AI-driven observability gains momentum as enterprises embrace hybrid work and cloud

As digital transformation accelerates across the Middle East, enterprises are grappling with the challenges of performance, visibility, and control in increasingly hybrid and cloud-dependent environments. The shift to remote work, widespread cloud adoption, and the growing complexity of IT ecosystems have made observability — the ability to monitor, analyze, and optimize digital experiences — a top priority for CIOs and IT leaders.

Riverbed Technology, a long-standing leader in network optimization, is seeking to position itself at the centre of this evolution. At GITEX, the company showcased its latest innovations in observability and performance acceleration, including Riverbed IQ Ops, a platform enhanced with AI and machine learning capabilities. These tools enable predictive analysis, automated remediation, and integration with third-party systems like ServiceNow, helping IT teams proactively manage performance and security across distributed environments.

“We’re not just adding AI for the sake of it,” said Salman Ali, Riverbed’s Senior Manager for Solution Engineering in the GCC. “We’re using causal AI and generative algorithms to deliver actionable insights, break down silos across infrastructure, applications, and networks, and unify observability across the enterprise.”

Salman Ali, Senior Manager – Solution Engineering, GCC, at Riverbed Technology.

Riverbed’s approach centres on data quality and relevance. Its platform collects, filters, and analyzes data to ensure that AI delivers meaningful outcomes — from forecasting IT issues to correlating performance metrics across domains. This unified observability model is particularly valuable in hybrid work scenarios, where consistent access and performance are critical regardless of user location.

The company’s role in the UAE’s digital transformation journey is also expanding. As organizations migrate services to the cloud and digitize operations, Riverbed provides visibility into user behavior, service adoption, and performance metrics — both before and after migration. “Digitization helped us give companies the right visibility into how services are used and where enhancements are needed,” Ali said.

Looking ahead, Riverbed sees three major trends driving demand for observability: digitization, cloud adoption, and hybrid work. As applications move further from users, the need for deep visibility and control becomes more urgent. “The more digital we become, the more we need to understand our environments,” Ali noted. “Observability is the foundation for that understanding.”