Every company uses different SaaS applications to manage its business processes. Hence, to ensure that your business’s SaaS apps are running smoothly, you need SaaS monitoring. Whether it’s measuring the effectiveness of your SaaS platforms or finding out whether you need to upgrade them, you can do it with SaaS monitoring.
Did you know that 42% of SaaS users report consistently poor SaaS performance, while IT reports that 39% of user experience issues aren’t detected by existing monitoring systems.
In this blog, you will find complete details on SaaS monitoring, how to do it, its best practices, and tools.
What is SaaS Monitoring?
Monitoring software as a service (SaaS) applications’ availability and performance is known as SaaS monitoring. SaaS performance monitoring software gathers statistics on a number of SaaS application characteristics, such as response time, uptime, availability, and user experience.
SourceSaaS monitoring can be used to locate and address potential problems with SaaS applications, like sluggish response times, downtime, or application faults.
Additionally, this approach of monitoring Saas apps can give businesses insightful information about user behavior and aid in the optimization of their apps for enhanced functionality and user experience.
Tools for SaaS monitoring can be used to monitor parameters such as server and application performance, network latency, user activity, and application availability. IT teams can utilize this data to develop reports, alerts, and notifications so they can respond to issues as they arise right away.
How Do You Monitor SaaS?
Monitoring SaaS applications is an essential part of ensuring reliable and efficient operation and analyzing monitoring data. Several methods exist to monitor SaaS applications, including application performance monitoring (APM), user experience monitoring (UEM), synthetic monitoring, log monitoring, and infrastructure monitoring.
Below we have explained the most effective ways to monitor SaaS in detail.
1. Application performance monitoring (APM)
APM systems gather information on a variety of metrics, including response time, CPU usage, memory utilization, and network latency, to track the performance and availability of SaaS services. Issues that affect the application’s performance can be found with the aid of APM tools.
2. User experience monitoring (UEM)
UEM tools monitor user interactions, such as page load times, application response times, and error rates. UEM can assist in locating problems like delayed page loads or application faults that may have an impact on user experiences.
3. Synthetic monitoring
To verify the functionality and availability of SaaS systems, synthetic monitoring simulates user activity. Synthetic tests can be used to find problems like delayed page loads or application faults that may have an influence on user experiences.
4. Log monitoring
To identify faults and solve issues, log monitoring entails reviewing logs produced by SaaS services. Security flaws, mistakes, and other occurrences that can affect the application’s performance or availability can be found with the aid of log monitoring.
5. Infrastructure monitoring
SaaS application support infrastructure monitors, such as servers, networks, and databases, is monitored using technologies that keep track of their performance. This can assist in locating problems that might affect the application’s functionality or availability.
Choosing The Right SaaS Monitoring Solution
When selecting a SaaS monitoring solution, consider the following factors:
1. Comprehensive monitoring capabilities:
Ensure that the monitoring solution can capture and analyze a wide range of performance metrics, including response time, latency, availability, error rates, and user experience indicators.
2. Real-time monitoring and alerting:
Look for a solution that provides real-time monitoring capabilities and alerts. Timely notifications allow IT teams to address issues promptly and minimize downtime or performance degradation.
3. Scalability and flexibility:
Consider the scalability of the monitoring solution, as it should be able to handle the increasing demands of your organization’s SaaS applications. It should also be flexible enough to support various SaaS providers and integrate with existing monitoring systems.
4. Security and compliance features:
Ensure that the monitoring solution includes security monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to potential threats. It should also provide compliance-related features, such as monitoring access controls and auditing user activities.
5. User-friendly interface and reporting:
The monitoring solution should offer a user-friendly interface that allows IT teams to easily navigate and access relevant performance data. It should also provide comprehensive reporting capabilities, allowing organizations to generate customized reports and gain insights from the collected data.
6 SaaS Monitoring Best Practices To Implement
SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) applications are becoming increasingly popular due to their ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility.
However, ensuring that these applications are performing optimally is crucial to maintaining user satisfaction and retention. Here are six best practices for SaaS monitoring to help ensure that your applications are running smoothly.
1. Realize the Importance of Monitoring
SaaS applications’ dependability and effectiveness depend heavily on monitoring. Monitoring tools may gather information on crucial parameters like response time, server performance, and network latency, giving you an understanding of how well your applications are running. You may find and fix problems in your applications before they affect the user experience by monitoring them.
2. Understand the Impact of Performance Issues
Slow response times, downtime, and other performance issues can have a significant impact on user satisfaction, leading to lost revenue and potential customer churn. Understanding the impact of these issues can help emphasize the importance of monitoring and proactively addressing performance issues.
3. Automate Your Monitoring Configuration
Monitoring tool setup and configuration can be time-consuming and error-prone. By automating your monitoring configuration, you can save time, lower the possibility of errors, and guarantee accurate and dependable monitoring. To speed up the process of setting up and configuring your monitoring tools, this may entail employing scripts, automation tools, or configuration management systems.
4. Don’t Rely on Service Provider Dashboards
SaaS providers might provide dashboards to track the performance of your application, but depending only on these dashboards might not provide you with a clear view of how well your application is doing.
Instead, think about utilizing third-party SaaS based monitoring tools to get a deeper knowledge of how well your application is performing. The performance of your application can be better understood with the help of third-party SaaS monitoring tools, which also make it easier for you to spot problems and take appropriate action.
5. Maintain Control of Business-Critical Operations
Controlling crucial company processes like SaaS security, backups, and disaster recovery is crucial. Monitoring these processes can assist in making sure they are going smoothly and also reveal any possible problems that might have an effect on your company. You can prevent problems from becoming serious ones by actively addressing them by keeping an eye on these procedures.
