To be certain the user experience is exceptional, IT needs to ensure that apps are operating normally and that every business transaction runs smoothly. APM tools monitor and measure performance metrics in real-time.
Tools typically measure:
Application availability/uptime to check if applications, such as voice, video, business data, are online and complying with service level agreements
Error rates to establish if performance is being degraded or is outright failing
Request rates to monitor application traffic, focusing specifically on spikes, inactivity, and the numbers of simultaneous users
Response times to uncover whether response speeds are impacting application performance
Number of instances, in the case of cloud-based applications, so you are aware how many servers or apps are running
User experience to determine how satisfied the customer is with the performance of the application