Description

In this episode of FSO Spotlight, we speak with Sivachandrakarthik and Gowrisankar about why traditional monitoring is no longer enough, how observability has evolved in response to cloud-native architectures, and how AIOps helps teams turn massive volumes of telemetry into actionable insights and automation.

The discussion covers the realities of adopting observability and AIOps, starting with data foundations, managing cost, integrating with existing tools, and driving the cultural change required to realize real business value.

What we discussed:

• Why digital-first and cloud-first strategies have reshaped ITOps
• How observability evolved beyond availability monitoring
• The role of AIOps in managing scale, complexity, and data overload
• Why observability should be the foundation before AIOps adoption
• Key observability use cases
• Service mapping, dependency discovery, and faster RCA
• Reducing MTTR with proactive insights and AI-assisted operations
• Evaluating observability platforms: data ingestion, scalability, integration, and cost control
• Budgeting for observability and avoiding runaway data and licensing costs
• Cultural and operational challenges in adopting observability and AIOps
• Future: Expanding observability beyond IT into telemetry, security, IoT, and OT

Guest 1: Sivachandrakarthik, Senior Technical Consultant, ManageEngine, ex-LTI Mindtree

Guest 2: Gowrisankar, Director of Product Management, ManageEngine

Host: Cyril Emmanuel, Observability Evangelist, ManageEngine

Time stamps:

(00:00) Intro & session overview

(05:07) Welcome & speaker introductions

(07:30) Why IT complexity is accelerating in the digital-first era

(08:22) From monitoring to observability: why availability metrics aren’t enough

(10:56) Observability fundamentals: MELT explained

(12:05) Why AIOps became essential for modern IT environments

(13:49) How observability helps organizations navigate cloud complexity

(16:04) Recommended adoption path: observability first, AIOps next

(18:04) Is observability needed for every organization?

(20:41) What to look for in observability and AIOps solutions

(22:45) Adaptive thresholds, capacity planning, and AI-driven insights

(25:03) Service mapping, dependency analysis, and faster RCA

(26:46) ChatOps, automation, and AI-assisted workflows

(28:44) Key capabilities of an observability platform

(30:49) Scalability, data ingestion, and architecture considerations

(32:05) Observability in multi-cloud and cloud-native environments

(34:24) Cultural change and operational readiness for observability

(36:22) Integrating observability with existing IT tools

(38:49) Vendor perspective: building observability as a platform

(41:20) Cost, ROI, and controlling observability spend

(43:08) Budgeting strategies for observability and AIOps

(46:37) Adoption roadblocks and change management

(49:06) Future trends shaping observability and AIOps

(51:46) Key takeaways and closing remarks

FSO Spotlight is the podcast by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ManageEngine FSO, where you listen to industry experts and thought leaders on observability and IT trends, strategies, and best practices.