories beyond standard endpoints and servers
  • Define your own data structure with custom fields
  • Import asset data from IT Glue (or other documentation systems)
  • Control visibility through feature sets and security roles
  • Display everything in CloudRadial's professional client interface

Think of it as building your own asset templates that match exactly what you track for clients, then populating those templates with your actual asset data. Flexible Assets lets you showcase everything you manage - not just the predefined categories built into CloudRadial.

IT Glue Compatibility

For MSPs using IT Glue's Flexible Assets feature, CloudRadial provides an IT Glue-compatible API that maintains the same specification and structure. This means:

  • You can use your existing IT Glue API calls with minimal modification
  • The data structure and field types match IT Glue's format
  • Migration from IT Glue to CloudRadial becomes straightforward
  • You maintain a single source of truth while displaying assets in both platforms

If you're not using IT Glue, CloudRadial also offers a native API format for creating Flexible Assets.

How Flexible Assets Work

Though instructions are written below, it's helpful to review the process of asset ingestion in a video format. Review the video below for a detailed explanation on how to accomplish this:


 

Step 1: Define Your Asset Type

First, you create an asset type schema through the API. This defines:

  • Asset type name (e.g., "Network Devices", "Mobile Devices")
    • Note! Flexible Asset types must have a unique name - you will encounter an error if the name already exists. 
  • Fields for that asset type with properties like:
    • Field name and description
    • Data type (text, number, date, etc.)
    • Whether the field is required
    • Display order in the grid
    • Whether to show in list view

Step 2: Create Assets

Once your asset type is defined, you populate it with actual asset data:

  • Submit asset data via API (bulk insert supported)
  • Each asset must reference the correct asset type ID
  • CloudRadial validates data against your defined schema
  • Invalid data types or missing required fields trigger validation errors

Step 3: Display in Portal


Assets automatically appear in the client portal:

  • New menu items appear under the Infrastructure tab
    • The specific names will depend on your API structure - but note that you can rename the display name from Partner > Settings > Account & Branding > Sidebar
  • Assets display in a grid format based on your schema
  • Clicking an asset shows all detailed information
  • Clients can search and filter their assets

Implementation Process

Using the IT Glue Compatible API

  1. Define Asset Type:
 
POST /api/v2/compatibility/flexible_asset_types

Include your asset type schema with fields matching your IT Glue structure

  1. Create Assets:
 
POST /api/v2/compatibility/organizations/{company_id}/relationships/flexible_assets

Bulk insert your assets using the same format as IT Glue

  1. Validation: 

CloudRadial validates that:

  • Asset type names are unique
  • Field data matches expected types
  • Required fields are present
  • Assets reference valid asset type IDs

Managing Visibility

Feature Sets:

  • Flexible Assets appear in the Infrastructure menu
  • Enable/disable per feature set
  • Control which clients see which asset types

Security Roles:

  • Using flexible assets will enable a new Flexible Assets permission section
  • You will be able to control the standard Read, Write, Delete, and Full permissions
  • You can also control access at the role level

If security is paramount, you can always read up on CloudRadial's security roles by reviewing the documentation here. 

Best Practices

Getting started can be overwhelming. Start with the following best practices to get the hang of it: 

  1. Start with one asset type that's common across all clients
  2. Use consistent (and unique) naming for asset types and fields
  3. Plan your schema carefully - changing field types after data is populated can be complex
  4. Test with one client before rolling out broadly
  5. Document your asset types for your team

The Migration Process from IT Glue

If you're currently using IT Glue Flexible Assets:

  1. Export your asset type definitions from IT Glue
  2. Create matching asset types in CloudRadial using the compatible API
  3. Export your asset data from IT Glue
  4. Import to CloudRadial using bulk insert with minimal data transformation
  5. Verify data integrity in the CloudRadial portal
  6. Configure visibility through feature sets and roles

The IT Glue-compatible endpoints mean you can often reuse existing scripts or integrations with minor URL changes. 

Technical Resources and Current Limitations

Limitations around the technology currnently are as follows:

  • Asset types and data can only be created via API (no UI option currently)
  • Asset type names must be unique across your CloudRadial instance
  • Page ordering and grouping controls are coming in future updates, but not available today
  • Manual asset entry through the portal UI is not yet available

Getting Help

Flexible Assets implementation requires API development skills. CloudRadial support is limited to providing support - we can and will assist if the API connections are broken, but cannot assist in implementation or technical best practices. 

We recommend to:

  • Review the API documentation and videos for code examples
  • Contract API specialists to assist with structuring and management assistance 
  • Share integration patterns with the CloudRadial community (https://community.cloudradial.com) 

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