DevOps is about more than just developing apps faster–or developing apps at all. But, for those organizations where DevOps is about developing apps faster, it’s important to remember that faster doesn’t mean better.
One way to ensure quality apps proactively is to monitor usage and behavior, and analyze real-time analytics to identify and resolve problems before they’re even recognized or reported by users. I wrote about a solution from Mixpanel that helps businesses do just that:
Back in 1980 there was a movie called nine to five—referring to the commonly held perception of a standard work day. Of course, that work day evolved to be more like eight to six (or seven), and now it seems like the concept of a work day—or work hours at all—is a distant memory. In order to keep up with the instantaneous, always-on, connected 24/7 pace of today, companies need to be able to understand how their apps are used, and proactively address issues in real-time.
That’s where companies like mixpanel come in. MixPanel offers an advanced analytics platform for Web and mobile apps so that developers can keep tabs on when, where, and how apps are used, and any problems that might arise.
I spoke with Tim Trefren, co-founder of MixPanel. He proclaimed, “It’s easy to build a product. What’s hard is building a good product.” I assume that wisdom applies both to MixPanel itself, as well as to the customers that employ MixPanel to monitor and improve their own products.
Trefren told me that MixPanel provides a very flexible system that enables customers to track and monitor the metrics that matter most to them. It allows for custom metrics, so companies can choose to monitor elements of apps and app functionality that are completely unique. Customers can also implement A/B alternatives and compare metrics between the two to determine which is most effective.
Monitoring performance metrics, and analyzing that data to fix or improve apps fits into the broader concept of agile development, and rapid iteration that define DevOps. Trefren explained that some customers also employ MixPanel in an innovative way that also applies to DevOps—to actually monitor operational data.
Trefren says MixPanel may not be the ideal tool for monitoring operations, but it does enable admins to monitor everything from a single display, and it can be used to alert IT personnel when issues arise. For example, if MixPanel starts logging metrics that show an app is not being used at all, that could indicate that a server is offline.
Read the full story at DevOps.com: Optimize app performance with the help of real-time monitoring and analytics.
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