Correlation by design: Platform observability across layers

Troubleshooting modern systems slows not because of missing data, but because signals lack structural correlation. In this talk, Khushboo Nigam presents an architectural approach to building observability directly into the platform stack. She introduces a three-layer model that leverages OpenTelemetry standards to unify:

• Application traces (propagated trace and span IDs)
• Kubernetes signals (enriching spans with pod and node context)
• CI/CD context (deployment metadata propagation)

When telemetry is designed to enable cross-layer correlation, teams reduce manual investigation and resolve incidents in minutes, not hours.

Key takeaways:
• Injecting identifiers for cross-layer visibility
• Connecting deployment changes to runtime behavior
• Structuring signals for faster investigation