In Dynatrace, what do Custom Devices primarily represent?

Custom Devices in Dynatrace primarily represent external systems that are not automatically discovered by the platform. This capability allows users to manually define and monitor system components that may not be directly observable through automatic discovery processes. For instance, these might include hardware devices, third-party applications, or legacy systems that do not integrate seamlessly into the cloud or application architecture typically monitored by Dynatrace.

By being able to set up Custom Devices, users can extend the visibility provided by Dynatrace beyond automatically detected services, ensuring that all components of their IT environment—both modern and legacy—are accounted for and can be monitored for performance and health metrics.

This feature is essential for comprehensive monitoring since it allows organizations to tailor their observability strategy according to their unique infrastructure needs. Through Custom Devices, users can define critical operating metrics and alerts, providing insights into the performance of these external systems, thereby maintaining a strong level of control and visibility throughout the entire technology stack.