The IDC White Paper (Doc. #US49816122, November 2022) also affirmed that harnessing the power of network-derived intelligence and insights is critical in detecting today's increasingly sophisticated security threats across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure.

With 95 percent of organisations claiming to have experienced a ransomware attack in 2022, security remains top of mind for IT leaders regardless of their industry. According to the IDC White Paper, over 60 percent of respondents believe that today's observability solutions serve narrow requirements and fail to provide a complete view of current operating conditions.

To address today's rapidly evolving security requirements, enhancing traditional observability capabilities that rely on metrics, events, logs, and traces (MELT) with real-time network-derived intelligence and insights is essential to mitigate security risks across hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure.

Only with this deep observability can organisations find the greatest value from observability across both on-premises systems and cloud services, core and edge components, and cybersecurity functions.

"Networking, cybersecurity and observability are becoming intertwined. IT organisations are looking to leverage an immutable source of truth and more collaborative management efforts to break down siloed technology approaches, position themselves for long-term success, and, ultimately, deliver the best possible business outcomes," said IDC research director Mark Leary.

"Deep observability must be prioritised as IT organisations look to fully realise the transformational promise of a resilient and responsive digital infrastructure and continually maintain a strong security posture to meet today's digital business requirements."

Key findings

• The top cited benefits of observability include security (34 percent), staff productivity (33 percent), and digital/user experience (25 percent). Observability also delivers a mix of both tactical (eg, resolution, continuity, tracking) and strategic (eg, experience, governance, innovation) benefits.

• Over 75 percent of organisations use or plan to use deep observability solutions to support automation efforts in future years. Deep observability can enable a hierarchical platform-based approach in which detailed data and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-driven analysis can produce a single source of truth, converge data and tools, and enable talent to deploy, operate, repair, and enhance digital infrastructures in a timely manner.

• The market will see increased investments in cloud services over the next few years, with over half of respondents (51 percent) citing it as a priority. In fact, 72 percent of organisations strongly agree that cloud service intelligence should be leveraged to optimise costs and secure information. Cost from technical debt and the complexity of supporting multiple generations of infrastructure are some of the biggest barriers for organisations in achieving their digital infrastructure resiliency goals.

• Network-derived intelligence can support adherence to SANS 20 Critical Security Controls, potentially eliminating 98 percent of possible attack vectors. Today, over 50 percent of respondents state that they actively share network intelligence across IT teams, and more than 60 percent of organisations are making progress in leveraging these insights in their security management practices.

"Over 90 percent of organisations operate in a hybrid and multi-cloud world, yet security blind spots remain a significant barrier for technology leaders looking to get the most out of their cloud investments," said Gigamon chief security officer Chaim Mazal.

"This research not only points to the critical role that deep observability plays in securing complex cloud environments but the necessary convergence of NetOps and SecOps teams in fortifying modern cybersecurity practices. Gigamon is leading the industry into the next stage of observability, rooted in cross-functional team collaboration, proactive detection, and threat remediation."

The findings are based on a survey, conducted by IDC, of over 900 global IT leaders across North America, APAC, and EMEA, which included a mix of major industries (financial, manufacturing, retail/wholesale, healthcare, transport/utilities, education, government, and professional services).

All respondents held roles of manager or above, with key decision-making responsibilities for observability functions and solutions that span across IT operational domains, including networking, security, and cloud.

For detailed survey results, click here. To learn more about the Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline and how it can help your organisation navigate its multi-cloud journey click here.

About Gigamon

Gigamon offers a deep observability pipeline that harnesses actionable network-level intelligence to amplify the power of observability tools. This powerful combination helps enable IT organisations to assure security and compliance governance, speed root-cause analysis of performance bottlenecks, and lower operational overhead associated with managing hybrid and multi-cloud IT infrastructure. The result: modern enterprises realize the full transformational promise of the cloud. Gigamon serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide, including over 80 percent of Fortune 100 enterprises, nine of the ten largest mobile network providers, and hundreds of governments and educational organisations worldwide. To learn more, please visit gigamon.com.