What is a key aspect of monitoring best practices?

• A. Reviewing logs and metrics only when deviations from normal behavior are shown.
• B. Identifying what to monitor, collecting and analyzing data regularly, reviewing logs and metrics regularly, taking action when deviations occur, and optimizing performance using monitoring data.
• C. Collecting and analyzing data only when anomalies occur.
• D. Ignoring historical data and focusing on a single real-time metric.

Answer: (B)

A key aspect of monitoring best practices is taking a proactive, end-to-end approach: decide what to monitor, collect and analyze data continuously, review logs and metrics regularly, act when deviations occur, and use what you learn to optimize performance.

Identifying what to monitor helps you focus on meaningful signals and establish healthy baselines. Regular data collection and analysis give you a historical view, so you can spot trends and gradual changes—not just obvious spikes. Ongoing review of logs and metrics keeps you informed about system health, capacity, and reliability, rather than waiting for an alert to trigger. Acting on deviations ensures timely responses to issues, minimizing impact. Finally, using monitoring data to optimize performance closes the loop—adjusting configurations, scaling resources, and tuning for cost and reliability based on real evidence.

The other approaches fall short because they rely on reacting only to anomalies, monitoring a single real-time metric, or ignoring historical context. A comprehensive, continuous monitoring practice integrates signals over time and across metrics to drive informed, proactive decisions.