What does it take to become an observability trailblazer?
Being an observability leader pays off – Trail blazers have higher ROI, faster innovation and greater confidence that they will deliver on their performance promises – significantly impacting, risk, reputation and revenue.
The State of Observability report found the majority of organisations (59%) reporting that every hour of downtime for an internally developed consumer-facing apps costs them between $150K and $1M.
So, what are the fundamentals when it comes to building an observability practice? In this article, we explore key factors to becoming a trailblazer, leveraging key learnings from Avocado’s journey supporting clients adopt and build mature practices and insights from The State of Observability 2023.
Wondering ‘why observability?’ Read our featured content.
Avocado is proud to have won the Splunk 2023 APAC Trailblazer Partner of the Year. As an organisation who is committed to helping clients successfully build resilience and innovation with observability, we know a thing or two about becoming a trailblazer! We have a proven track record of unlocking innovation, enhancing security, and powering operational resilience with observability.
1. Innovation driven strategies:
To become an observability trailblazer, it is crucial to have a razor-sharp focus on innovation and identify areas where observability can significantly impact your organisation’s goals and business outcomes.
In our experience, our client’s success in adopting observability is attributed to their unwavering commitment to innovation. They are constantly asking ‘what’s next?’ This is never done in a vacuum, they work across their organisation to find the pain points, explore possibilities, and then iteratively work toward resolving the issue with their observability capabilities. By prioritising and implementing innovation strategies, they fill more use cases and achieve better return on investment (ROI) from their observability platforms.
2. The right resources:
A common challenge in observability adoption is the resource gap of skilled experts that exists not only in Australia, but globally. As the State of Observability report Highlights, there is consistent challenges hiring observability talent in both quality and quantity.
Finding the right resources is hard, and continually investing in their skills and knowledge takes time and effort. Increased turnover on teams can impact teams to meet their performance objectives. To be a trailblazer, overcoming resource challenges is key. Accepting that there will be a learning curve within your organisation and steps to uplift your internal teams will be necessary. This ensures they adopt best practices, have the right technical expertise and learn how to get the most out of the platform to maximise ROI.
Our clients find outsourcing is a great way to overcome this skill-gap burden. It also addresses business continuity risk if key hires move on. Avocado’s experienced consultants help bridge this gap by offering resourceful guidance to uplift internal teams and assist in adopting best practice. We have a large team of accredited and knowledgeable consultants. Our clients benefit from this expertise – it offers a way to ensure their observability practice is well managed, inhouse teams are uplifted and decreases business risk.
3. Continuous learning and knowledge sharing:
Continuous improvement is often a core part of our client’s cultural identity. They foster this throughout the organisation, by providing an environment where improvement is fostered. On the same token, it is important to establish a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your organisation’s observability practice. This includes encouraging your teams to engage with the broader observability community and share their insights and experiences. The outcome of this is two-fold, it helps retain key talent, but also drives customer satisfaction.
Avocado’s active participation in the observability community is a testament to their commitment to continuous learning and knowledge sharing. Within Avocado, they adopt a community of practice, engaging in training, workshops, and support activities. As part of our Managed Service, we offer regular training and workshops to our clients to ensure they get the most out of their platforms.
4. A pathway to maturity (and greater resilience):
To achieve long-term success, organisations must work on establishing a Pathway to Maturity for their observability practices. One thing that stands out in the State of Observability report is that as maturity increases, so too do the benefits of ROI, availability and performance and speed to resolution. However, as an observability practice scales, building a Centre of Excellence, must be a natural step in strengthening maturity.
According to the 2023 State of Observability Report, observability has proven its staying power. More organisations report bringing their observability experts together as a centralised team working across standardised tooling rather than embed them within app development teams.
In Avocado’s experience, a Centre of Excellence (CoE) improves efficiency within the business and strengthens governance. To follow suit, consider creating a similar pathway to maturity within your organisation, leveraging best practices and tailoring them to your unique needs. This approach will not only enhance your observability capabilities but also contribute to greater resilience in the face of challenges. At Avocado, our consultants help organisations create a Centre of Excellence, elevating maturity across all aspects and aligning teams. By uplifting maturity levels, organisations can build resilience and drive continuous improvement in their observability journey.
5. 24/7 support:
As you embark on your trailblazing journey, prioritise establishing a robust support system that can maintain smooth operations and navigate any challenges that may arise. This ensures your observability initiatives are continuously monitored and optimised, allowing you to identify and resolve issues promptly. By being more responsive, it results in better customer experience, operational performance, security and quality. Avocado’s commitment to our client’ssuccess extends beyond regular business hours with their Gold Managed Service. Their consultants provide round-the-clock support, ensuring that organisations receive timely assistance.
Final thoughts:
Becoming a trailblazer in observability requires a combination of factors: a razor-sharp focus on innovation, the right resources, continuous learning and knowledge sharing, a pathway to maturity, and 24/7 support. Avocado’s success in building observability practices serve as an inspiration, showcasing how these factors can contribute to success. If you aspire to be the next trailblazer, reach out to our team embark on an observability journey that drives innovation and success. Together, we can pave the way for innovation and excellence in your organisation.
