Via's Double Win: Staying with Open Source and Optimizing Data Management with Coralogix

Via’s extensive global infrastructure comprises a multitude of servers, applications, and tools, each generating logs, metrics, and traces in its own unique manner.

As staunch open source users, Via’s engineers had separate monitoring tools for logs, metrics, and traces, each existing as siloed sources of information. However, minimizing MTTD and MTTR proved difficult given the lack of standardization and integration among these observability systems.

As Via is responsible for assisting people in their daily commutes and activities, maintaining system uptime and the ability to rapidly identify and resolve issues is critical for the company.

“There are some cities in the U.S where people can’t get to work if Via isn’t operational.” -Semyon Teplitsky, Head of Observability

All this drove Via’s commitment to finding an open source friendly and comprehensive observability platform that would streamline Via’s monitoring and analysis of all their environments. 

Furthermore, as is often the case for fast growing companies, Via’s infrastructure needs grow and change faster than budget allowances. With the amount of processed data scaling rapidly, it became apparent that cost optimization must be built into whatever solution Via would choose.

Via was looking for a solution that aligned with their commitment to an open-source approach. Coralogix was the ideal fit, offering comprehensive support for OpenTelemetry during data ingestion and utilizing an open-source Parquet-based storage format. Semyon added, “I love that Coralogix allows me to work with my open source tooling.” Via’s observability journey with Coralogix began with logs and subsequently expanded to encompass metrics and traces.

Unlike some solutions that impose rigid standards, Coralogix proved highly adaptable to Via’s needs. It seamlessly integrated with both old and new infrastructure, accommodating structured logs for some services and non-structured ones for others. Additionally, Via’s engineers could fine-tune the system to control the attributes and spans it needed, whether that involved obfuscating, removing, or adding specific context. This adaptability allowed Via to maintain consistency during transitions between different systems and technologies, while tailoring the observability solution to their unique requirements. 

Over 450 individuals at Via, including the engineering team, NOC, business units responsible for KPIs and internal usage reports, and compliance teams, now rely on Coralogix for various purposes. It has become the go-to tool for monitoring, logging, spans, archiving, metrics, and identifying abnormal patterns in logs. Furthermore, the solution reduced the need to hire additional staff, as it provided a consolidated platform for monitoring and managing the company’s vast infrastructure.

As Via integrated Coralogix into its observability strategy, it unlocked a range of benefits that transform the way the company manages and derives insights from its data.

• Efficient Data Management Coralogix’s Streama and TCO Optimizer capabilities enabled Via to optimize data storage, transitioning from 100% hot storage for logs to just 45%. Due to the resulting cost savings, Via was able to dramatically increase the volume of data observed while their bill remained unchanged.
• Seamless Integration Coralogix offered a ‘plug and play’ experience for Via, making the integration process smooth and hassle-free. This ease of use allowed Via to quickly leverage the platform’s capabilities without extensive setup or configuration.
• Budget-Friendly Solutions Via also now has the ability to manage data quotas, adjusting quotas between different teams and projects, all directly within Coralogix and without necessitating application changes. Semyon noted, “with Coralogix I never have any surprises on my bill.”
• Tailored Insights Via has specific requirements for understanding the amount of resources and processes, particularly runtime, per city that they operate in. Coralogix provides a platform that allows Via to segment the data coming from logs and metrics to deliver insights on a location basis. Unlike some tools that impose constraints, Coralogix’s open approach provides the flexibility for Via to utilize the platform as they see fit. This adaptability is key as Via continues its growth journey, ensuring they can pivot and scale without limitations.
• Open Telemetry and Open Source Coralogix’s commitment to open-source allowed Via to remain aligned with  their own open-source values, making use of tools like OpenTelemetry for data ingestion and ensuring that they continue to operate independently to avoid vendor lock-in.
  
• Exceptional Support Throughout the adoption process, Via had the assurance that any challenges or queries would be promptly addressed by Coralogix world-class support, with a 24/7 in-app chat service and under 1 minute response time.

In Coralogix, Via found not only a powerful observability platform but a growth enabler, committed to supporting their evolving needs. The platform’s adaptability and seamless integration have streamlined data management, reduced costs, and empowered Via to make data-driven decisions that help propel them on their path of expansion and success.