Data that tells you what is going on in your IT infrastructure comes from the following sources:
- Wire Data (network packets)
- Machine Data (e.g. CPU usage for workstations and servers)
- Agent Data (that tell you current number of users, which applications are used when etc.)
- Synthetic Data (data that you check as required, e.g. “is it available now”)
- Human Generated Data (e.g. knowledge bases)
It is essential to gather data, so decisions are made based on information rather than guesses.