{"id":7630,"date":"2023-12-02T16:04:50","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T15:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gpsj.co.uk\/?p=7630"},"modified":"2023-12-02T16:11:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T15:11:54","slug":"three-ways-observability-can-help-address-public-sector-it-complexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gpsj.co.uk\/?p=7630","title":{"rendered":"Three Ways Observability Can Help Address Public Sector IT Complexity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sascha Giese, tech evangelist, SolarWinds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Sascha Giese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A well-executed home renovation goes beyond cosmetic repairs and surface-level aesthetics by delving into the structural bones of a home. This approach not only revitalises the house’s appearance but also enhances its overall efficiency and maintenance. Meaningful digital transformation also requires such an approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a recent report<\/a> from Parliament\u2019s Public Accounts Committee examines the government’s past digital transformation efforts and suggests previous projects prioritised style over substance. \u201cImprovements in government\u2019s digital services over the last 25 years have focused on citizens\u2019 online experience, without substantially the ageing legacy systems that sit beneath departmental and government websites,\u201d the report states. \u201cThese have resulted in services which, although they might look good on the surface, are costly and problematic to run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous digital transformation efforts have contributed to the government\u2019s complex current operational environment, which mixes legacy, hybrid, and cloud technology. This environment makes it difficult for IT administrators to monitor and manage distributed network<\/a>, cloud<\/a>, system<\/a>, application<\/a>, and database infrastructure. In such circumstances, it isn\u2019t unusual for different teams, departments, and agencies to acquire their own monitoring tools, creating toolset creep, inefficiencies, and even shadow IT concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this environment, the government needs to streamline its IT operations and prioritize end-to-end visibility across the IT stack. One long-term solution is observability, which provides centralised insights, automated analytics, and actional intelligence across on-premises and multi-cloud environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few ways observability goes beyond traditional monitoring, and some of the capabilities that can help government IT leaders efficiently manage hybrid IT complexity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. <\/strong>Centralise visibility and reduce tool sprawl<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Traditionally, government organisations adopted a diverse set of best-of-breed products to monitor and manage different parts of their technology stacks. However, over time this approach has led to tool sprawl and escalating costs. Disparate monitoring tools also often result in information silos, conflicting data, and alert fatigue\u2014all of which make it more difficult to pinpoint and resolve IT issues or outages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Observability provides end-to-end oversight of service delivery and component dependencies across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments. Through a single pane of glass, teams can receive health scores and insights across networks, applications, databases, and systems. This fully integrated view enables IT teams to identify and diagnose service issues and determine root causes more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Having a single source of truth for the entire IT environment also eliminates the need for other piecemeal monitoring and IT management tools, helping reduce tool sprawl and optimise IT spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n