Welcome to Our 25th Newsletter: A Celebration!

ObserCrew can you believe we've hit our 25th edition?

Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun! What started as a little side project to share my writing before my book's release has quickly become my top priority. And let me tell you, the feedback I've been getting here and on LinkedIn has been nothing short of incredible!

I'm thrilled to keep connecting with amazing people from around the globe. It's been a wild ride, and I'm constantly learning and growing alongside you all. The reach, love, and respect this newsletter has received? It's beyond my wildest dreams. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for participating in this journey!

Now, let's dive into the good stuff, shall we? 👉

🤖 Revefi raises $20M for data observability
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Elastic introduces AI-powered automatic log import
💰 Jim Kavanaugh on tech decision-making balance
🔍 Orca Security launches Kubernetes testing environment.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Well, it looks like InfluxData is making some waves again! They've just announced a new clustered offering for their InfluxDB database, aimed at big enterprise workloads. Here's the kicker: they're focusing on scalability and performance rather than jumping on the AI bandwagon. Interesting move, right?

As someone who's deployed InfluxDB several times at scale, I must say this caught my attention. While everyone and their dog seem to be shouting "AI! AI!" from the rooftops, InfluxData is doubling down on what they do best and helping us handle massive amounts of time series data.

What does this mean for us Observability folks? It could be a game-changer for those with high-volume, high-velocity data streams. Think IoT sensors, financial trading systems, or large-scale monitoring/metric hub setups; the new clustered offering promises better scalability, which could translate to more efficient data ingestion and querying.

But here's the million-dollar question: Is InfluxData making the right call by not prioritising AI features? Only time will tell. On one hand, AI is revolutionising many aspects of data analysis and management. On the other hand, something must be said to perfect your core offering before chasing the next shiny thing.

What do you think?

WHAT TO WATCH:

I've got a hot tip! I've been keeping tabs on DASH0 for the past five months, and let me tell you, Mirko and his team are onto something big here. I just logged into their beta this week, and I'm itching to share my thoughts with you soon.

Don't just take my word for it! Why not sign up yourself and give the DASH0 team some feedback? Being on the ground floor of something potentially game-changing is always exciting.

MARKET NEWS:

Whew, it's been a busy week in the observability world! Let's break down some of the biggest news:

1. Elastic's AI-Powered Log Onboarding: Elastic just announced a new feature that uses AI to import logs automatically. This could be a real time-saver for teams struggling with log management. It's all about making data ingestion smoother and more efficient – music to any observability practitioner's ears!

2. Revefi Raises $20M: Here's one for the startup watchers among us. Revefi, a data observability startup, just secured $20 million in funding. This shows there's still plenty of investor interest in our field. It'll be interesting to see how they use this cash to innovate in the observability space.

3. Data Observability Tool Market Growth: A new market report suggests the data observability tool market will grow significantly between 2024 and 2034. This is great news for practitioners, as more investment usually means more innovation and better tools.

What does all this mean for you? Well, it looks like we're in for some exciting times ahead. With new players entering the market and established companies innovating, we'll likely see some excellent new tools and features coming our way. Keep your eyes peeled!

LATEST PRODUCT UPDATES: Open Source Comeback and Performance Boosts

Product junkies! Got some juicy updates for you:

1. Elasticsearch Goes Open Source (Again): Big news from Elastic – Elasticsearch is back to being fully open source! This is huge for the community, potentially leading to more contributions and innovations. If you're using Elasticsearch in your observability stack, this could mean more flexibility and customisation options down the line.

2. Sumo Logic AWS Observability Updates: Sumo Logic has just rolled out some updates to their AWS Observability solution. They've added support for more AWS services and improved their dashboards. If you're running workloads on AWS, these updates help you get better visibility into your infrastructure.

3. Grafana Tempo 2.6 Release: Grafana's latest Tempo release is about performance improvements and new TraceQL features. This could be a game-changer for those dealing with large-scale distributed tracing. The performance boosts should help you query and analyse traces faster, while the new TraceQL features give you more flexibility in how you work with your trace data

SECURITY IN OBSERVABILITY: Orca Security's K8s Testing Environment

Orca Security has just launched the first Kubernetes testing and staging environment. Now, why should you care? Well, if you're working with Kubernetes (and let's face it, who isn't these days?), this could be a game-changer for your security practices.

