The State of Observability 2021

The State of Observability report, developed through a partnership with CITE Research, highlights the growing importance of observability in software systems, emphasizing its impact on customer satisfaction, with 87% of surveyed IT and software development professionals measuring its value through this metric. Observability is seen as crucial for reducing churn and increasing customer retention, with 67% reporting improved customer satisfaction since its adoption. The report notes that 86% of organizations plan to prioritize observability in the coming year, driven by dissatisfaction with current monitoring tools and the need to better handle complex data from modern systems like Kubernetes and microservices. Key challenges include a lack of expertise, context, and high costs, as well as the burden of maintaining tags, which consume significant time without delivering proportional value. The report underscores the necessity for observability solutions that can integrate with both cutting-edge and legacy technologies, and anticipates further exploration into related topics such as DevOps practices and the impact of COVID-19 in future editions.