Automatically analyze patterns and detect anomalies in Amazon CloudWatch Logs.

Log analysis is the process of collecting, processing, and analyzing generated data. When using AWS Cloud, this is an essential task for every business, but it often takes a lot of time and effort if done manually. Therefore, AWS has applied advanced AI technology and introduced the automation of log analysis in Amazon CloudWatch, a comprehensive monitoring service provided by AWS. This service allows businesses to track operational status, manage performance, and use AWS resources efficiently.

Below, a MultiCloud expert from CMC Telecom shares information about the new features in Amazon CloudWatch.

The latest features have just been updated in Amazon CloudWatch.

The "Patterns" tab on the Logs Insights page helps users find recurring patterns in query results. This is useful for detailed error analysis or identifying trends in log data.

The "Compare" button in Logs Insights allows for quick comparison of query results across different time periods, such as yesterday, last week, or last month. This helps administrators minimize the time needed to identify changes in usage patterns.

The "Log Anomalies" page in the Logs section of the navigation bar automatically detects and displays anomalies in the logs, helping users quickly identify incidents or deviations from normal operation.

Amazon CloudWatch's new features provide powerful capabilities for log analysis and troubleshooting. Below are some examples of how these three features can be used in real-world scenarios.

The "Pattern" tab can be used to find recurring errors in website logs. This may indicate that the business website is inaccessible. This issue leads to frustration with the customer service experience, causing them to leave the website and look for other business products or services.

The "Compare" function allows you to compare website traffic between today and yesterday. If traffic spikes at a particular time, this could indicate that the business website is under a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.

A business can use a "Log Anomalies" page to detect anomalies such as a sudden surge in the number of events. This can help administrators react quickly, investigate the cause of the problem, and prevent it from causing system disruptions.

Benefits of the new features

Amazon CloudWatch Logs' new features not only provide convenience in log management but also offer intelligent data monitoring and analysis capabilities. Automatic pattern detection and anomaly detection help users quickly identify and resolve issues, reducing analysis time and increasing accuracy. The integration of AI in log analysis provides a more detailed perspective, capturing trends and offering early warnings, thereby enhancing monitoring efficiency. These improvements transform log monitoring from a manual task into an automated, cost-effective, and intelligent process.

Implementing this feature involves two main steps: Activating anomaly detection for desired metrics from CloudWatch Metrics and creating alerts based on these anomaly detections.

The cost for this feature is based on the number of alerts generated and the number of metrics each alert monitors. Each anomaly detection alert will be associated with three metrics: the baseline, the upper limit, and the lower limit of expected behavior. Each of these metrics will cost $0.10 per month.

For example: As a system administrator for a company, you select 10 benchmark metrics to detect anomalies, including CPU performance, network traffic, etc. You decide to create alerts for 5 of them, each alert monitoring 3 metrics. The cost per metric is $0.10/month, so each alert would cost $0.30/month. The total cost for 5 alerts is $1.50/month. This is a cost-effective investment, at only $1.50/month, to improve system monitoring and rapid response.

A representative from CMC Telecom shared: “With the new enhancements from Amazon CloudWatch Logs, data management and monitoring have become smarter and more efficient than ever. AWS continues to affirm its position as a leader in cloud technology with the most optimal solutions. Currently, CMC Telecom is a high-level service partner of AWS in Vietnam. We have been working with AWS for 6 years, so businesses can rest assured of the expertise of the CMC Telecom team in designing, deploying, and managing solutions on AWS.”

Thuy Nga

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