Engineering note · Updated May 2026
APM + security in one tool, because the data's already the same.
Distributed traces have everything both APM and security observability need: method, path, IP, status, latency, payload. Splitting them across two products is a billing artefact, not a technical one. SecureNow ships them as one.
The four wins from collapsing them
One query layer
Pivot from p99 latency spike → spans on the slow endpoint → IP geo of every caller in three clicks. No tool-switching.
Half the bill
$5/TB instead of per-host APM + per-host ASM + per-GB logs. Same data scanned once, charged once.
Real correlation
AI investigation layer that asks `was the latency spike caused by an attack?` and answers with linked evidence.
OpenTelemetry-native
No proprietary agent. Switch backend any time — your instrumentation is portable.
The math: 30-host SaaS, 200 GB/month
| Stack | APM | Logs | Security (ASM/WAF) | Total / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datadog APM + Logs + ASM | ~$900 | ~$200 | ~$510 | ~$1,610 |
| Sentry APM + Cloudflare WAF | ~$300 | $0 (no logs) | ~$200 | ~$500 |
| SecureNow (one tool, $5/TB) | All three included — APM, logs, firewall, AI forensics | ~$1 | ||
Numbers are illustrative; your traffic profile may vary. Real bills on Datadog often run higher once custom metrics, RUM, and profiling are added.
How it works in 5 minutes
# Install npm install securenow # Run with both APM and the firewall live node -r securenow/register app.js # Or for Next.js / Nuxt npx securenow init
That's it. Spans flow into the dashboard, the firewall picks up its blocklist on the first poll, and the AI agent has context for every query you ask it.
FAQ
Why combine APM and security in one tool?
Because they read the same data. A trace span has a method, a path, an IP, a status code, a latency, and a user ID. Your APM uses those fields to compute p99 latency. Your security tool uses them to detect attacks. Buying two products means paying twice to ingest the same spans, then trying to cross-reference them in a third dashboard. One tool, one query layer, one bill.
Won't security slow down my APM?
If the security layer is bolted on as a separate sidecar, yes. SecureNow runs as a single OpenTelemetry preload (`-r securenow/register`) — security checks happen in the same async pipeline as trace export, with under 5ms overhead end-to-end.
Can I migrate from Datadog APM + Datadog ASM in one move?
Yes. Most teams do. The OpenTelemetry data model is the same; the integration is one npm package; ASM enforcement (firewall) is included instead of a $17/host/month add-on.
What about logs?
Logs are auto-captured by the same preload. Console output, structured logs, and uncaught errors flow into the same query layer as the traces, so you can pivot from a slow span to its log lines in one click.
Is there a free tier?
Yes. 1 GB of data scanned per month, every feature on. Side projects and pre-launch SaaS often never leave the free tier.
Related
One tool. One bill. One pane of glass.
Try the free tier — 1 GB/month, every feature unlocked, no credit card.