AppDynamics Serverless APM for AWS Lambda

I work for a supply chain SaaS organization, and Blue Yonder is a global supply chain SaaS company that provides supply chain management solutions for global enterprise customers. For handling enterprise-class customers, we definitely need an enterprise-class product rather than an open-source observability or log management solution. That is why we picked Splunk AppDynamics  as our strategic observability and log management solution, and the deployment was completed in a couple of weeks with the help of a third-party vendor.

Log management is the primary purpose for which Splunk AppDynamics  is used.

We use Splunk AppDynamics' data collection feature, and using the OpenTelemetry  standards, we were able to integrate with our existing set of systems for log management, metrics, traces, and everything that is part of the observability solution offering.

We sell our application management solutions, and the application's digital user experience in Splunk AppDynamics is really good for our global customers. When an external customer is impacted due to application slowness, my support team or my SRE team can go to Splunk AppDynamics portal where we can drill down into the problems, the SLAs, and the response times using this digital experience feature.

For infrastructure monitoring, we are not using Splunk AppDynamics, but for application monitoring, we are using it. The performance is really good and the product features are really good. We have more than 100-plus applications being monitored using Splunk AppDynamics, and for application performance monitoring, the product features are really good.

The team is still evaluating AI-related functionalities in Splunk AppDynamics, but from what I understand from the application owners, they are able to drill down into the application performance impacts during the incidents and they are able to proactively fix the incidents before application portal performance bottlenecks happen.

Splunk AppDynamics did assist me with detecting and protecting against vulnerabilities. It detects the critical vulnerabilities and the legacy things in the larger infrastructure, and it is able to address the critical vulnerabilities in the legacy systems. In that, the product was really useful.

Splunk AppDynamics did help improve my organization's business resilience by reducing the vulnerabilities and the attack surface.

For Splunk AppDynamics, the major headache is cost, and the pricing options are not very flexible. The contract negotiations or the pricing options for a multi-year commitment, along with the renewal cost options, are not very flexible.

In the long run, it is definitely beneficial for an organization like Blue Yonder, because as a supply chain SaaS organization, we are onboarding many customers every quarter, so the infrastructure grows at the backend for the SaaS infrastructure. If the pricing is flexible, we are going to buy more licenses or more quantity.

Internal solutions were developed, but not third-party products prior to adopting Splunk AppDynamics.

The deployment process of Splunk AppDynamics was done by the third-party consulting firm called HCL.

The deployment was completed in a couple of weeks with the help of a third-party vendor. The deployment process of Splunk AppDynamics was done by the third-party consulting firm called HCL.

I rate eight out of ten for the support for Splunk, and for Splunk AppDynamics, I would rate approximately nine for the support our team is getting. I would rate Splunk AppDynamics eight out of ten overall.

We have been using Splunk AppDynamics  for around one year and one month and started with just APM  pieces for our back-end services and, over time, expanded it to cover business transaction and database monitoring.

The most valuable feature is the end-to-end transaction tracing, which provides genuine insights by allowing users to follow a single transaction across multiple microservices to pinpoint delays or errors, thereby saving hours during major incidents.

The auto-discovery and application mapping feature automatically maps out our entire application technology, showing service dependencies accurately, saving considerable manual configuration time.

The baseline and anomaly detection feature learns what normal looks like for your app, alerting on deviations beyond static thresholds.

A few things genuinely frustrate me about Splunk AppDynamics . First, the UI, while powerful, is dense and not modern compared to products like DataDog or New Relic , requiring a learning curve for new team members. Navigating feels unnecessarily deep, often requiring additional clicks.

Second, the alerting configuration is overly complex. Setting up health roles and policies isn't intuitive, leading to potential alert storms or missed incidents if configured incorrectly.

Lastly, the CPU-based licensing model complicates understanding costs with scaling, necessitating more straightforward processes.

We have been using Splunk AppDynamics for around one year and one month.

My experience with the application performance monitoring capabilities of Splunk AppDynamics has been largely stable. Issues with Splunk AppDynamics performance itself have been minimal. The agents are very reliable once deployed, running automatically without the need for manual intervention.

We contact technical support when we do the implementation and onboarding of Splunk AppDynamics, as it is part of our enterprise contract. Sessions with the solution engineer helped us in defining the initial architecture and sizing, which was fundamental.

We used DataDog previously, which offered a more extensive collection of frameworks, about seven or so. However, we've switched to Splunk AppDynamics for its straightforwardness, simplifying our processes.

The initial deployment is very straightforward if one reads the documentation correctly. All steps are clearly outlined in the documentation, making the setup hassle-free.

Technical support, part of our enterprise contract, assisted us during the implementation and onboarding of Splunk AppDynamics. We had sessions with a solution engineer for initial architecture and sizing, which was beneficial.

Pricing for Splunk AppDynamics is higher, attributed to the additional features it offers over other tools. While the cost is significant given we have around 120 services, it remains manageable and offers the value we're seeking.

Regarding the effectiveness of the features like auto-discovery and mapping, they visualize your application ecosystem. This feature is very useful to us because we don't have to do the manual effort. Using this feature has saved us around 20 to 30% of time. We don't need many people in the environment. If you have four to five people to handle that feature for 400 or 500 products, then we need only one to two people. Thus, it is resource-efficient and saves time.

