Key Takeaways From AWS re:Invent 2024

AWS re:Invent 2024 proved, once again, its place as the annual launching pad for innovation and transformation in cloud technologies. It was incredible to see the excitement for our solutions from the AWS audience and the engagement in our booth. Whether you were able to join us or not, we’ve recapped our top takeaways, including new announcements helping Observe push the boundaries of observability. 

AI Investigator and Kubernetes Explorer: The Crowd Favorites

Our AI Investigator and Kubernetes Explorer stole the spotlight at the booth. These tools demonstrate our commitment to simplifying observability for complex systems. AI Investigator impressed with its ability to drive faster and more precise incident investigations and resolution. Kubernetes Explorer demos showed how to drive lower mean time to resolve (MTTR) and deliver exceptional end-user experiences in container-native environments. Attendees saw firsthand how these innovations can and will empower teams to troubleshoot faster.

Schema-on-Demand: A Game-Changer for Splunk and Datadog Users

Some of the team’s favorite conversations were with Splunk and Datadog users. Among them, one sentiment stood out: Schema-on-Demand is a game-changer. Attendees were impressed by how Observe effortlessly transformed raw logs into actionable insights, a capability many struggle to achieve with their current observability tools. It wasn’t just about the efficiency; it was about the clarity and accessibility Schema-on-Demand brought to their data, enabling teams to uncover insights faster than ever before.

Apache Iceberg: The Future of Data Lakes

AWS’s announcement of S3 Tables based on the Apache Iceberg format confirmed what we’ve been anticipating: Apache Iceberg has become the de facto standard for Data Lakes. Observe was the first observability vendor to recognize that telemetry data belongs in a low-cost, highly performant Data Lake. By next year, all of Observe’s data will be stored in an Apache Iceberg format.

What does this mean for enterprises? Combined with OpenTelemetry for data collection, enterprises will finally own their data instead of having it locked away by a vendor. This marks the beginning of a new era, the era of Open Data, where businesses have the freedom to fully leverage their data without barriers.

OpenTelemetry and OTEL-Native APM: A Growing Movement

OpenTelemetry (OTEL) continued to gain momentum at both re:Invent and KubeCon. With contributions from over 10,000 individuals across 1,200 companies and 900 monthly active developers, OpenTelemetry is transforming observability into a more open and collaborative space. The rise in participation, with an 18% increase in developers and a 22% rise in company involvement year-over-year, shows that OpenTelemetry is no longer just a trend; it is becoming the backbone of modern observability. OpenTelemetry-Native Application Performance Management (APM) and the new Service Explorer, designed to visualize and manage service performance, captured significant interest from the floor. 

Final Thoughts: The Evolution of Observability

Observability is at the heart of delivering exceptional customer experiences in today’s cloud-native world. The convergence of OpenTelemetry, Apache Iceberg, and AI-powered tools like those from Observe is reshaping how enterprises manage and understand their applications and infrastructure.

If one theme emerged clearly, it’s that open data and open standards are the future. The days of siloed, proprietary systems are fading, replaced by a model where businesses own their data and have the tools to derive real value from it.

Here’s to an exciting future of innovation and collaboration in observability. Until next year! 🚀