The observability knowledge deluge has gotten so unhealthy that the amount of observability knowledge generated is commonly larger than the structured knowledge organizations wish to preserve. As an alternative of draining your checking account to retailer all this knowledge, what for those who filtered out the pointless or extraneous knowledge first? That was the unique premise behind Cribl, a startup co-founded by Clint Sharp, who’s one in every of BigDATAwire’s Folks to Look ahead to 2025.
Cribl doesn’t exchange your SIEM, endpoint detection and response (EDR), prolonged detection and response (XDR), SecOps, or AIOps merchandise. It sits in entrance of Splunk, Datadog, and different instruments to tamp down the hovering prices whereas preserving knowledge constancy excessive.
Cribl’s success has spawned copycats, a positive signal that Sharp and his co-founders have been on to one thing. We not too long ago caught up with Sharp to debate observability knowledge challenges and Cribl’s market-leading strategy. Right here’s what he needed to say:
BigDATAwire: First, congratulations in your choice as a 2025 BigDATAwire Particular person to Watch! Observability knowledge continues to blow up in quantity and has develop into a giant knowledge drawback in of itself. Do you suppose slightly purchaser’s regret is so as?
Clint Sharp: There’s positively a realization setting in throughout the business that extra knowledge doesn’t all the time imply higher outcomes. Corporations have invested closely in amassing all the pieces, solely to seek out themselves buried in value and complexity. It’s not a lot purchaser’s regret as it’s an inflection level: groups are asking smarter questions now. What knowledge do I really want? How can I extra successfully accumulate and analyze it? How do I get worth from it with out breaking the financial institution? That’s the place Cribl is available in — serving to clients analyze, accumulate, course of, and route knowledge in order that they’re not caught with an all-or-nothing strategy.
BDW: What’s Cribl’s perspective on observability knowledge. How does it create worth for purchasers?
CS: Observability knowledge is an asset — for those who can management it. What we’ve completed at Cribl is give clients the pliability to resolve what knowledge to maintain, the place it goes, and in what format. Which means higher efficiency, decreased prices, and fewer time spent managing pipelines. It’s not nearly amassing logs and metrics. It’s about giving groups choices and empowering them to go looking the info to seek out insights and take actions. Observability knowledge is the spine of IT and safety, however to create worth these groups want a brand new composable administration strategy. In spite of everything, the info belongs to them, to not the instruments they’re compelled to make use of.
BDW: Cribl’s success has spawned various imitators. What would you prefer to say to them?
CS: Actually? Welcome. It validates the market we’ve constructed. However copying the floor is straightforward — constructing one thing that delivers actual worth to clients is tough. We’ve been doing this for years. We’ve made errors, discovered quick, and stayed centered on one factor: making life higher for IT and safety groups. If others can push the area ahead too, nice. However we’ll preserve elevating the bar.
BDW: Cribl’s mascot is a goat named Ian. Why did you choose a goat, and why is his title Ian?
CS: There are a couple of origin tales — some extra critical than others. One model traces again to Skanderbeg, a legendary Albanian hero whose helmet had a goat’s head. One other includes a haunted animatronic goat we discovered on-line. Goats are identified for his or her means to adapt, navigate tough terrains, and eat practically something, which mirrors the ethos on the coronary heart of Cribl. From navigating the complexities of IT infrastructure to consuming and processing huge knowledge streams, our options mirror the goat’s means to adapt and thrive. And why Ian? Ian is a nod to all of us right here at Cribl being “Criblanians.”
BDW: What are you able to inform us about your self outdoors of the skilled sphere – distinctive hobbies, favourite locations, and so forth.? Is there something about you that your colleagues may be shocked to study?
CS: After I’m not working, I’m an avid reader, watch all types of reveals and films, and gaming on my PS5 and steam deck. I additionally play guitar, take pictures, and like to cook dinner good meals. I additionally spend loads of time interested by and tinkering with our merchandise as a result of this job actually is my greatest ardour. I’m fairly energetic in our Slack channels, so most colleagues hear about my hobbies usually. However what may shock folks is that I don’t dwell on the previous. I don’t spend time ruminating or trying backward. I’m centered on what’s subsequent — for Cribl, our clients, and our workforce.
You may learn the remainder of our Folks to Watch interviews right here.