What Is Telemetry Data and Why Does It Matter in Modern IT?
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The way we work today, modern business systems are distributed, making it challenging to understand system behavior in different situations. Customers, especially those in the field, find it difficult to track system performance and how it responds to modifications.
As technology advances, it creates a need to develop smarter, more intuitive, and all-encompassing ways to gather data for system analysis. And it needs to be simple. The answer is telemetry data.
In this article, we’ve explained telemetry in greater detail and the different types of telemetry data. We also talk about how telemetry benefits customers and some real-world telemetry data examples.
What is Telemetry Data?
Telemetry is the process of gathering and analyzing data from remote systems to get a better understanding of system performance. This industry-agnostic technique helps organizations make insight-driven decisions regarding their products and services.
This automated process measures and wirelessly transmits data, including electrical data (voltage and current) and physical data (temperature, pressure, etc.). This collected data is then sent for monitoring and analysis, allowing technology managers and leaders to better understand and effectively manage the system.
You might have noticed we used the term monitoring. Is that the same as telemetry? The two terms are often used interchangeably. However, there are slight differences. So, what is telemetry monitoring? Telemetry’s focus is on collecting and analyzing product performance data for a wide range of purposes, including troubleshooting issues, user behavior, and system performance.
Monitoring, on the other hand, has a narrower scope. Its primary goal is to detect likely issues and take preventive action to avoid escalation. You could say monitoring is a function within telemetry, where telemetry offers deeper monitoring capabilities and provides a wider understanding of the system.
Let’s delve a bit deeper and look at the types of telemetry data.
The Types of Telemetry Data
Depending on the kind of system monitoring and management required, telemetry data can be classified into three main types, with each offering valuable insights.
Environmental Data
This measure takes into account the physical conditions surrounding a system or device. Metrics covered include temperature, humidity, air pressure, etc. It is important to keep an eye on environmental data in order to maintain optimal operating conditions, prevent any physical damage due to adverse environmental factors, and extend its lifespan.
Performance Data
Performance data focuses on how well a system is functioning in real life. The product team considers data, such as CPU usage, memory utilization, network latency, and throughput metrics, to monitor performance. This is critical, as it allows organizations to identify slowdowns, optimize resource utilization, and ensure that the system runs smoothly, without the risk of server overloads or system crashes.
Operational Data
Here, we get down to studying a system’s daily functioning and health. Metrics like uptime, error rates, transaction volumes, and system alerts are observed. Monitoring these metrics helps businesses quickly spot and fix issues before they become major problems, thus ensuring ongoing service.
Many Uses of Telemetry
Telemetry has several applications in the working world. Here are a few ways that you can use it to enhance your product and get more from it.
Prioritizing Feature Development
Telemetry data can reveal interesting insights about how the software is being used, highlighting the most engaged and least-used features. With this information in hand, product teams are better equipped to decide which features should be prioritized for enhancements.
Identifying Issues in the Product
Telemetry data is a great way to understand which areas or features create issues for users, such as frequent errors or slowdowns. This helps companies focus on problem areas, fixing them before they worsen.
Optimizing Performance
The product team can discover performance bottlenecks within the product, such as slow-loading web pages and components. Developers can improve these choke points by using this data and thus enhance performance.
Validating Changes or Enhancements
When the product team makes changes or improvements to the product, telemetry data can help validate if the additional functionality is leading to:
- Better user engagement
- Fewer error rates
- Increased feature usage
Improving Security
Telemetry data can be used to check for suspicious activity or unusual usage patterns. Security teams can examine past patterns and discover security incidents in time. Additionally, telemetry data can also reveal out-of-date software so security patches can be applied.
Practical Applications of Telemetry with Real-World Examples
Many industries can use telemetry data to monitor and improve their systems. Let’s take a look at some real-world examples from different sectors:
IT and Software
One of the most significant uses of telemetry is in the IT industry. Here, telemetry data is used to monitor system performance, spot inconsistencies, and ensure optimal operation. Cloud service providers benefit from regularly tracked CPU usage, server uptime, and network latency. This is essential to predict failures and optimize resources.
Healthcare
Telemetry finds application in the healthcare sector and is used to monitor patients’ vital signs remotely. Wearable devices are a good example. These devices collect data, like heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels, and share this with healthcare providers for real-time monitoring. This makes it easier to track any abnormalities and enable timely intervention.
Automotive
The automotive industry makes use of telemetry for various testing and operational purposes. Metrics, such as torque, stress, and temperature, are critical for the optimum performance of components like driveshafts and brakes. Many automotive companies use telemetry to optimize performance and ensure safety during high-stress conditions, such as racing or heavy-load transportation
Aerospace
Telemetry in aerospace helps monitor and analyze the performance of various aircraft components, tracking parameters such as engine temperature, pressure, and vibration. This data is then used to predict failures and schedule maintenance proactively. NASA uses telemetry to monitor rotor blade dynamics in helicopter models, helping improve overall performance and flight safety
Wrapping Up
Telemetry data offers a range of advantages, contributing to improving system management and enhancing IT operations. Its real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and performance tuning abilities across various industries can help organizations make insightful, data-driven decisions for improved performance.
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