A Framework for Securing Open-Source Observability at the Edge

The Edge Observability Security Challenge 

Deploying an open-source observability solution to distributed retail edge locations creates a fundamental security challenge. With thousands of locations processing sensitive data like payments and customers’ personally identifiable information (PII), every telemetry component running on the edge becomes a potential entry point for attackers. Edge environments operate in spaces where there is limited physical security, bandwidth constraints shared with business-critical application traffic, and no technical staff on-site for incident response. 

Therefore, traditional centralized monitoring security models do not fit in these conditions because they require abundant resources, dedicated security teams, and controlled physical environments. None of them exists on the edge.