This new environment lets you test your Kubernetes configurations and policies in a safe, controlled setting. It's like a sandbox where you can play around without worrying about breaking your production environment. For Observability practitioners, this is huge. It means you can experiment with different monitoring and logging setups, see how they impact your cluster's security, and fine-tune your Observability strategy without risking your live systems.

Remember, good Observability and good security go hand in hand.

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LEVEL UP: Mastering OpenTelemetry Instrumentation

💻Ready to level up your Observability skills? I've got just the thing for you! Rahul Ranjan's written a fantastic article on Medium comparing automatic and manual instrumentation in OpenTelemetry. Now, if you're scratching your head wondering what that means, don't worry – Rahul breaks it down beautifully.📝🔍

CODE CRAFT: Elevate Your Observability Skills

Alright, code wizards 🧙‍♂️, it's time to roll up your sleeves and dive into some technical goodness!

First, we've got a great blog post about GoTelemetry from the Go team. This is a must-read if you're working with Go. It covers using the new telemetry package to add Observability to your Go programs. Trust me, this could seriously level up your Observability game.

Next, for all you Kubernetes aficionados, Gremlin's got a fantastic article on reliability recommendations when adopting Kubernetes. It's packed with practical tips on how to make your K8s clusters more resilient and observable. Whether you're just starting with Kubernetes or looking to improve your existing setup, this article has something for you.

SUCCESS STORIES: Building a Cost-Effective Observability Strategy

Who doesn't love a success story, right? 🥳🙌

I’ve just published the final part of my cost series. It includes a case study on building a comprehensive, cost-effective Observability strategy.

The article describes how one team built a robust Observability setup without breaking the bank. We're discussing using open-source tools, innovative data sampling techniques, and some ingenious cost optimisation strategies.

What I love about this case study is that it's not just theoretical; it's a real-world example you can learn from and apply to your projects. Whether you're struggling with observability costs or just looking to get more bang for your buck, this story's got some valuable lessons for you.

EXPERT VOICES: AI-Powered Observability – The Next Big Thing?

Today, we're looking at an intriguing article by Asaf Yigal on AI-powered Observability. If you're thinking, "Wait, didn't we already try this with AIOps?" you're not alone. Asaf makes a compelling case for why AI-powered Observability differs from (and is potentially more successful than) AIOps. He argues that AI can enhance our observability practices by focusing on specific, well-defined use cases without falling into the overhype trap that plagued AIOps.

TOOLS & TIPS FOR TECH LEADERS: Decision-Making in Tech

Got a treat for you today.

Jim Kavanaugh, the CEO of World Wide Technology, recently shared some fascinating insights about decision-making in the tech world. And let me tell you, it's gold for anyone leading a team in our fast-paced industry.

Jim emphasises the importance of balancing data-driven decisions with gut instinct. In the observability world, we're all about data, right? But Jim reminds us that sometimes, you need to trust your experience and intuition, too.

Good leadership is as much about making tough calls as analyzing data. So next time you're faced with a big decision about your observability setup, take a page from Jim's book and trust your gut (but maybe back it up with some data, too, eh?).🚀👥

INVITATION TO CONTRIBUTE

Would you want to be part of something extraordinary? I always seek fresh perspectives and insights to share in future editions. Got a burning question about Observability? An incredible tool you've discovered? A success story you want to shout from the rooftops? I want to hear it all!

Drop me a line at [email protected] or DM me on Twitter @masteringobserv. Who knows? Your contribution might be featured in our next newsletter!

Remember, observability is a community effort. Together, we can push the boundaries of what's possible and make our systems more observable, reliable, and awesome. So don't be shy – let's start a conversation!

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Before we wrap up, I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my "Beyond the Numbers" blog series. I've been pouring my heart and soul into it, and I hope you've all found it valuable. If you haven't checked it out yet, head to my website and read it!

As always, I'm incredibly grateful for your support and engagement. This newsletter wouldn't be what it is without you all. So keep those comments and questions coming – they keep me going!

Until next time, keep observing and stay curious!

Much 😍,
Al