6. Use Alerts on Your Key Metrics
Alerts can assist you in immediately identifying and resolving problems that might affect the performance of your application. You can receive real-time warnings on important parameters like response time and server performance, enabling you to take swift action when problems arise. This may entail setting up SMS alerts, email notifications, or alert displays on monitoring dashboards.
Choosing the right SaaS Monitoring solution:
Top 5 SaaS Application Monitoring Tools in 2023
To start monitoring your SaaS processes, you need to implement the right platform. Below is the list of SaaS monitoring software that you can check out and compare.
1. ControlHippo
A cloud-based SaaS monitoring solution, ControlHippo helps companies in keeping an eye on their IT systems and software. Real-time information about how crucial systems, programs, and services are performing is provided by the software. Users can select which metrics to track and how to display them using ControlHippo’s customized dashboard.
Performance parameters including reaction time, availability, and error rates are detailedly reported by the software. In addition, ControlHippo provides warnings and notifications so users can be informed in real-time of any concerns. The software is simple to install and has a number of third-party tool integration options.
Key features
- Real-time monitoring of IT infrastructure and applications
- Customizable dashboard to monitor specific metrics
- Detailed reports on performance metrics such as response time, availability, and error rates
- Alerts and notifications for real-time issue detection
- Easy integration with various third-party tools
Pricing
- Professional – forever free.
- Enterprise – on request.
2. Thousandeyes
With Thousandeyes, a network performance monitoring tool, businesses can monitor the performance and health of their networks. The software can detect and resolve problems, including packet loss, delay, and jitter.
It also offers real-time insights into network behavior. The dashboard from Thousandeyes is quite visual, showing data in graphs and charts to make it simple to interpret. Users may immediately respond to network problems with the help of the software’s alerts and notifications, which can interface with a variety of third-party solutions.
Key features
- Network performance monitoring for identifying and troubleshooting network issues
- Real-time insights into network behavior, packet loss, latency, and jitter
- Visual dashboard with graphs and charts for easy understanding
- Integration with third-party tools
- Alerts and notifications for quick response to network issues
Pricing
- Custom pricing.
3. Sematext
Sematext is a comprehensive monitoring solution that gives companies instantaneous information about the effectiveness of their servers, networks, and applications. Data on different performance indicators, such as reaction time, availability, and error rates, are gathered by the software.
Users can design their own visualizations and actionable reports using Sematext’s highly customizable dashboard. The software also provides warnings and notifications, allowing users to be informed of any problems in real-time. Sematext is simple to set up and use and can be integrated with a number of third-party programs.
Key features
- All-in-one monitoring tool for applications, servers, and networks
- Real-time insights into performance metrics such as response time, availability, and error rates
- Customizable dashboard for creating visualizations and reports
- Alerts and notifications for real-time issue detection
- Easy integration with various third-party tools
Pricing
- Basic – $0 per month.
- Standard – $50 per month.
- Pro – $60 per month.
4. New Relic
Application performance monitoring solution, New Relic assists companies in keeping tabs on the functionality of their apps. The software offers in-the-moment perceptions of application behavior, such as response times, error rates, and throughput.
The dashboard for New Relic makes data easier to grasp by showing it in charts and graphs. Users can receive alerts and notifications from the platform, enabling them to be informed in real-time of any concerns. New Relic is simple to set up and use and has a variety of third-party tool integrations.
Key features
- Application performance monitoring for real-time insights into application behavior
- Detailed reports on performance metrics such as response time, error rates, and throughput
- Visual dashboard with charts and graphs for easy understanding
- Integration with third-party tools
- Alerts and notifications for real-time issue detection
Pricing
- Custom pricing
5. Pingdom
Pingdom is a website monitoring tool that helps businesses monitor the performance and availability of their websites. Data on different performance measures, such as reaction time, availability, and uptime, are gathered by the software. Users can receive alerts and notifications when using the software, which allows them to be informed of any problems in real-time. Pingdom is simple to set up and use and has the ability to interface with many third-party apps.
Key features
- Website monitoring for tracking website performance and availability
- Real-time insights into performance metrics such as response time, availability, and uptime
- Visual dashboard with charts and graphs for easy understanding
- Integration with third-party tools
Pricing
- The pricing starts at $10 per month.
Conclusion
SaaS monitoring is a critical aspect of ensuring the reliability and performance of SaaS applications. It allows organizations to proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact end-users and enables them to optimize their SaaS environments for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
With the increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions and the growing complexity of modern IT infrastructures, the need for effective SaaS monitoring has never been greater.
SaaS Monitoring FAQ's
SaaS monitoring's key elements are as follows.
- Monitoring the SaaS application's availability to make sure it is available to users and working smoothly.
- Monitoring the SaaS application's response time, throughput, and other performance parameters to ensure the best possible user experience.
- Understanding how users interact with the SaaS service can help you spot any problems or inefficiencies.
- Monitoring for potential security risks and flaws that could affect a SaaS application or user data is known as security monitoring.
- Confirm that the SaaS application complies with all applicable legal and compliance standards.
To effectively monitor SaaS solutions, you need to track several key metrics, including:
- Application response time and availability
- Server resource utilization and performance
- Network performance and latency
- User engagement and behavior
- Application-specific metrics, such as transactions per second or database queries per minute.
The two items that are necessary for end-to-end SaaS application monitoring are:
- Synthetic monitoring: This involves creating simulated transactions or user interactions with the SaaS application to measure its performance and availability from end to end. This helps identify issues with the application before they impact real users.
- Real user monitoring (RUM): This involves monitoring the actual interactions of real users with the SaaS application to gain insights into user behavior, performance, and issues. RUM data can help identify trends and patterns in user behavior, allowing organizations to optimize their SaaS environments for maximum efficiency and user satisfaction.
Updated : July 7, 2023
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