Riverbed Launches New AI Features to Enhance Platform Observability

Riverbed Technology LLC has unveiled a significant update to its observability platform, integrating a variety of artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to help businesses resolve technical issues more efficiently.

The update introduces a new feature called IQ Assist, which visually presents technical problems through a graphical interface and offers actionable repair recommendations. Additionally, IQ Assist can synchronize incident data with external applications like ServiceNow, enabling administrators to manage system failures more effectively.

Another innovative AI tool introduced is Predictive AI, aimed at helping organizations identify and address potential technical issues before they escalate. This tool can detect latency fluctuations that may negatively impact application user experiences and monitor workload-induced stress on infrastructure.

Once potential issues are identified, administrators can leverage a new feature called Agentic AI to address them. This functionality provides access to AI agents capable of automating manual tasks involved in troubleshooting. Riverbed highlights that customers can deploy these AI agents effortlessly using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Beyond the AI enhancements, the update also brings improvements to Riverbed's Unified Agent, a critical component for collecting technical issue data. The update adds several modules to the Unified Agent, enabling it to gather telemetry from collaboration services like Zoom and Microsoft, as well as collect data on Wi-Fi modems and Thunderbolt ports from Intel-powered computers—critical for diagnosing peripheral-related issues.

The release also includes a module named NPM+ Packet Capture, allowing the Unified Agent to monitor network traffic on employees’ Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. Network traffic data is invaluable for identifying cybersecurity concerns, such as unauthorized cloud application usage by employees.

Riverbed's observability platform also features a component called Aternity, which assists companies in evaluating software for user experience issues. As part of this update, Riverbed has streamlined the installation process for Aternity within Kubernetes clusters and virtual desktop environments.

According to Riverbed, most features from this update are available immediately, while Agent AI and NPM+ Packet Capture will be released in the second and third quarters, respectively.