Grafana 8.4 introduces several updates aimed at enhancing user accessibility, performance, and security features. The release focuses on making the platform more user-friendly for those unfamiliar with developer tools and observability while adding new panels and charts to improve data visualization. Accessibility improvements include better keyboard navigation and enhanced support for screen readers. Performance enhancements are achieved through improved query caching, which reduces load times and costs, while recorded queries now allow users to track data points over time. Security updates feature fine-grained access control, advanced encryption options, and enhanced SAML integration, offering users more flexibility in managing roles and permissions across different organizations. The update also introduces enhanced alerting features, including support for mute timings and custom grouping in the Alert Panel, providing users with greater control over alert notifications. The release is part of Grafana's ongoing commitment to improving user experience and data management capabilities.