Splunk Unveils New Version of Flagship Enterprise Platform

SPLUNK CONF18 — Data-analytics platform vendor Splunk just released a new version of its Splunk Enterprise platform with a range of updates and improvements designed to make it easier for business users and IT workers to use.

Splunk Enterprise 7.2, unveiled here at the company’s annual .conf18 user conference in Orlando, Florida, adds new machine-learning capabilities that will allow users to extract deeper insights from their business data wherever it is stored, while also allowing it to be used in new ways for business growth, according to the company.

Version 7.2, which also includes Splunk Cloud, gains new features that include a Splunk SmartStore capability that allows compute and storage tiers to be independently scaled based on business demands, while also automatically evaluating user data access patterns to determine which data need to be accessible for real-time analytics and which should reside in lower cost, long-term storage.

Also new are workload-management capabilities that enable users to prioritize the allocation of compute and memory resources used for Splunk searches and alerts so designated functions can be completed first. There’s also a new metrics workspace capability that lets users monitor and analyze metrics data using an intuitive user interface.

New built-in health report monitoring and reporting also allow Splunk administrators to quickly view and understand the health status of their Splunk environments and then make repairs as needed. That also ties into a new first-time mobile app that allows IT workers to monitor the performance of the platform from any remote location and make repairs or updates from afar.

But perhaps the most important updates are those that aim to make Splunk’s platform easier to use and administer in response to a wide range of user feedback over the last several years.

Jon Rooney, Splunk’s vice president of product marketing, told Channel Futures that making Splunk easier to use is part of the company’s strategy to broaden its use beyond its current user base and allow businesses to find new ways to integrate the company’s data analytics products.

Jon Rooney

Jon Rooney

To do that, the latest version includes more push-button functions and graphics to show and control the status of its operations, which makes it more user-friendly.

“Splunk has been immensely powerful in the past, but you almost needed a secret password to figure it out,” he said. “We’re teaching more people how to fish by making easier-to-use fishing rods.”

The company has known for a while that more simplicity needed to be added, said Rooney, but until recently the business didn’t have the resources to focus on those aspects of the platform.

“We’re finally now at a size where we can pull aside teams to look at new opportunities and new users,” said Rooney. “We’re at the place where we want to widen the aperture of who knows about us. We’re evolving to do more for more diverse enterprises, for IoT and more.”

The Splunk Enterprise platform enables businesses to search, analyze and visualize data gathered from their IT infrastructures.