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CanalPlus Télécom
Canal+ Télécom’s monitoring solution had some limitations concerning information system mapping, alert reporting and incident origin identification. As a result, the company called upon IBM to carry out an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) with IBM Instana Observability, to assess the tangible benefits.
Canal+ Télécom boasts telecoms expertise in French overseas departments and regions and is an integrated operator offering internet access to individuals, businesses and public organisations.
Canal+ Télécom possesses its own network of data centres and carries out 24/7 monitoring of its services, particularly for B2B customers.
“Several years ago, we opted for a conventional supervision solution for monitoring our information system, but now it does not fully meet our current needs for applications and service mapping,” explains Raphaël Bourgeois, Monitoring Tools Manager in the Canal+ Télécom Technical and Operations Division.
“With the emergence of new technology, such as containerization, traditional solutions have become increasingly unsuitable or even obsolete”.
Faced with this situation, Canal+ Télécom sought a new tool capable of better mapping of information system assets, reporting incidents in real-time and facilitating cause identification for the problems reported.
“We have been using IBM solutions since 2007, especially Watson AIOps. We were already aware of IBM Instana Observability, so we decided to launch an MVP with this tool”.
This process was simplified by collaboration with Erica, an IBM partner business that has been assisting Canal+ Télécom with its IT projects since 2011.
“Our partner is well aware of our needs and knows who to contact at IBM to move pour projects forward”.
In early 2023, with approval of the Canal+ group Software Management teams, Canal+ Télécom decided to launch real-life testing of the IBM Instana Observability solution.
This test involved the Canal+ Télécom, IBM Client Engineering and Erica teams.
“It was a new approach for us,” remarks Raphaël Bourgeois, Monitoring Tools Manager with Canal+ Télécom’s Technical and Operations Division.
“Thanks to the commitment and investment of IBM Client Engineering’s teams and their collaboration with IS and monitoring personnel at Canal+ Télécom, we were able to test the solution live on our platform with our data, allowing us to assess its benefits. The project took place over February and March 2023”.
The demonstrator focused on three cases of use: automatic discovery of IT resources (auto-discovery), identifying causes of an incident (root cause analysis) and the monitoring dashboard (business activity monitoring). The launch of the MVP began with needs assessment, followed by setting up and deploying the teams, joint creation of the solution during weekly pairing sessions and finally a phase of retrospection and skills transfer.
This real-life test allowed the Canal+ Télécom teams to assess the tool’s suitability and its ability to meet specific business needs.
“It is still too early to precisely quantify the benefits of the IBM Instana Observability solution. Nonetheless, we have already seen how effectively it can automatically discover services. The solution offers in-depth visibility: during an incident, it can dig deep to identify the cause and even isolate the incriminating source code”.
Following the POC conducted by the IBM Engineering teams, Canal+ Télécom chose to deploy IBM Instana Observability, initially on a restricted scope of one hundred agents.
“The POC was convincing and from there onwards, the goal was to put it into action,” sums up Raphaël Bourgeois, Monitoring Tools Manager with Canal+ Télécom’s Technical and Operations Division.
“We have decided to deploy the solution ourselves, in an automated way via Ansible. We are going to take the time needed to correctly configure IBM Instana Observability. The emphasis will be on the quality of the solution’s implementation and performance”.
If necessary, the teams will be able to count on technical support from their partner Erica, as well as IBM.
“We have already started using the solution and calling upon IBM support to answer certain questions. Everything is going well on that front too. IBM Instana Observability is perfectly integrated in the editor’s support processes”.
The real-life testing conducted in 2023 led to the adoption and deployment of the IBM Instana Observability solution and won over the teams at Canal+ Télécom, to such an extent that it is planning to try other IBM solutions.
For more than 30 years, Canal+ Télécom (formerly Mediaserv) has been a key telecoms player in French overseas departments and regions. The company, which offers internet access to individuals, businesses and public organisations, is present over a vast territory that covers Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin.
Canal+ Télécom boasts more than 150,000 customers and generates annual turnover of approximately 100 million euros.
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