Why Do We Monitor?

It is a question that seems to have an obvious answer but, in my opinion, does not get asked often enough. Why do we monitor? The reason I say that it does not get asked often enough is because if it did you would find that your monitoring isn't getting the job done. So let's get this out of the way.

Why do we monitor?

The simple answer is that we want to ensure that the vital service we provide is available to our clients. A developer approaches this from the application. A systems administrator approaches this from the server. A network administrator approaches this from the network. They are all correct but it only takes a failure to understand one of the components and you have a huge blind spot in what you think is a solid first line of defense. As I continue this blog I will explore various pieces of the monitoring puzzle and, hopefully, help you understand where your monitoring may be lacking.