Cloud Native Observability: How it Drives Efficiency and Cost Control in Enterprise IT
Cloud native observability is a rapidly emerging technology that is gaining significant attention in the enterprise. In a recent interview with Ian Smith, Field CTO at Chronosphere, we delved into the trends and best practices surrounding observability.
Observability solutions play a crucial role in monitoring a company’s IT infrastructure by continuously tracking its outputs. These outputs primarily focus on measuring the performance of core applications that enable the company to operate smoothly. Traditionally, this monitoring task has been performed by humans, but as technology infrastructure becomes more complex, there is a growing need for additional assistance. This is where observability solutions come into play.
Observability is becoming increasingly important as IT infrastructure continues to grow in complexity. Companies are well aware of this fact and are actively seeking ways to adopt observability practices. Chronosphere specializes in cloud native observability, which is ideally suited for modern IT deployments that involve microservices and multicloud environments.
While the adoption of observability solutions is on the rise, there is still some skepticism surrounding this emerging technology. Skeptical companies often ask, What do we gain from beyond the high-level marketing message? The answer lies in understanding that observability is much more than just integrating various tools. The true value lies in how observability can aid engineering teams in meeting business requirements and controlling costs, including the expenses associated with multicloud computing.
It is also crucial for companies to consider their growth trajectory. as Smith explained, When we previously settled on our observability tooling, we were a much smaller company. We had a strong focus on observability driven by our most experienced resources. However, now with a larger number of engineers, we require a more widespread range of experiences. Therefore, deliberate planning is essential when it comes to observability due to its inherent complexity.
To create an effective observability strategy, an organization needs to have a clear understanding of who is using the observability tool, how it is being utilized, and the amount of usage. The ability to compare different data sets is crucial. For example, a company may have data that is only used once every three months for capacity planning, while other data is utilized daily for important investigations. It is imperative to know where the data is located and what data is needed at all times to address essential business questions.
One of the critical elements in devising an observability strategy is having a precise goal and aligning that goal across the entire organization. Smith emphasized the importance of asking, What problem are we trying to solve? It is vital for all stakeholders to be on the same page and have a well-defined problem statement before investing in observability tools. This strategic initiative requires stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, which may involve directing a significant portion of observability data to a data lake to optimize the usage of observability tools effectively.
While some believe that AI can resolve all the challenges associated with monitoring IT infrastructure, Smith argues that this belief is unrealistic. However, the growth of AI does have significant implications for IT, particularly in terms of enhancing communication between humans and systems. The future of observability will enable IT admins to have natural language conversations with their systems. Instead of sifting through massive amounts of data, admins will be able to simply ask questions about a particular part of the system, and the observability system will distill the relevant information and provide explanations.
In conclusion, cloud native observability is becoming increasingly essential in enterprise IT. Its ability to monitor complex IT infrastructure and assist engineering teams in meeting business needs and controlling costs is driving its adoption. However, careful planning and a clear understanding of the goals and objectives are crucial for successfully implementing observability practices. The future holds the promise of AI-driven conversations between IT admins and systems, streamlining the process of obtaining valuable insights from observability data.
