In the ever-evolving landscape of business technology, it's common to hear concerns like this from those responsible for a company's cloud strategy: "I'm not confident that all my workloads and applications are monitored. Users are telling me that something isn't working but my IT team isn't aware of it". This concern highlights a significant issue in today's digital business environment - the lack of complete visibility over workloads and applications.
 

Unmasking the hidden issues: The struggles with incomplete cloud application visibility

Traditional IT teams often face challenges in maintaining a comprehensive overview of all workloads and applications. This lack of visibility can lead to issues going unnoticed until they significantly impact the user experience or operational efficiency. In our digital age where every minute of downtime can translate to substantial financial losses, this is a problem that needs addressing.

Consider a financial services company that operates 24/7. If there is a sudden downtime in one of its core trading applications during peak hours, not only can it lead to significant financial losses, but it can also pose reputational risks. Meanwhile, in a healthcare setup, an unmonitored application responsible for patient data can lead to critical information not reaching the doctors on time, potentially compromising patient care.

In both cases, despite the presence of dedicated IT teams, the lack of complete visibility over all workloads and applications resulted in severe consequences. Hence, it is crucial to have a modern cloud operation strategy that ensures comprehensive end to end monitoring to avoid such situations.

The need for modern cloud operations

Modern cloud operations introduce a paradigm shift in cloud management, shedding the traditional reactive approach for a proactive one. This new strategy uses automated systems, real-time supervision, and data-driven insights to ensure nothing in your network goes unnoticed. It ushers in a new era of complete visibility, lifting the veil from your network's operations. This proactive approach means potential issues are identified and addressed before they have a chance to affect the user experience.

Two main aspects contribute significantly to the effectiveness of modern cloud operations. The first one is automation, which lessens the burden on IT teams by handling repetitive tasks. It allows teams to focus on more complex problems, improving their efficiency. The second one is data analytics. By analysing network data, businesses can uncover patterns and trends that would otherwise go unnoticed, providing valuable insights for decision-making and strategic planning.

Together, these two factors provide a road map for businesses to navigate the complex landscape of cloud monitoring, enabling them to consistently deliver a superior user experience. The shift to modern cloud operations is not just about improving network visibility or efficiency; it's about transforming business operations to be more resilient, agile, and customer-centric.
 

How modern cloud operations can help

Modern cloud operations can alleviate the concerns raised by many cloud strategists. By ensuring that all workloads and applications are continuously monitored, it allows IT teams to detect and address issues promptly, often before end-users even notice. For instance, a global retail company recently transitioned to modern cloud operations and reported a significant reduction in system downtime and customer complaints.

Take the case of the global retail company mentioned earlier. Prior to transitioning to modern cloud operations, the company frequently experienced system downtime during peak shopping hours. These technical disturbances not only led to an increased volume of customer complaints, but also resulted in substantial lost sales. However, after adopting a modern cloud operation strategy, the company was able to automate monitoring and maintenance tasks, freeing up their IT staff to focus on more strategic initiatives. The result was a significant reduction in system downtime and customer complaints, leading to improved sales and customer satisfaction. 

Another example can be seen in the healthcare industry. A large hospital dealing with critical patient data was struggling with unmonitored applications. The inability to promptly access crucial patient information was compromising patient care and was causing significant delays in treatment. After adopting a modern cloud operation strategy, the hospital was able to automate the monitoring of their applications and ensure real-time data availability. This immediate access to patient data improved the efficiency of their care delivery, leading to better patient outcomes. 

There exist numerous instances where multi-tiered applications may become unresponsive, leading to significant disruptions. Typically, it is the end-users attempting to utilise these applications who bear the brunt, encountering detrimental experiences. The cessation of responsiveness in applications not only hinders the user’s ability to execute tasks efficiently but also intensifies their frustration due to the inconveniences encountered.

These examples provide a glimpse into the transformative power of modern cloud operations. By ensuring comprehensive network monitoring, businesses can effectively manage their workloads, provide superior user experience, and make informed decisions that drive their success.

Making the transition to modern cloud operations

Transitioning to modern cloud operations doesn't have to be a daunting task. Here are some simple steps to get you started:

Assess your current operations
Understand your current IT infrastructure and identify areas that need improvement.

Define your goals
What do you want to achieve with modern cloud operations? This could be anything from reducing downtime, improving system performance, or enhancing user experience.

Plan your transition
Map out a step-by-step plan for the transition. This should include timelines, resources required, and potential challenges.

Implement workload and application monitoring
Once the plan is in place, start implementing monitoring. Focus on the common areas that impact application availability:

• Scheduled / unscheduled service outage
• Resources utilisation
• Security
• API
• Connectivity to hybrid networks
• Latency
• Bandwidth
• Network speed
• Packet loss
• Throughput

Monitor cloud performance
Analyse and review collected resource statistics, to define the quality of your services. Proactively capture additional metrics, including:

• CPU, Memory, storage utilisation

• Native service transactions

• Transaction runtime

• Native security notifications

• API and integration activities

• Hybrid network traffic

• Results of synthetic testing

• Jitter
• Packet duplication
• Packet reordering
• User quality experience
• Network congestion
• Round trip time
• Network error rate

​​​​

Conclusion

In essence, adopting modern cloud operations is akin to securing a safety net for your digital framework. This approach does more than merely monitoring—it enriches your cloud strategy, bolsters user experience, and affords tranquillity through ensured visibility of all workloads. By embracing this innovative change, businesses can not only navigate but master the digital landscape. Remember, a well-monitored cloud environment is the cornerstone of a successful, future-proof organisation.

Adopt Modern CloudOps. Talk to NEC.