“We are able to identify and solve issues faster thanks to Nodinite.”

One of the challenges was to achieve successful hybrid monitoring and logging with Azure and BizTalk. Given that BizTalk and Azure are vastly different Microsoft products, successfully managing integrations between them is not always easy. Mixing Azure with BizTalk integrations also gives rise to the concept of a hybrid environment. This is because BizTalk is an on-premises solution and Azure a cloud-based solution. Providing useful monitoring views for internal and external stakeholders is also a challenge.

BizTalk and Azure are the integration platforms used in a hybrid environment.

Back in 2014 Caverion (at that time with the company name, YIT) was looking for a monitoring tool for their Biztalk system integrations. Nodinite was selected. In 2022 Caverion began migrating systems integrations to their Azure environment. Again, Nodinite was selected as the preferred tool meeting Caverion’s requirements. A tool with combined capabilities to monitor and log integrations and message flows in a hybrid integration environment, on-prem using Biztalk and in the cloud using Azure Integration Services. Nodinite’ capabilities with an integrated CMDB have further motivated Caverion’s selection.

When it comes to complex monitoring views, Nodinite is used to check if a message has been received in a specific que. Another advantage is to be able to pinpoint where the root cause of an issue is. It is also easier to support and maintain integrations as well as logging to track messages. Thanks to Nodinite, Caverion can identify issues before they become a problem to the business. Developers and operation technicians like Nodinite’s search fields since it is easier for them to find messages. All this improves troubleshooting.

One of the features that is used most for successful hybrid monitoring and logging with Azure and BizTalk is the alerts capabilities. This is an automated feature that the operation teams use. Nodinite sends alerts to Caverion’s ticket creation system which are then directed to the operations team. Alerts are used for both Azure and BizTalk. Examples where Nodinite triggers an alert are when there are failed runs or non-events where a message is expected but does not arrive.

Nodinite’s documentation helps strengthen collaboration between team members in operations. Caverion currently uses a separate tool for repository. Yet the operations team like Nodinite’s repository capabilities integrated with monitoring and logging. This means having information all in the same place. The operations team also likes the new landscape view in the repository where integrations can be mapped in Nodinite. The plan is to continue looking into how they can best utilize its repository capabilities in the future.

Nodinite’s low cost of one license per customer with unlimited internal users was a key factor for Caverion when considering which tool to select for the future. By not restricting the number of users per license this allows them to delegate internal users for Nodinite across the organization as well as assign role-based access to external consultants.