Synthetic APM: Automated User Simulation Improves Customer Experience

By Michael Kedik, Xigent VP Offering Management

Synthetic APM: Automated User Simulation Improves Customer Experience

As a business owner, wouldn’t it be helpful to understand the customer journey and the potential roadblocks within it? ThousandEyes Synthetic Application Performance Monitoring (APM) improves your company’s ability to reduce the amount of time to identify problems and the source of those problems in your applications faster.

What is ThousandEyes Synthetic APM?

ThousandEyes Synthetic APM is a solution that utilizes synthetic testing to simulate user journeys and interactions to monitor the performance of applications, networks, and services. Unlike traditional monitoring, which relies on real-user data and often uncovers issues only after they’ve occurred, synthetic testing is proactive, allowing IT teams to catch and resolve issues before users do.

This simulated approach provides insight into how users might experience an application under various scenarios. ThousandEyes Synthetic APM is valuable for identifying potential issues and ensuring smooth user experiences even during periods of high demand or across geographically dispersed user bases.

ThousandEyes Synthetic APM vs. Traditional Synthetic Solutions

Most Browser and API Synthetic solutions provide a core set of metrics on user experience defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). However, these base metrics leave a critical gap in providing insight into browser and API performance. The gap ThousandEyes provides is arguably the most critical component: the deep network visibility between the source and destination. ThousandEyes is uniquely positioned to fill this gap in synthetic monitoring

How Synthetic Testing Enhances User Experience

Synthetic Application Performance Monitoring imitates user behaviors, performing scheduled tests to measure outcomes and detect potential performance issues. Here’s how it benefits user experience:

  1. Proactive Monitoring: With ThousandEyes Synthetic APM, IT teams can schedule synthetic tests at regular intervals, capturing real-time data and detecting performance issues before they impact users
  2. Comprehensive Coverage: ThousandEyes allows you to run tests across diverse locations and endpoints, simulating user experiences from multiple geographic regions. This ensures that every user has a reliable experience regardless of location
  3. Detailed Diagnostics: Synthetic tests provide insights into response times, page load speeds, and error rates, which are essential for maintaining a high-quality user experience. By identifying and resolving bottlenecks early, businesses can minimize disruptions and boost user satisfaction

What Data Does ThousandEyes Synthetic APM Collect?

ThousandEyes provides a wealth of data, collected through synthetic testing, that empowers IT teams to maintain o11y and proactive troubleshooting. Key metrics include:

  1. Network Latency and Packet Loss: Measures connectivity and network stability, helping identify network-related issues affecting user experience
  2. Page Load Times and Response Rates: Tracks how quickly pages and services respond, identifying restrictions that impact performance
  3. Error Rates and Downtime Metrics: Logs service availability and error occurrences, providing a comprehensive view of application health

Adopting ThousandEyes Synthetic APM transforms monitoring, creating a more reliable digital environment. It provides enhanced visibility across all layers, from network connections to application health, ensuring no weak spots are overlooked. Synthetic testing enables proactive issue resolution, identifying issues before they affect users, reducing disruptions. Automated tests allow IT teams to save time for strategic work, and the solution’s strengthened observability—combining endpoint data, synthetic testing, and real-time alerts—supports continuous improvement and resilience.

Ready to unlock the art of the possible with ThousandEyes Synthetic APM? Connect with Xigent’s APM experts to enhance your monitoring and optimize your end-user experience!