--- sourceDocument: Australia Impact sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/impact Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Impact ft:clusterId : - ipact bundleId : - ipact --- # Monitor instance performance # Monitor instance performance with Instance Observer {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Monitor instance performance with Instance Observer Instance Observer (IO) is a cloud-based observability and performance monitoring tool designed for ServiceNow customers to track instance health and performance in near real-time, along with historical insights. It supports Instance administrators, Platform Owners, and DevOps teams by increasing visibility into instance metrics, enabling proactive troubleshooting, and improving overall instance uptime and performance. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **24/7 Monitoring and Alerting:** Continuous tracking of instance performance with customizable alerts to notify teams before end users are impacted. * **Multi-instance Visualization:** Enables monitoring and comparison of telemetry data across multiple instances in one interface. * **Triage and Root Cause Analysis:** Provides actionable point-in-time metadata and automated root cause correlation to accelerate troubleshooting and reduce resolution time. * **Off-instance Access:** Performance telemetry is accessible independently of instance availability, ensuring uninterrupted monitoring. * **Analytics and Reporting:** Historical data visualization, performance trend comparison, and report generation to share with business stakeholders and support data-driven decisions. * **All Instances Summary Dashboard:** A customizable dashboard offering an instant snapshot of overall instance health and key metrics. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * **Improve Instance Performance:** Real-time monitoring helps quickly identify and resolve performance issues before they impact users. * **Increase Uptime:** Proactive alerts enable teams to address potential problems early, reducing downtime risk. * **Streamline Troubleshooting:** Access to detailed, contextual metadata expedites root cause analysis and remediation. * **Focus on Business Outcomes:** Near real-time data reduces distractions and manual investigation efforts, allowing teams to concentrate on innovation and service delivery. * **Accessible via Browser:** While not available through ServiceNow mobile apps, IO can be accessed on mobile browsers for flexible monitoring. ## Subscription and Environment Support Instance Observer features vary by Impact subscription packages (Guided, Advanced, Total), with higher tiers offering advanced analytics, anomaly detection, and longer data retention. It is supported in Commercial and Government Community Cloud (GCC) environments for ServiceNow Platform instances only and is not available in regulated or on-premise environments. ## Getting Started and Usage * Access IO via the ServiceNow menu: Impact \> Platform Health \> Monitor \> Instance Observer. * Configure alerts tailored to your business needs and assign notification recipients. * Use the triage function to collect detailed telemetry snapshots during incidents. * Leverage analytics and reporting tools to monitor trends, generate insights, and share performance data. * Utilize the built-in help resources, including release notes and how-to videos, available through the Instance Observer Help Center. Instance Observer (IO) is an observability and performance monitoring tool that empowers you to track your instance health and performance in near real time, while also providing historical insights. IO helps Instance administrators, Platform Owners, and DevOps teams accelerate value and drive their desired business outcomes by increasing visibility into instance performance, helping customers push innovation with speed and confidence. ## Features and benefits {#io-overview__section_ps1_jlg_s5b} Key features : * 24/7 Monitoring: Instance performance monitoring provides awareness of issues within an instance before end users  are impacted. * 24/7 Alerting: Set up custom alerts to notify you when specific thresholds are crossed, so you can act before an issue becomes critical. * Multi-instance Availability: Proactively visualize performance  telemetry across instances. Empowering  organizations to identify trends before  end users are impacted. * Triage: Actionable point-in-time  instance metadata providing additional  context to instance performance and accelerating troubleshooting. * Off Instance Application: Access to instance performance  telemetry off instance. When an  issue does arise, organizations can  access actionable data independent of  instance availability. * Reporting: Visualize instance performance  telemetry over time and quickly generate reports to share with your business stakeholders, enabling organizations to manage instance performance faster, smarter, and better. * Analytics: Compare metrics over time to see how performance is trending in general or to assess the before and after impacts of certain changes. {#io-overview__ul_ibj_5rl_fwb} Key benefits : * 24/7 availability: Instance Observer is an off-instance, cloud-based application enabling customers to visualize instance telemetry across instances in a single application. * Improve instance performance: By monitoring instance performance metrics in real time, you can quickly identify and resolve issues that might be causing poor performance impacting end users. * Increase uptime: Proactive monitoring through Instance Observer alerting you can be notified of potential issues before they cause downtime, enabling you to act before it affects your