Cloud complexity a challenge for the channel to solve

An increasing number of customers view the channel as the answer when it comes to dealing with increasing cloud complexity. The growth in multicloud environments has increased the management burden on technology leaders and increased the opportunity for the channel to step into the breach.

Research from observability specialist Dynatrace has signalled the role the channel can play with dealing with cloud complexity.

The Dynatrace research, The state of observability 2024: Overcoming complexity through AI-driven analytics and automation strategies, revealed that the vast majority of customers (88%) had seen complexity around their technology stack increase over the past year, with expectations that would continue.

To illustrate the size of the challenge, the firm found that the average multicloud environment was spanning 12 different platforms and services. A failure to keep on top of systems meant that customer experience dropped and it was harder to protect applications.

The vast majority of those quizzed by Dynatrace also shared a belief that cloud-native technology stacks had produced more data than any human could manage.

“For more than a decade, the channel has worked tirelessly to support customers as they transition from legacy environments to the cloud,” said Michael Allen, vice-president of partner sales worldwide at Dynatrace.

“These journeys have provided invaluable growth opportunities for the channel as the industry has moved from a ‘box-shifting’ mindset to one of continuous value creation. Now, the focus is turning to how the channel can help customers to tame the complexity of their increasingly dynamic and distributed technology stacks,” he added.

The research warned that the common approach of arming customers with more observability and management tools had become an additional problem for many users who could not cope with the number of tools they were using.

“The findings of this research highlight that customers urgently need their channel partners to deliver solutions that enable them to optimise their cloud environments, improve user experiences and drive faster, more secure software innovation,” added Allen.

The Dynatrace research also revealed frustrations among customers with the time IT teams are taking to manage systems, arguing that it takes resources away from innovation. There were signs that more automation was being adopted as a way of reducing the burden.

“The channel has an important role to play in helping customers to tame the complexity of their modern technology stacks by cost-effectively capturing, analysing and using this data to drive intelligent automation,” said Allen.

“However, our research clearly shows that customers are seeing limited value from AIOps solutions, as they require too much manual effort to turn data into answers. Instead, the channel needs to provide solutions that combine causal, predictive and generative AI to drive advanced analytics and cloud automation. By bringing these solutions into their portfolio, the channel can deliver significant value and unlock further revenue opportunities,” he added.