Beyond Metrics: Transforming IT Performance Management with Unified Observability

In the modern IT landscape, managing performance is no longer just about meeting metrics; it is about driving outcomes that align with organizational missions. As organizations increasingly face challenges such as fragmented toolsets, siloed operations and mounting complexity, a disjointed approach to performance management reveals risks and inefficiencies.

At MilCIS 2024, we explored the need for a strategic shift towards unified observability, cultural transformation and continuous improvement to elevate enterprise IT and organizational success.

The risks of a siloed approach to IT performance management

The traditional siloed approach to IT management—where individual teams operate in isolation with their own tools and priorities—has proven inadequate. Key risks include:

• Loss of visibility: As IT systems grow in complexity, isolated monitoring solutions create blind spots, making it harder to detect issues.
• Reactive operations: A firefighting culture develops, focused on resolving immediate issues rather than proactively enhancing the digital experience.
• Inefficiencies in troubleshooting: Data and tool silos hinder collaboration, delaying root cause analysis and problem resolution.
• Cultural fragmentation: Teams prioritize “mean time to innocence” (MTTI)—proving their system is not at fault—over achieving overall mission success.
• Slowed velocity: AI-driven operations (AIOps) initiatives are stalled, and performance data fails to align with mission outcomes and SLAs.
• Increased costs: Redundant tools and inefficiencies drive higher operational expenses without delivering unified insights.

Even when domain tiers meet SLAs and report few incidents, users often experience frustration, leading to lost productivity, time, and revenue. This misalignment arises because end users feel every bump along the “IT road.”

According to EMA Research, the percentage of fully successful network operations (NetOps) teams dropped from 49% in 2016 to 27% in 2022, underscoring the urgent need for change.

Moving from visibility to Unified Observability

To address these challenges, organizations must shift from simple visibility to Unified Observability. Unified Observability integrates performance metrics across domains, including user experience, network performance, and application monitoring, to provide a holistic view of IT services. This fosters better decision-making and proactive issue resolution. By delivering actionable insights across the digital infrastructure—from networks to applications—Unified Observability empowers IT teams to anticipate issues, improve collaboration, and enhance end-user experiences.

This transformation involves:

• Depth and breadth of telemetry: Collecting high-quality, granular data across all technology domains.
• Cross-team collaboration: Breaking down silos to share data and insights.
• Actionable analytics: Leveraging enriched data and advanced analytics for meaningful insights and automated responses.

A strategic approach to Performance Management

Strategic Performance Management (SPM) is a holistic methodology that integrates policies, processes, skills, staff and tools to enhance IT service delivery. SPM aims to improve stability, predictability and confidence in IT systems while aligning with mission outcomes.

An effective SPM strategy delivers:

• Customer satisfaction: Improves user experience and reduces frustrations.
• Operational effectiveness: Streamlines processes and eliminates redundancies.
• Mission relevance: Aligns IT with organizational goals and SLAs.

SPM requires commitment, persistence, and expert guidance. Organizations should assess their IT operations maturity, identify growth areas, and set achievable targets. Different areas or services within the same organization may vary in maturity, requiring tailored approaches.

Cultural changes for a “service” mindset

Adopting Unified Observability and continuous improvement necessitates a cultural shift towards a “service” mindset. This shift involves:

• Collaboration over competition: Encouraging teams to work together rather than operate in silos.
• Accountability for outcomes: Aligning teams around shared goals such as mission success rather than individual performance metrics.
• Focus on continuous improvement: Cultivating a culture of learning and adaptation, where feedback loops drive innovation and service excellence.

Challenges likely to be encountered include resistance to change, skills and tooling shortages and changes in command commitment (due to ongoing rotations in the case of the military).

Raising the bar: elevating enterprise IT

True transformation requires organizations to aim higher by embracing change and innovation. A key enabler is the establishment of Performance Command Centers—centralized hubs for managing telemetry, governance, and KPIs. These centers foster alignment, transparency, and unified decision-making across IT domains.

Key steps include:

• Defining purposeful metrics: Measuring what matters—metrics that reflect mission outcomes and user satisfaction.
• Engineering Unified Observability: Deploying solutions that provide end-to-end visibility and insights across hybrid IT environments.
• Aligning with mission goals: Ensuring IT strategies support resilience, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Fostering continuous improvement: Establishing feedback mechanisms and iterative processes to refine IT service delivery.

Case study: Unified Observability in action

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) offers a compelling example of Unified Observability’s impact. By transitioning from device-centric monitoring to end-user experience management, USSOCOM achieved:

• Improved troubleshooting: Enhanced staff skills and reduced resolution times.
• Streamlined tools: Reduced tool redundancy while maintaining comprehensive visibility.
• Mission success: Fewer IT-related disruptions and improved productivity.

These outcomes increased confidence in IT systems and strengthened alignment with mission objectives.

Learn more about how Riverbed has partnered with Defence customers over the years to optimize distributed network environments, speed applications, unify data, and gain actionable insights from across IT ecosystems.

Key takeaways

A siloed approach to IT performance management is no longer viable in today’s complex IT environments. Organizations must adopt a strategic approach emphasizing Unified Observability, cultural transformation, and continuous improvement. By aligning IT with mission outcomes, fostering collaboration, and embracing change, organizations can elevate enterprise IT and deliver lasting value.

Transforming IT performance management is a journey, not a destination. Success requires commitment, collaboration, and a willingness to adopt new methodologies. Organizations prioritizing Unified Observability and continuous improvement will lead the way as the IT landscape continues to evolve.