users. * Improve troubleshooting: When issues do arise, have actionable point-in-time metadata accelerating root cause analysis and time to relief. * Remove distractions: With near real-time data at your fingertips, you and your team can spend less time trying to find the information you need and more time driving your desired business outcomes {#io-overview__ul_fhq_vsl_fwb} Note: Instance Observer is not available with ServiceNow® mobile, however you can access it via a browser on your mobile device. ## Instance Observer features {#io-overview__section_u1t_xhr_p5b} {#io-overview__table_rx1_t3r_p5b__entry__2} | Feature | Description | |-|-| | [All Instances summary dashboard -- snapshot of overall health](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/cPcWPLEx0Y~vVOKPP6VnFw "The All Instances Summary Dashboard is the home page that provides a snapshot of the overall health of your instances. You can create your own dashboard according to your preferences for metrics that help you to analyze the health of your system in a snapshot.") | Provides a snapshot of the overall health of your instance. | | [Real-time Instance health monitoring and analysis](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pkxTyD1F9Lddefl2HHuKqQ "You can monitor all your instances 24x7 at one place using near real-time metrics and alerts on performance and availability in Instance Observer. Generate various charts of overview Instance Health and Performance Metrics and drill down into specific data points with recommended troubleshooting.​") | Overviews Instance Health and Performance Metrics, and enables drill down into specific datasets with recommended troubleshooting. | | [View instance-level availability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/y8sjPi3TzxN8tQnYG7fBJA "The Availability section shows instance-level availability on a geographic map and instance level ServiceNow generated alerts (limited alert types) over the last seven days.") | View live Instance Availability status tied to ServiceNow  monitoring--- Up/Down Status | | [Key alerts and notifications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/YAqEA5lkL3gpi18YTClx~g "Use the Instance Observer Key Alerts functionality for flexibility to set alerts with historical thresholds from four week increments specific to your business needs and configure who on your team receives notifications.") | Flexibility to set alerts with thresholds specific to your business needs, and configure who on your team receives notifications and the method. | | [IO analytics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mlOkM1k79WVAOI2bvizbdQ "View comparisons for performance of key metrics over time with the Impact Total package.") | View comparisons for performance of key metrics over time. | | [Triaged instance data](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/U_62ULtzZMsQpVhCC4umFg "You can triage your instance to get instant information on transactions, jobs, nodes utilization, semaphores, schedulers and update sets. Minimal use of this feature is recommended as use of this consumes resources on your instance.") | Point-in-time instance snapshot providing metadata to troubleshoot live issues | | [Instance performance telemetry reports](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wJ1VGKFQkRK2mBO4DrzBUw "Quickly generate reports to download and share with your business stakeholders, making  organizations faster, smarter, and better in their  instance performance management.") | Quickly generate reports to download and share with your team business stakeholders.​ | | [Help](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/uSvzBP5pwiy8T2lTrIXsMQ "Access release notes, how to videos, and more from the Instance Observer Help Center page.") | Get assistance with Instance Observer tools, terminology review, how-to videos, and relevant documents. | [Table 1. Features and descriptions] {#io-overview__table_rx1_t3r_p5b} ## Support matrix according to Impact package {#io-overview__section_izs_5yx_hxb} Some Instance Observer reporting features vary between the Impact packages that you're subscribed to. Reference the support matrix chart or contact your account team for more information. * ✓ = Supported * X = Not supported {#io-overview__ul_vst_nqf_3xb} {#io-overview__table_qf3_yby_hxb__entry__4} | Feature | Guided | Advanced | Total | |-|:-:|:-:|:-:| | Instance availability (Up/Down status) See [View instance-level availability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/y8sjPi3TzxN8tQnYG7fBJA "The Availability section shows instance-level availability on a geographic map and instance level ServiceNow generated alerts (limited alert types) over the last seven days.") for details. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Performance Visualization Charts (KPIs) See [Real-time Instance health monitoring and analysis](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pkxTyD1F9Lddefl2HHuKqQ "You can monitor all your instances 24x7 at one place using near real-time metrics and alerts on performance and availability in Instance Observer. Generate various charts of overview Instance Health and Performance Metrics and drill down into specific data points with recommended troubleshooting.​") for more details. