In the fast-paced world of network admins, where data flows like the heartbeat of an organization, network availability is the top priority. For admins, it's not just another term, it's a make-or-break factor for the success and smooth operation of everything they manage. In a world where we're all plugged in and counting on the constant exchange of info, getting network availability right is absolutely critical.

Modern network operators need modern observability tools. In this post, we explore why Deepfield — a traditional network flow analytics platform — falls short in providing comprehensive insights required for today’s network operations, and how Kentik’s modern data platform is purpose-built for today’s infrastructure teams.

CLM Chowder is a new series which highlights notable observations of cloud connectivity surfaced by Kentik’s Cloud Latency Map. In this edition, we look at measurements from Alibaba (China), latency swings from South Africa, and a temporary latency jump from Marseilles to Asia.

For many, Cloudflare provides an essential suite of network security tools that their organization integrates with deeply. One such tool is "Cloudflare Tunnel" - a secure way to connect resources to Cloudflare without a publicly routable IP address. When deploying sensitive applications to Cycle, Cloudflare Tunnel can be leveraged to ensure all traffic is routed through Cloudflare before reaching your environment's load balancer. This extra layer of security provides quite a few benefits.

To unlock the power of observability and advanced analytics of AIOps, teams need to collect exceptional monitoring data, establish connections and correlations between the data, and understand context with the help of robust and current topological maps. Because modern networks often span on-premises, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures, monitoring their performance and troubleshooting issues can be difficult. These complex infrastructures often lead to observability gaps for network teams.

You can think about a website the same way you think about your car. Every time something breaks, a professional—an engineer or a mechanic—usually charges a high amount for the fix (isn’t it annoying when you can’t tell if it’s a big or small fix?). Alternatively, you can learn some basics, get a few inexpensive tools, and troubleshoot many of the immediate issues yourself.

The retail industry has evolved into a mix of physical stores, e-commerce, digital payments, and omnichannel interactions. Now, GenAI has been added to this mix, which changes how people shop, how retailers operate, and how employees work. While this shift creates opportunities for retailers of all sizes, it also presents serious challenges in maintaining network performance and staying compliant with industry regulations.