IBM Instana is mainly used to monitor microservices on platforms like OpenShift and Kubernetes. It helps in observing the dynamic flow of communication between different layers of the application, such as between the database and the first component.
IBM Instana Observability (contract)
IBM SoftwareExternal reviews
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I can setup the ibm instana very quick
What do you like best about the product?
Ibm instana setup is quite quick for me when I use this I dnt use that much of manual work to find the services it's easier for me and our sre team also you can also use dashboard in this which also impressed me like it's live of performance I can see all the performance through this
What do you dislike about the product?
Honestly when I first visit the ibm instana I am little bit confused i am trying to figure out things I think it's due to the ui which is little confusing for me and I asked my team mates and all DevOps team we found the price could little bit low for little team like ours we can't afford high price sadly we can also discuss and figure out something like in IBM instana thatsome services takes much time to loading that's annoying for us it's cancelled improved for better performance
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
When I introduced to ibm instana I am so eager to know what I can do with this them I setup it for my servers for monitoring them I can setup the alerts in this so I can reduce the downtime with that that's how it's benifit me
Powerful Tool
What do you like best about the product?
IBM Instana is a potent APM tool designed for contemporary cloud-native systems, particularly Kubernetes microservices. With its strong root cause analysis, 1-second metric granularity, and automatic service discovery, it excels at assisting teams in identifying and resolving problems more quickly. On the other hand, it is not inexpensive, the user interface may initially seem overwhelming, and the alerting system requires some fine-tuning to prevent noise. Consider Instana to be the "Ferrari of monitoring" in general.
What do you dislike about the product?
I don't like IBM Instana because it can be costly for smaller teams, the user interface is complicated and not very intuitive for beginners, and the setup and documentation occasionally call for additional work or assistance. In contrast to competitors, the agent lacks robust built-in log management and automation features, can be resource-intensive, and occasionally experiences stability problems due to automatic updates. These shortcomings, when coupled with sluggish or erratic support, make it less desirable if you're searching for a portable, all-in-one monitoring solution.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The visibility issue in sophisticated, contemporary applications, particularly those utilizing microservices, containers, and Kubernetes, is resolved by IBM Instana. Instana provides 1-second granularity monitoring, auto-discovers services, and maps their relationships, saving hours of laborious wiring metrics and dependency tracing. As a result, you can swiftly determine the underlying causes of problems that spread across systems, trace requests from beginning to end, and detect brief spikes. Teams can immediately see the impact on performance and stability, which leads to faster troubleshooting, less time spent in war rooms, and increased confidence when implementing changes. In essence, it assists in transforming disorganized, dispersed environments into something that you can comprehend and manage.
Instana review
What do you like best about the product?
Instana is easy to set up and quickly gives clear insights with a simple interface. It's great for debugging, as you can trace calls, check logs, and spot issues fast. During load testing, real-time request tracking helps a lot. It’s reliable, easy to use, integrates well, and the support from IBM is excellent—I use it daily and it always delivers.
What do you dislike about the product?
At first, we had some trouble using Instana, but once we got familiar with it, it became very easy to use. I don't really have any dislikes to mention—it's definitely worth trying, especially for your first project. The high CPU usage used to be a challenge during debugging and load testing, but that has improved a lot recently, making the overall experience much smoother.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The best part about Instana is how it alerts me instantly if any server crosses a threshold or an API fails—even on my phone, anytime, anywhere. It helps me catch issues early, and even if support is sometimes slow, the team resolves them through updates. It’s been a big help in monitoring cloud infrastructure.
Application Observability end to end
What do you like best about the product?
The SaaS option reduces implementation time because the only step required is installing the agents. Depending on your infrastructure, it can be simpler if you have access to the backend address and port, as a few simple commands will allow you to install all the agents. Sensors are deployed automatically, meaning only one agent per server is needed. By following the documentation, you may encounter certain technologies that require adjustments to send or generate trace information. However, if you follow the instructions, you'll quickly see the dependency maps generated automatically.
When I started using the application, some features were not available, such as log monitoring and the ability to create alerts based on logs. We submitted an idea, and the support team informed us that it was being considered. Now, these features are available.
When I started using the application, some features were not available, such as log monitoring and the ability to create alerts based on logs. We submitted an idea, and the support team informed us that it was being considered. Now, these features are available.
What do you dislike about the product?
