// SOLUTION: PLATFORM SELECTION
Which observability platform fits you?
Every vendor demo looks perfect, every data sheet promises everything – and the decision locks you in for years. We evaluate vendor-independently: a weighted scoring matrix, TCO over three years, a PoC on your real workloads. You end up with a recommendation you can defend internally.
- Requirements workshop: development, operations and procurement at one table
- Weighted scoring matrix across the relevant platforms – criteria open for inspection
- TCO comparison across licence, operations and staffing – not just the list price
- Success guarantee: the acceptance criterion is stated in the proposal – a reasoned scoring matrix and a verifiable three-year TCO. If we miss it, it comes at our expense – noticeably so
First step: a short, free intro call – directly with a senior consultant, no sales chain. No strings attached – you decide afterwards.
Nobody who makes money on one of the answers can credibly provide this advice. We don’t sell licences – our recommendation follows your criteria alone. We disclose the matrix, weighting and TCO calculation, so your decision remains traceable – in front of procurement and management too.
// THE SELECTION TRAP
Why this decision goes wrong so often
Every demo wins
Prepared demo environments show what the platform can do – not what it does with your data, your teams and your budget.
Three camps, three favourites
Development wants one thing, operations another, procurement the cheapest. Without shared criteria, the loudest voice decides in the end.
The real price isn't in the quote
The list price is the smallest part: operations, staffing, training and consumption growth decide the TCO – and only show themselves in year two.
// HOW WE PROCEED
A selection process that holds up
1 · Requirements workshop
Development, operations and procurement jointly define what the platform must be able to do – and what is merely nice-to-have. The weighting is created here, not after the fact.
2 · Scoring matrix
The relevant platforms – from Grafana to Dynatrace – are scored against your weighted criteria. Every score is reasoned and readable.
3 · TCO comparison
Licence, infrastructure, staffing, training – calculated over the full contract term, self-hosted against SaaS. You see how every number comes about.
4 · PoC on your workloads
The finalists prove themselves on your real data and use cases – with success criteria defined beforehand. You see beforehand what you get afterwards.
// DELIVERABLE
A decision with backing
At the end you have
- A recommendation with its reasoning disclosed
- A scoring matrix and TCO calculation to keep using
- PoC results from your real workloads
- Documents that hold up in front of procurement and management
The candidates in detail
// FAQ
Frequently asked questions about platform selection
The guarantee is a goal agreement: here, for instance, a scoring matrix with a reasoned score per platform and a three-year TCO calculation your procurement team can verify itself. That is what the proposal states before you commission us.
That is the yardstick you measure us against at sign-off – the terms are set out transparently in the contract.
No. The recommendation follows the matrix, the matrix follows your weighting – the result differs by team, compliance and budget. Staying with your existing tool and overhauling it is a legitimate outcome too.
Yes: requirements catalogues, scoring schemes, vendor question catalogues and the technical evaluation of the answers. The matrix from the selection process is the ideal basis for it.
From requirements workshop to recommendation, typically four to eight weeks; longer with a PoC. The pace is usually set by your teams’ availability – we structure the process so it runs alongside day-to-day business.
Yes. If your shortlist is already set, we join at PoC design: success criteria, test scenarios, support and evaluation. The criteria just have to be fixed before the PoC – otherwise the best demo wins again.
Make the decision with backing
In a free intro call we clarify where you stand in the selection process and which platforms belong on your shortlist. With a success guarantee on the agreed deliverable.
First step: a short, free intro call – directly with a senior consultant, no sales chain. No strings attached – you decide afterwards.