The Power of Observability: From Metrics to Business Outcomes

The world of IT is becoming increasingly complex, making the need for real-time visibility and intelligence more critical than ever. In this episode, we sit down with Principal Technologists Michael Sasse and Matthew Bednar to explore the expanding field of data observability. We dive deep into defining observability—moving beyond basic latency graphs to equating system metrics and machine data with actual business outcomes. Hear their perspectives on why observability is now at the forefront of every IT leader’s mind. Our conversation then veers to tackle the current state of "Shadow Observability," where an accumulation of different tools and creation of siloed teams leads to data fragmentation across cloud, data center, and security platforms. They underscore the necessity for a centralized, single point of truth and a unified strategy that prevents individual team decisions from negatively impacting the broader environment. Finally, our guests reveal how Pure Storage is participating in the movement toward standardization and centralization. We detail the evolution of Pure1 and a strategic shift from pull-based Open Metrics to real-time, push-based Open Telemetry, ensuring seamless integration across Pure’s platform of storage array products.. Learn how this foundational platform approach, championed by Fusion and the Enterprise Data Cloud vision, empowers IT to move from being a cost center to a critical business partner that can tangibly link infrastructure efforts to financial results. To learn more, visit https://blog.purestorage.com/products/enhance-visibility-with-our-new-data-observability-and-monitoring-service/ Check out the new Pure Storage digital customer community to join the conversation with peers and Pure experts: https://purecommunity.purestorage.com/ 00:00 Intro and Welcome 08:30 Defining Observability 13:52 Stat of the Episode 25:49 Pure1 and Observability 28:25 Using APIs for Open Telemetry Output 32:49 Key Native Observability Integrations 39:25 Hot Takes Segment