Truth is, modernized cloud application environments are highly complex, so much so that internal IT and data center monitoring tools can’t handle it without the right resources. Without these, IT operations teams run blind.
Why are modern applications so complex today? Unlike monolithic applications that were hosted by individual VMs in an on-prem environment, modern applications are broken down into microservices that are each assigned a defined task or capability. Each container acts like a tiny server, which multiplies the number of endpoints that require monitoring. On top of that, many companies utilize multiple clouds to match each of their critical apps with their optimum cloud environment.
Companies believe this complexity is worth it because it allows for incredible agility to respond to fluctuating dynamic workloads and to serve users at a scale that monolithic applications could never achieve. For all these wonderful benefits, however, there are some real challenges:
The complexity of container ecospheres doesn’t stop there. Most companies that employ the cloud still utilize on-prem environments. Some of this is due to legacy applications that cannot be modernized. To avoid cloud lock-in, some organizations store their data in a separate data center adjacent to the cloud to avoid data transfer costs if they change cloud providers. Despite the complexity of it all, the benefits that modernized applications bring cannot be ignored. It is one of the reasons why Gartner predicts that almost two-thirds of spending on application software will be directed toward cloud technology in 2025.
There’s no doubt that IT teams are developing legitimate value-added innovation and containers can make this process easier. Developers can deploy microservices in different languages and technologies while time to market is reduced with added functionality. But all this innovation can’t be fully leveraged without the proper support from IT operation teams. For many organizations, IT operations aren’t modernized to do the job because the data center monitoring tools they are saddled with are not applicable to cloud applications.
When you consider everything, you begin to understand why 72% of CIOs say that monitoring containerized microservices in real-time is almost impossible.
It is possible to monitor containerized microservices to ensure that your cloud-based applications run optimally. But how? The answer is AI automation. Gartner states that many IT organizations who fail to adapt AI will no longer be operationally viable. Only automated AI systems can handle the scale, speed, complexity, and dynamic nature of today’s modernized applications that rely on cloud-hosted containers and microservices.
In 2022, Forrester evaluated 11 AI for IT Operations (AIOps) providers and named Dynatrace a leader in that industry, giving them top scores in the Current Offering and Strategy categories. AIOps provides the ability to leverage machine learning and other AI technologies to automate and improve the performance, availability, and security of IT systems and applications. It only makes sense that a new application architecture requires a new operational approach.
Contact WEI to find out more how Dynatrace has the solutions you need to keep your IT operations in pace with your application innovations.
Next Steps: Thanks to Dynatrace, full stack application analytics and observability is fully achievable for your AWS-hosted application environments. Converting terabytes of data about your cloud application environment and converting it to real answers and actionable, intelligent automation, companies can maximize their modernized application strategies.
In this tech brief, we expand on: