Why Monitoring Application is Important?
The use of software and applications by companies is growing rapidly with predictions of more and more integration of software in the company’s operations. These software are efficient and economical and saves the companies a lot of cost and time. Companies need to hire more employees if they do not want to use these software and applications incurring more avoidable expenses.
In the fast-paced and dynamic nature of businesses and companies, very few companies have minimum software requirements. Hence, reliance on this software has risen in recent years bringing huge benefits for companies. Companies’ operations, customer support, in-house communications, payments and accounts are handled through software and applications.
Therefore, bugs, errors, crash down and untroubled running of software cause huge losses to businesses and companies’ operations, both on-site and online, are impacted badly. For these reasons, properly running software and applications is essential for the growth, scaling and improved performance of businesses and companies.
If you are wondering why monitoring applications are important, read this article till the end and we hope you will get your answer.
What is Application Monitoring?
The process of monitoring applications provides real-time data and performance metrics and helps companies optimize, improve and advance their applications as and when required.
Application monitoring is the task of tracking an application by monitoring performance, and user-end experience, ensuring the smooth running of applications and letting developers know about application availability, bugs and resources. It helps developers know if the application is working as expected. Otherwise, they can take measures to enhance its performance.
Also called application performance monitoring (APM), the goal is to track bugs, technical issues and bugs in applications and software and resolve them before the performance and efficiency of the application is clamped down.
Why is Monitoring Applications Important?
There are various purposes for application monitoring including:
1. Bugs Detection
Bugs and errors in software decrease its productivity, efficiency and delivery impacting business growth. Scaling and application monitoring is the top-notch solution to remove these bugs and errors.
Application monitoring tools are used to track bugs and issues such as slow response time, downtime, database deadlocks and poor code within companies’ applications and software.
2. Improved Performance
Timely detection and resolution of these issues enhance application performance, uninterrupted user experience and app availability removing chances of poor performance and application Crashdown.
Application monitoring provides insights into pain points causing underperformance and, through indicators such as performance metrics and response time, developers make decisions to improve performance and optimize software and applications.
3. Uninterrupted Best User Experience
Because it is directly related to user engagement, satisfaction and retention, user experience is one of the major indicators of application performance. The best user experience allows users to navigate through applications smoothly without errors, locate relevant data and benefit from the user interface.
Time best utilized on application increases user trust and they become more likely to visit again and eventually become a regular user.
4. Drive Targeted Action
Since application monitoring tools trace down the exact problem area, a lot of time, cost and energy are saved. In other words, application monitoring prompts targeted action and considerably reduces issue resolution time.
It not only improves performance but also refines the product knowledge of developers responsible for the development, testing and quality of applications and software.
5. Security
With the growing reliance on applications with the latest technologies, the concerns for user privacy and the safety of personal and business information have been rising in recent years. Monitoring of applications extends beyond mere performance monitoring and delves into the realms of security and privacy.
Secured applications are crucial for maintaining privacy and protecting businesses and individuals from data theft. Application monitoring tracks vulnerabilities in software guiding developers to make applications robust, secured and encrypted.
6. Third-Party Applications Audit
Some businesses do not hire in-house developers for software development and they mostly use third-party software and applications. Application monitoring tools help businesses decide which application suits their company best.
By analyzing security, privacy policy, transaction rate, running time and other features, monitoring tools make the process of selection easier and result-oriented.
7. Cost Saving and Resource Utilization
Last but not least privilege of application monitoring is a considerable cost saving on both existing operations and future ventures. Likewise, even companies with the best products and services fail when proper resource allocation and optimum utilization are not achieved. Cost reduction and resource utilization are crucial for scaling, growth and profitability.
Application monitoring provides valuable information which can lower costs and best allocates existing resources. Through monitoring, overutilization and over-costing are also tracked, and the right actions in this direction optimize results and application behaviour.
Defining Features of an Application Monitoring Tools
Now that the need and importance of application monitoring tools are clearly stated, let’s talk about some of the best and most used application monitoring tools available in the market.
Before doing that, first, we should understand what to look out for, say defining features, in a monitoring tool.
1. Bug Prevention
As we know that bugs are pros at hiding themselves in real life, bugs within software too can be a tricky task.
A good application monitoring tool must be able to quickly identify bugs and report them for their faster removal before they influence the productivity of the application and destroy the user experience.
