System Overview

system overview activate is a modular platform designed to automate and orchestrate business processes across hybrid environments it provides a unified interface for end users, administrators, and system integrations through a combination of web, background, and api components the following sections outline the core elements of an activate deployment, how they interact, and where they fit within different deployment models deployment models activate supports multiple deployment models to meet different security, identity, and integration requirements these models describe how activate connects to directory services and supporting systems rather than where it is physically hosted activate is highly flexible and can be adapted to suit a wide range of architectures the following models represent common examples that have been implemented in customer environments, but they are not exclusive — a deployment may include elements of more than one model depending on business and infrastructure needs on premises – activate integrates directly with an on premises active directory and exchange environment all authentication, group management, and mailbox operations occur through local services hybrid – activate connects to both on premises and cloud environments typical examples include using azure ad connect for identity synchronisation or managing a mixture of on premises and cloud mailboxes activate communicates securely with both directories and mail systems cloud only – activate operates entirely against cloud based services such as azure ad and exchange online, with no dependency on an on premises domain controller activate components may still be hosted on premises or in the cloud, but all identity, group, and mailbox operations are performed in microsoft 365 the sql database can be hosted on a server in azure or on customer infrastructure each model uses the same core components and configuration principles but differs in how authentication and system integration are configured core components activate is composed of several key components that work together to deliver end to end automation activate web the web interface for end users and administrators provides access to dashboards, self service, workflows, and administrative tools implements modern security standards including https, content security policy, and zero trust access authenticates users via azure ad or other supported identity providers activate orchestrator the background processing engine responsible for executing automation workflows runs scheduled and event driven tasks interfaces with external systems such as active directory, exchange, and microsoft 365 handles queue management, error handling, and transactional integrity activate studio the configuration and design environment for administrators used to build workflows, manage parameters, and configure system behavior allows administrators to define objects, data structures, and integration logic replaces the legacy “activate administrator” interface activate anywhere a lightweight web service designed to operate in secure network zones (e g , dmz) provides a proxy for secure communication between on premises systems and cloud hosted components enables hybrid and internet facing deployments without exposing internal servers directly activate api a restful interface allowing programmatic interaction with activate used by external systems to create, query, and manage activate data and workflows supports authentication via oauth 2 0 powers integrations with third party systems, portals, and custom tools data flow activate follows a hub based data model centered around the sql database user actions in the web interface trigger workflow requests orchestrator processes these requests using background jobs and connected system accounts activate studio defines the logic and data relationships governing these workflows data is stored and synchronized via the activate sql database, which acts as the single source of truth external systems such as azure ad, exchange, and servicenow integrate via the api or orchestrator connectors integration points activate connects with a wide range of enterprise systems through built in and custom connectors, including microsoft 365 (azure ad, exchange online, sharepoint) active directory (user and group provisioning) email services (for workflow notifications and approvals) service management platforms (e g , servicenow, jira) custom apis using rest or soap connectors integration is governed by roles, permissions, and secure service accounts to maintain consistent and auditable automation across systems