We use AI-powered features in Splunk AppDynamics such as anomaly detection and root cause analysis. We have Splunk AppDynamics plus Splunk integration apps which eliminate the need for manual checks.

Using the APM , there are features in Splunk AppDynamics which allow for easy troubleshooting of code-level issues, removing the need for manual interventions.

Regarding the downsides of Splunk AppDynamics, we did not have major dislikes; most features are well-appreciated.

Splunk AppDynamics is a solution we recommend to our customers and vendors if they're within Splunk ecosystem, as it saves time and leverages the ecosystem's features.

Our overall review rating for Splunk AppDynamics is 9 out of 10.

My usual use cases with Splunk AppDynamics  are primarily related to the Innova project, where we collect all assets and prepare a dashboard to display all assets and create reports for management about what assets are in place, their numbers, and their identifications.

We use Splunk AppDynamics  for application performance monitoring in on-premises environments because hybrid is not an option for us, as we utilize an OT system located on the client's premises, and we do not use a hybrid or any cloud environment.

We use Splunk AppDynamics primarily for maintenance and support, especially given the current threat landscape. We validate all software and hardware lists approved by the end user and monitor for any recently added assets to ensure compliance with the approved repository.

I rate Splunk AppDynamics' line-of-code level troubleshooting feature a perfect 10 out of 10 for diagnosing performance issues, as it is very good.

The codes used for Splunk are very good, understandable, and readable, which is why I give it a high rating.

I find Splunk AppDynamics' Digital Experience Monitoring feature very good because it offers end users complete insights into their network, hardware, and software assets, along with detailed reporting on asset installation, models, and operating systems.

The Secure Application feature in Splunk AppDynamics is valuable because it links to the firewall and reports any incidents or unexpected asset discoveries, thereby preventing unauthorized access or communication within the network.

I do not believe there are areas to be improved in Splunk AppDynamics rather than the current situation, but I believe that integrating artificial intelligence and linking the software with other APIs, such as AI or machine learning, would be great.

I wish to improve the AI and machine learning capabilities in the software, which are currently used for top management reporting instead of manual reporting from the system. I believe AI could provide more insights for annual or half-yearly reports and forecast future changes in the asset landscape.

I have been working with Splunk AppDynamics for approximately two years.

I give Splunk AppDynamics a 10 out of 10 for stability and reliability since it offers full insights into the software and hardware supply list.

Both stability and reliability are excellent in Splunk AppDynamics, with my assessment reflecting its consistent performance.

I have never experienced any outages with Splunk AppDynamics; it has never stopped working abruptly.

Scalability is very good in Splunk AppDynamics as it can accommodate a wide range of asset counts, but it depends on the license schema, which may range from 250 to 10,000 assets.

I normally communicate with the technical support of Splunk AppDynamics for any incidents or issues, but we have not opened any tickets yet. We also have 40 optional support hours committed in our contract.

Currently, I have not communicated with any technical support specialists from Splunk AppDynamics because we are still in the integration phase, but if we face issues during testing, we will use the support hours we have committed.

Before using Splunk AppDynamics, I used an outdated solution, an Excel sheet, to track all assets, software, and hardware, which was challenging compared to the resilience that Splunk AppDynamics' dynamic software provides.

My experience with the initial setup and deployment of Splunk AppDynamics is that it was very easy, with our team installing it in four control centers in less than eight days, which I find to be perfect.

We requested all technical manuals and third-party documentation from Splunk AppDynamics to deliver them to the end user as part of my commitment, ensuring they receive all necessary documentation and training materials.

The pricing and licensing of Splunk AppDynamics are managed by another team called the resource team, and they handle all tool and software lists to provide us with the necessary licenses.

I consider the pricing of Splunk AppDynamics to be mid-range compared to other software, as it operates on a subscription model, and the resource team finds the best prices, ensuring that Splunk AppDynamics is an acceptable option for the end user.

I evaluated other vendors, but we chose Splunk AppDynamics because the customer provided a list of approved software that we were required to procure and install without deviations.

I have experience with IT asset management solutions, specifically with Device42 , and also with asset discovery tools such as Splunk AppDynamics and other tools.

I was working in one of the projects in the Western region of Saudi Arabia at Neom city, where it is called the Innova project, and we are using Splunk AppDynamics for technical purposes there.

My role is as a delivery manager, and I am taking care of all software and hardware delivery at GE Vernova, where I have a team of integrators, network engineers, and database engineers. I ensure that everything has been delivered correctly to the end user and customer.

I am not in charge of getting into the technical details, but I follow up on the software names to ensure they are configured and in place, and I see that the automatic asset discovery feature, which automatically detects any additional hardware, is very interesting.

I think Splunk AppDynamics' data collection feature with agents or OpenTelemetry  is perfect because it is installed dynamically on all servers and nodes, and all agents respond quickly to the server or master station where Splunk AppDynamics is installed, providing great insights into hardware and software discovery.

Both stability and reliability are excellent in Splunk AppDynamics, with my assessment reflecting its consistent performance.

The alerting feature greatly impacts end-user experience since it is user-friendly and the end users are well-trained by GE, making them capable of understanding and operating the software without complications.