Challenges in monitoring edge services

The possibilities for leveraging edge compute services for IoT applications are enormous, whether it is being used to process datasets locally (in the factory, for example) or for doing some filtering and processing before delivery to a centralized cloud application. But as Michael Segal, VP of Strategic Marketing at Netscout rightly points out in a recent article, there are new challenges that come with ensuring availability of those services. 

Monitoring network performance is paramount because edge compute is about using a highly distributed set of resources that are interconnected with network services. Segal makes a point that developers need to be able to monitor the entire application lifecycle-continuously-in order to effectively harness the promise of edge computing. 

The division between APM (application performance management) and NPM (network performance management) has made the job of doing root cause analysis of application and service interruptions difficult, even before considering edge-runtime use cases. Some vendors are trying to solve this problem by working to bring APM and NPM together. Meanwhile, the growing discussion around intent-based networking also reflects a desire to tie IT services more closely to business objectives. Success for vendors will mean bridging the APM and NPM gap with systems that are directly connected to the needs of the business, with an important distinction from pure monitoring: systems need to enable management to rapidly adapt to changes in objectives.

Will firms like Netscout be at the forefront of monitoring and management of edge services? Will it be companies like Kentik and Nokia’s Deepfield? And how do companies like New Relic, Catchpoint, and others fit into the picture? We expect that as enterprises roll out more edge applications, vendors are increasingly going to look to partnerships and acquisitions to fill portfolio gaps over the course of the next 18 months.