2. Pinpoint Tracking
A small error, let alone a bigger issue, has the potential to cause poor performance and lesser productivity. The faster the exact bug is identified, the better it is for the application’s performance.
So, application monitoring tools must track the exact vulnerabilities in the application for timely recovery and resolution.
3. Data Insights and Metrics
The main purpose of using application monitoring tools is to gain real-time information metrics and performance insights. Performance metrics help identify underperforming areas and anomaly points for driving the exact required action to avoid any possible distraction.
Data insights highlight areas of improvement, weakness and opportunities. For a good application monitoring tool, it is mandatory to provide performance metrics, data bars and infrastructure detailing for better execution of operations for optimized results.
Best Application Monitoring Tools
After considerable thought processing, choosing the best-performing application monitoring tool becomes easier.
We have compiled a list of some of the best monitoring tools that could be your potential picks.
i. New Relic
New Relic is one of the most efficient and leading monitoring tools used to assess applications and software performance and to make further decisions based on its provided information and data. New Relic offers a considerable amount of features designed to optimize application performance.
If made the best use of it, New Relic can enhance software’s stability, speed and efficiency leading to better results.
These are some of the features that come along with New Relic:
- Software behavior
- Transaction response time
- Search queries
- External connect links
- Track of server health
- Cloud services
ii. AppOptics APM
Another user-trusted application monitoring tool, AppOptics APM is a cost-effective tool tracking issues, bugs, misallocation, utilization and many other issues within applications. With its exciting features, it helps businesses gain valuable insights about user experience, system behavior, performance metrics and infrastructure detailing.
Its range of features include:
- Standard break alerts
- Graphical representation of data
- Visualization of infrastructure
- Server health monitoring
- Faster bug tracking
- Fast-paced troubleshooting
iii. AppDynamics
Often classified as among top ranks monitoring tools, it offers a suite of distinctive features that helps it stand out from others. It visualizes complete infrastructure within applications and finds pain points blocking the efficiency of the system.
A top-notch user experience is possible with its excellent features including:
- Automated vulnerability detection
- Isolate dependencies
- End-to-end visibility
- Distributed tracing
- Synthetic tests
- Infrastructure metrics
iv. DataDog
A cloud-based application monitoring tool, DataDog is designed to trace errors, bugs and issues hampering the smooth running of applications and software. Available, a business can monitor all its applications, software, infrastructure detail and future projections in three models; cloud-based, on-premises and hybrid systems.
It brings some exciting features including:
- Supports 600+ software integrations
- Traces bugs in real-time
- Fastens slow-time response
- Removes bottlenecks within the software
- Improves code efficiency
- Aggregates metrics and events
Tips for Performance Boost and Optimisation
After considerable thought processing, choosing the best-performing application monitoring tool becomes easier.
We have compiled a list of some of the best monitoring tools that could be your potential picks.
A. Set targets
Always set your objective and expected outcomes before applying monitoring tools to any application. Keeping target results before you direct your actions helps you focus on certain areas.
B. Choose Best Tools
After carefully setting expected outcomes and realistic goals, you only need the best application monitoring tool.
Since this step is crucial for the application and for your business, make sure that you select the best-performing tool according to your budget and requirement.
C. Act as Required
The biggest privilege of performance metrics and data insights is to get a direction for action. Saving time and energy from distraction, immediately act upon directions made by monitoring tools.
Fulfil all requirements for future growth, implement recommendations for improved performance and utilize resources and budgets as guided by application monitoring tools.
D. Make an Optimisation Plan
For continuous better performance and consistent growth, one-time monitoring and analysis are not enough. To achieve outstanding results and extraordinary performance, keep optimizing and monitoring at regular intervals as and when required.
Focusing on certain optimization patterns improves application performance and user experience making applications more efficient and smooth.
Final Remarks - Importance of Monitoring Applications
The importance of application monitoring tools has become paramount, with every passing day, most businesses are shifting online. In the online world, applications and websites are modern faces of the business providing users with an experience that they used to have physically.
So, optimization and proper working of websites and applications are critical for business growth as these are the platforms where businesses offer their products and services. Optimized, fast and smooth user experience increases chances for user engagement, retention and conversion.
Regular removal of errors, bugs and issues enhances application credibility and reduces complaint rate considerably, ultimately polishing brand reputation.
