The five steps to network observability
Let's begin with a math problem -- please solve for “X.” Network Observability = Monitoring + X.
The answer is “Context.” Network observability is monitoring plus context. Monitoring can tell the NetOps team that a problem exists, but observability tells you why it exists. Observability gives the Network Operations (NetOps) team real-time, actionable insights into the network’s behavior and performance. This makes NetOps more efficient, which means lower MTTR, better network performance, less downtime, and ultimately better performance for the applications and business that depend on the network. As networks get more complex and IT budgets stay the same size, observability has become very important. In the past two years, I’ve heard the term used by engineers and practitioners on the ground much more often. Gartner predicted that the market for network observability tools will grow 15 percent from 2022 to 2027.
Why automation can help continuously validate security policies [Q&A]
Security professionals all know that they should test their security hardware and software periodically to make sure it's working as intended. Many normal IT activities have unintended consequences that cause security configurations to 'drift' over time and make the organization more vulnerable.
But testing is frequently postponed or ignored because it never becomes a high enough priority. We spoke to Song Pang, SVP of engineering at NetBrain, to find out how automation can be used to detect when security products or network traffic are no longer behaving as intended.