Observability, like software testing, should be a way to detect and analyze any code anywhere in the supply chain or on a network. It should predict coming errors and even disasters, or the feasibility of a particular project. It also should increasingly automate these tasks, such as in the event of a compromise when a bad actor has gained access to a network, stack, container, etc.
Gone are the days when observability was mainly handled by operations engineers, who parsed through firehoses of logs, metrics and traces to figure out and debug when and how things went wrong. In 2024, we saw the application of observability and its use beginning with the shift-left cycle for developers, extending through greater capabilities in the stack, and now also extending to the network and continuing through the edge in highly distributed systems.
OpenTelemetry made some huge strides in 2024 as a way to stay in our sights and deliver other benefits. We’ve already begun to see the repercussions in 2024, and 2025 should see even greater things in what OpenTelemetry offers through one of the most ambitious and successful open source projects.
AI, of course, is a big story everywhere, but now we’re starting to see through the hype. Its revolutionary aspects, at least in observability, will not be immediate. Stung by shrinking budgets and rising cloud and observability costs, organizations are demanding not only cost reductions but are demanding that observability platforms live up to their paid-for promises with added features, as providers look to lower the costs with what they offer.
Top comments (0)