When I first started using the application in SaaS mode, the look and feel were different compared to today. The navigation bar and menus have changed, and now the application feels heavier, taking longer to load and feeling slower overall
The Integration with Cognos Analytics is not easier as with Grafana, documentation for this integration was not available.
The Integration with Cognos Analytics is not easier as with Grafana, documentation for this integration was not available.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Visibility across all services and applications and MTTR (Mean Time to Resolution) reduction. In some cases, when the applications are created don't follow a design and built by default, it means deploy features to resolve or execute a funtion, at the end some companies lose visibility, and when a issue arise, it takes much longer to resolve them. In the past customer only had infraestructure monitoring, and one event of High CPU usage didn't provide enough context.
Once they implemented Instana, they gained insights into relations between some endpoint or services that they didn´t know. This visibility helped them better understand the situation, reducing resolution time. By using smart alerts, they can even identify potential issues early and take action before any negative impact occurs.
Once they implemented Instana, they gained insights into relations between some endpoint or services that they didn´t know. This visibility helped them better understand the situation, reducing resolution time. By using smart alerts, they can even identify potential issues early and take action before any negative impact occurs.
Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring and Analysis
What do you like best about the product?
Visualization of different parameter is very insightfull and also filtering and grouping feature to breakdown analysis further for deeper understading of issues. I use instana on daily basis because it is very easy to implement custome dashboards and integration with other applications.
What do you dislike about the product?
I found little bit lagging i,e real time data is not available of cloud infrastructure. Customer care unit of IBM instana should be more robust
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I face regular slowness in my application and by using instana i can easily find out that which HTTPS call is taking time or which API is having high latency. It helps in doing RCA and reporting same to the client.
Analysis of infra made easy
What do you like best about the product?
Easy to use UI and it also made implementation easy. Readily available customer support and I use daily daily it for monitoring purpose.
What do you dislike about the product?
Every thing good. Ui could be made better
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
We are able to monitor our cloud infra actively and set alerts for the same. Able to take proactive actions.
Review on ibm instana
What do you like best about the product?
Monitoring is way easier and also checking historical resource usage. Visibilty on latency and other details of different techs and protocols.
What do you dislike about the product?
Thread dumps of history is not available.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Latency and resource usage details of 3rd party apis and db queries visibility and source destination details gives more highlight while checking some issues. And helps a lot while debugging incase of unavailability of logs.
Ysr review about IBM Insta
What do you like best about the product?
For me, the best thing about IBM Instana is the detection of anomalies
What do you dislike about the product?
The pricing plans are to expensive for me
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It helps me with the order and problem solving with some of my task
IBM Instana has not only improved our ability to monitor and manage applications in real-time .
What do you like best about the product?
real-time, AI-powered root cause analysis, which quickly identifies the source of issues across complex, distributed environments.
What do you dislike about the product?
The learning curve. It requires some time and lot of reading to configure some features.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
seamlessly monitor applications across both cloud and on-premise environments. Its automatic discovery and real-time monitoring capabilities ensure that we have comprehensive visibility over our entire infrastructure, regardless of where it is hosted. This has been essential in managing our increasingly complex hybrid environments without needing multiple tools.
Quick data insights enhance troubleshooting and understanding
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
IBM Instana has enhanced troubleshooting and understanding of application internal communication. It quickly collects data after installing the agent and provides insights into the application's dynamic flow, which aids in identifying issues promptly.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of IBM Instana are its quick data collection and analytics after installing the agent. It swiftly discovers and collects data, providing quick outputs. The dashboards implemented for different entities are also highly beneficial.
What needs improvement?
One area that requires improvement is related to the automation part, specifically automated actions like sending SMS. This feature needs enhancement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM Instana for around one to two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM Instana is quite stable, and on a scale of one to ten, I would rate it eight in terms of stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I cannot answer definitively about the scalability of IBM Instana as we have not used it on a large scale. We have mainly used it in small-scale projects.
How are customer service and support?
IBM's technical support is responsive but not entirely satisfactory. The response rate could be better, and as it stands, I would rate the support six out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use other vendors alongside IBM, such as Microsoft Azure, due to our trust in IBM’s stability and the quick data outputs it delivers.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is relatively straightforward, and the installation process usually only takes about one day if all prerequisites are in place.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation is conducted with the client's help and sometimes as part of a team without any third-party assistance.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
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