# Creating Alert elements

You can use one of the predefined Alert elements or define a Custom Alert element.

There are three predefined Alert elements in the SMC:

- The System Alert is reserved for alerts about the system operation.
- The Default Alert is a ready-made element that defines the alert that is triggered if no specific alert is triggered.
- The Test Alert is used in Alert Policies for testing Situations.

You can also define Custom Alert elements, which are useful if you want to configure different alert notifications for different types of events. You can create Custom Alerts and create specialized handling rules for them in your Alert Policy. System Events are automatically associated with the System Alert element.