The Future of Network Management: Advanced Observability and AI-Driven Automation

In today’s digital landscape, effective network performance monitoring and observability have become crucial for organizations aiming to ensure seamless digital experiences and robust security. With the proliferation of remote work, cloud services, and complex network architectures, traditional monitoring tools often fall short in providing comprehensive visibility and actionable insights.

On May 7, Riverbed unveiled NPM+, a new cloud observability service designed for both edge and cloud network observability, and enhancements to Riverbed IQ, our AIOps-driven automation solution. The EMA Impact Brief 2024 highlights the need for such solutions and discusses advancements in AI-driven automation and network observability solutions that address these challenges.

Here are the highlights of the brief: 

NPM+: Next-gen network observability 

Riverbed NPM+ is a SaaS-delivered observability solution designed to offer granular visibility into network performance from any client or server endpoint. Leveraging the new Riverbed Unified Agent, NPM+ passively monitors IP and TCP connections before and after data gets encrypted, providing IT managers with detailed insights into all network traffic. This includes monitoring remote users, cloud traffic, and traffic within zero trust network access service edges.

Key features include: 

• Comprehensive Visibility: NPM+ illuminates critical blind spots in network performance, particularly for remote users and cloud-based services. 
• Granular Monitoring: IT managers can monitor performance by user, system name, application process, and more. 
• Reduced Administrative Overhead: By utilizing the Riverbed Unified Agent, NPM+ offers a streamlined approach to network performance monitoring, eliminating the need for additional agents and reducing complexity. Unified agent is an innovative common agent strategy to streamline deployment, management, and updates of Riverbed’s agent-based offering. The only agent management solution to support endpoint monitoring for both end user experience and network observability. 

Riverbed IQ: AI-driven automation 

Riverbed IQ, an AIOps solution introduced in 2022, has been enhanced with a new runbook editor for no-code/low-code automation. This tool analyzes telemetry from Riverbed’s observability solutions and third-party tools, detects anomalies, correlates events, and conducts root-cause analysis. The runbook editor allows IT operations teams to automate actions based on AI-derived insights through a drag-and-drop interface. Key components include: 

• Triggers, Actions, and Outputs: The interface is centered on these concepts, enabling IT professionals to build workflows that respond to AI insights. 
• Prebuilt Integrations: Riverbed IQ includes numerous integrations with third-party systems, extending its capabilities across various platforms and tools. 
• Proactive Issue Resolution: The automation capabilities of Riverbed IQ enable prompt response to incidents, minimizing downtime and enhancing operational efficiency. 

Addressing modern IT challenges

Riverbed’s updates cater to the needs of modern IT operations teams. According to Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), 87% of IT organizations are allocating budgets to improve network experience monitoring for remote workers. Traditional tools like remote desktop access and endpoint monitoring fail to provide comprehensive network visibility. Riverbed’s NPM+ and Aternity endpoint monitoring solutions, leveraging the new Unified Agent, offer a streamlined approach with less administrative overhead. 

Moreover, 57% of network teams expressed a desire for AIOps solutions with low-code interfaces to build runbook automation. Riverbed IQ directly addresses this need, supporting intelligent alerting, escalations, and self-healing networks, making it a valuable asset for IT operations seeking efficiency and reliability. 

Learn more 

Riverbed’s introduction of NPM+ and enhancements to Riverbed IQ represent significant strides in network observability. These tools address critical blind spots, enhance AI-driven automation, and provide comprehensive visibility and control over modern, dynamic network environments. By integrating these advanced solutions, organizations can ensure efficient and reliable network performance, improve security, and drive operational efficiency. As networks continue to evolve, Riverbed’s cutting-edge solutions and innovative approach establish us as a leader in delivering seamless digital experiences and robust network observability.

The future of network management lies in comprehensive, intelligent observability, and Riverbed is at the forefront of this transformation. Download the EMA impact brief here for more information.