Agentic AI in SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted with Demo (2026)
In this video, SolarWinds Tech Evangelist Chrystal Taylor and Staff Technical Trainer Cheryl Nomanson walk through a hands-on demo of the SolarWinds AI Agent, currently available for tech preview in SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted.
You’ll learn:
- What agentic AI is and how it differs from traditional AI assistants
- How the SolarWinds AI Agent uses plain-English queries to accelerate troubleshooting
- How AI analyzes critical nodes, interfaces, and root causes automatically
- How Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables future integration with other LLMs and APIs
- Why this AI agent enhances—not replaces—admin control
- How it builds on existing features like anomaly-based alerting
- The demo shows how the AI Agent can:
- Explain features without requiring exact product terminology
- Pull directly from official SolarWinds documentation
- Identify authentication failures, interface issues, and infrastructure priorities
- Help you troubleshoot faster without digging through dashboards or reports
- This AI agent builds on existing functionality, like anomaly-based alerting, and represents a major step forward in AIOps for self-hosted environments.
- Stay tuned to THWACK and the SolarWinds Academy for future updates, training, and feature announcements.
00:00 – Introduction and Why AI Matters in Observability
00:50 – What Is the SolarWinds AI Agent?
01:49 – Built on Model Context Protocol (MCP)
03:03 – Live Demo: Accessing the AI Agent in SolarWinds
03:41 – AI-Powered Documentation Discovery
05:17 – Identifying Critical Nodes Automatically
06:22 – Root Cause Grouping and Issue Categorization
06:51 – Authentication and SNMP Failure Detection
08:12 – Drilling into Critical Interfaces
10:00 – Prioritization and Recommended Actions
10:27 – What’s Next for the SolarWinds AI Agent
11:00 – Training, THWACK, and Next Steps
Connect with SolarWinds:
THWACK IT Community: http://thwack.solarwinds.com/
SolarWinds Academy: https://support.solarwinds.com/solarwinds-academy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SolarWinds
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/solarwinds
Instagram: http://instagram.com/solarwindsinc/