Quest Software has introduced its Foglight for Windows Azure Applications application performance monitoring (APM) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering in beta form. For developers, this could mean better feedback relating to end users' cloud application experiences and lead to more efficient coding for virtualized environments.
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Targeted initially at IT admin staff overseeing user experiences with Windows Azure-based applications, the new APM service aims to provide cloud-based performance monitoring technology for Azure apps with insight into current and historical availability, as well as the health of the application and its supporting infrastructure.
The "current and historical" visibility combo is where Quest is hinging its USP with regard to Foglight in order to try and provide a true understanding of performance issues related to browser types, mobile device, and other user agents.
Foglight seeks to identify compatibility issues and show how users access an application in order to drill down into problems to understand both their impact and probable cause.
In terms of working process — alarms are reserved for what Quest defines as "truly important" matters. In addition to appearing in the product, these can be forwarded to email clients so that IT staff are notified when critical issues arise, enabling them to take action when needed.
Quest's Steve Rosenberg states that we although we may have entered a new era with cloud platforms like Windows Azure, IT organizations want to capitalize upon cost-effective application delivery with independent performance monitoring that provides insight into what end users experience with these applications.
"With the introduction of Foglight for Windows Azure Applications, we now offer performance monitoring solutions that enable enterprise IT departments to have a true picture of the end user's actual experience with Windows Azure-based applications, quickly and proactively pinpoint performance issues, and resolve those issues before they impact the business," said Rosenberg.
Microsoft's Azure product team spokesperson proved his ability to tow the party line and affirmed that its cloud is the "platform of choice for developers" and that the company "pleased to have worked with Quest" as it is an "application performance monitoring solution" — ** sigh **.
