Synthetic Monitoring

“Proactively measure digital experience with active, global synthetic testing.”

What is Kentik Synthetic Monitoring?

Kentik Synthetic Monitoring is a cloud-based solution for proactive, active monitoring of user experience and application performance.

It complements Kentik’s flow and telemetry analytics by running synthetic tests (HTTP, DNS, VoIP, SaaS, API, routing) from a global network of vantage points as well as from private agents deployed in enterprise and service provider environments.

By continuously simulating real user interactions, it enables IT, NetOps, and DevOps teams to detect degradations before users are impacted, validate SLA compliance, and accelerate troubleshooting.

Key Features

• Global & Private Test Agents
  • Hundreds of public agents worldwide + deployable private agents in branch offices, datacenters, and cloud VPCs.
  • Full coverage of hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
• Application & Protocol Testing
  • Tests for HTTP/S, DNS, VoIP, video, API endpoints, routing paths, and SaaS performance.
  • Supports continuous monitoring and ad hoc troubleshooting.
• Network Path Visibility
  • Integrated traceroute and BGP visibility to correlate application issues with routing problems.
  • Detects peering or transit anomalies impacting user experience.
• Alerting & Dashboards
  • Real-time alerts when thresholds for latency, loss, or availability are exceeded.
  • Customizable dashboards for user experience KPIs.
• Integration with Kentik Observability
  • Correlates synthetic results with real flow telemetry, device health, and routing data.
  • Provides unified visibility for both proactive and reactive troubleshooting.

Benefits for the Client

• Catch issues before users do: proactive testing detects degradations early.
• Faster troubleshooting: pinpoint whether the problem lies in the app, network, or internet.
• SaaS & Cloud assurance: validate the performance of critical services like M365, Salesforce, AWS.
• Global + local visibility: combine public test nodes with enterprise private agents.
• Continuous improvement: validate SLA compliance and benchmark providers.

Why Kentik Synthetic Monitoring is Different ?

• Integrated with observability: not a standalone tool, but part of Kentik’s flow/device/security ecosystem.
• Multi-domain coverage: app, DNS, routing, SaaS, and network path in one platform.
• Hybrid-ready: test from both the internet and enterprise vantage points.
• Business-aware: aligns monitoring results with user experience and cost impact.
• Highly scalable SaaS delivery: deploy in minutes, scale globally.

Typical Use Cases

• Proactively monitor SaaS application performance for remote users.
• Detect and troubleshoot DNS or BGP issues before they impact customers.
• Validate VoIP and video call quality across sites and providers.
• Benchmark cloud and transit providers for SLA compliance.
• Combine synthetic + flow analytics for holistic observability.

Services & Support (What We Offer)

• Synthetic Monitoring Assessment – identify gaps in current UX monitoring.
• Deployment Services – rollout public + private Kentik agents.
• Dashboard Workshops – tailor UX dashboards for IT and business teams.
• Managed Synthetic Monitoring – proactive monitoring as-a-service.