What is Network Observability?
Network observability, in simple terms, is a superpower that lets you see exactly what is happening in your IT infrastructure. Thanks to it, you have full insight into network traffic, performance, errors, and security incidents. Most importantly, all this data is presented in a way that lets you quickly spot any anomalies and diagnose problems before they can harm your organization.
Nowadays, network observability goes beyond simple monitoring. It allows you not only to control the current situation, but also to deeply analyze and understand the processes taking place in your network. The result? You’ll detect attacks faster, immediately notice unauthorized activity, and have a much greater chance of preventing serious incidents—all in compliance with legal and industry requirements.
The biggest advantages of network observability
- Early threat detection – you catch any suspicious behavior or attempted attack before real damage can be done.
- Rapid diagnosis of performance issues – is your network down? You can locate the source of problems within minutes!
- Support in responding to attacks – you receive a detailed report ready for your security team.
- Full monitoring of infrastructure and applications – you see how every layer of your system works, from hardware to applications.
- Compliance with audits and regulations – you have all the necessary data and event history to pass any audit without worry.
What does modern observability consist of?
- Metrics – figures showing your network’s health (such as latency, bandwidth, or the number of connections).
- Logs – detailed records of what is happening on network devices—ideal for tracking history and identifying incidents.
- Traces – showing how traffic flows through your network, helping you find bottlenecks and areas causing slowdowns.
- Data correlation – combining information from different sources so you can see the complete picture and solve issues faster.
How do you collect and analyze network data?
- Direct reading from network devices – routers, switches, firewalls, and servers regularly report their status.
- In-depth data packet analysis – you capture and inspect exactly what is “flowing” through your network to detect abuses or attack attempts.
- SIEM systems – intelligent platforms automatically gather and analyze data from many sources to warn you of threats in time.
- AI/ML in monitoring – artificial intelligence detects what humans or classic tools might miss.
- Advanced visualization – graphical representation of data makes spotting trends and anomalies possible in seconds.
- Innovative data deduplication (e.g., with Sycope) – you remove duplicate information (such as from NetFlow), saving disk space and improving analysis clarity.
Observability vs. classic monitoring
Observability gives you deeper insight and correlates various data types. You detect complex root causes, act proactively, and use the latest technologies (AI, Big Data, deduplication).
Traditional monitoring is usually limited to basic indicators, operates reactively, and analyses are less detailed and manual.
Observability is a new level of control and security you simply can’t achieve with old methods!