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Reporting See [Instance performance telemetry reports](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wJ1VGKFQkRK2mBO4DrzBUw "Quickly generate reports to download and share with your business stakeholders, making  organizations faster, smarter, and better in their  instance performance management.") for details. | Selective | Full | Full | | Alerts See [Use alerts to monitor your instance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/OqH8sQF~0KXFCUPkUoZb3g "ServiceNow Instance Observer provides a comprehensive set of alerts designed to monitor platform health, performance, and user experience. These alerts are categorized for easy consumption and actionability.") for details. | ✓ Note: Six alerts are available. For more information, see [Use common alerts to track performance (Guided users)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Ji3FHBDqtM4NrFd5Y6MTJg "Use the Instance Observer alerting feature to receive notifications on the performance of your instance. Monitor the alerts that are system driven."). | ✓ | ✓ | | Analytics See [IO analytics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mlOkM1k79WVAOI2bvizbdQ "View comparisons for performance of key metrics over time with the Impact Total package.") for details. | X | X | ✓ | | Anomalies Detection | X | X | ✓ | | Data retention | 45 days | 6 months | 6 months | [Table 2. Features and supported Impact packages] {#io-overview__table_qf3_yby_hxb} To access Instance Observer, navigate to ImpactPlatform HealthMonitorInstance Observer. Note: For more information on subscription support, see [Impact packages](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/xy0B9ocSKat4cT8lHu~n2g "Impact packages comprise support tools, self-help resources, human-led engagements, discounts, and additional benefits made available to you according to your impact subscription package."). ## Serviceability limitations {#io-overview__section_n4j_4sl_fwb} Note: Instance Observer is available for customers in Commercial and Government Community Cloud (GCC) environments. IO is currently not available in other regulated or on-premise environments. Instance Observer is applicable or available for ServiceNow Platform instances only. * **[All Instances summary dashboard -- snapshot of overall health](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/cPcWPLEx0Y~vVOKPP6VnFw)** The All Instances Summary Dashboard is the home page that provides a snapshot of the overall health of your instances. You can create your own dashboard according to your preferences for metrics that help you to analyze the health of your system in a snapshot. * **[Real-time Instance health monitoring and analysis](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/pkxTyD1F9Lddefl2HHuKqQ)** You can monitor all your instances 24x7 at one place using near real-time metrics and alerts on performance and availability in Instance Observer. Generate various charts of overview Instance Health and Performance Metrics and drill down into specific data points with recommended troubleshooting. * **[View instance-level availability](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/y8sjPi3TzxN8tQnYG7fBJA)** The Availability section shows instance-level availability on a geographic map and instance level ServiceNow generated alerts (limited alert types) over the last seven days. * **[Use alerts to monitor your instance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/OqH8sQF~0KXFCUPkUoZb3g)** ServiceNow Instance Observer provides a comprehensive set of alerts designed to monitor platform health, performance, and user experience. These alerts are categorized for easy consumption and actionability. * **[Root cause correlation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QXlDDdNIpDBdFWJI5SaPRQ)** Root Cause Correlation (RCC) finds a root cause by automatically correlating metrics, logs, and event information for supported symptoms on production instances for the last 24 hours. * **[Configure Root cause correlation alerts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fAIQnznevag0lBCJYele5g)** Configure Root Cause Correlation (RCC) alerts to start receiving the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports for these alerts. * **[Use the Root cause analysis history](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/dOEs6jmdFrtWVxjKzCiJ0w)** Check the Root cause analysis (RCA) History page to investigate the issues that caused an alert to trigger or performance to degrade to Critical or Warning. * **[IO analytics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/mlOkM1k79WVAOI2bvizbdQ)** View comparisons for performance of key metrics over time with the Impact Total package. * **[Triage an instance for ongoing operations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ZeyNqgakVSU4zaanfxsIwA)** Perform a triage on a ServiceNow instance to gather point-in-time telemetry data for troubleshooting using Instance Observer. The triage feature gives a summary of ongoing operations at the time of its execution. * **[IO reports](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/xf_8bI9e23NUROZecdKX7w)** Reports in Instance Observer offer insights into the health of the instances, tracks database growth, and encryption status. The reports help you to analyze trends, and to schedule, download, and share these reports. * **[Instance monitoring and performance metrics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/SDFoPJNQHUOX5FvaRz0lDg)** Instance Observer (IO) metrics are real-time and historical telemetry data points used to monitor, triage, and troubleshoot ServiceNow instance performance. * **[IO roles installed with Instance Observer](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/S8yOr_L8uXdqo33sUlHgfw)** Several types of components are installed with activation of the Impact plugin, including tables, user roles, and scheduled jobs that are used in Instance Observer. * **[Help](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/uSvzBP5pwiy8T2lTrIXsMQ)** Access release notes, how to videos, and more from the Instance Observer Help Center page. *[\>]: and then