AI assistant for Observability Self-Hosted FAQ

This topic provides frequently asked questions for AI assistant in Observability Self-Hosted environments.

Dated July 2026

This page may be updated from time to time, so check back regularly for the latest version of these FAQs.

What is AI assistant?

AI assistant is the SolarWinds AI agent built into supported SolarWinds products. It lets users ask natural-language questions inside the product and receive brief explanations, insights, and recommended next steps based on the data they already have access to. Please note that AI assistant functionality is evolving rapidly. For the latest features and improvements available in your product, refer to the product documentation pages.

How do you set it up?

Setup depends on the product and deployment model. For self-hosted deployments, AI assistant is enabled by configuring Platform Connect. The Platform Connect feature is opt-in by admins only.

What data is being sent?

Only a subset of data relevant to the request is currently sent to AI assistant. AI assistant uses data the product already collects, and only data the user is already allowed to access is available as input for that user in AI assistant. If you choose to store sensitive data in the product and then ask AI assistant a question that requires that context, a limited amount of that data may be included in the request so AI assistant can return a more accurate response.

How is that data being sent?

The relevant data is currently encrypted in transit. For self-hosted deployments, relevant request data is sent through Platform Connect to the SolarWinds platform, where the request is processed through the agentic and LLM gateway layers before a response is returned to the product UI.

For self-hosted deployments, the high-level request path is shown in the figure below.

How long is my data stored?

AI assistant prompts, outputs, and related logs are retained according to SolarWinds privacy and retention policies. See https://www.solarwinds.com/legal/privacy for more information on those policies.

What controls are in place to ensure my data privacy?

SolarWinds takes the same Secure by Design principles outlined in our Information Security policies into account for AI assistant.

• All in-product activities remain governed by existing role-based access controls.
• Data exchanged with external model providers is encrypted in transit.
• Customers can disable the AI Agent at the product or tenant level where available.

For additional information, see the SolarWinds Privacy Notice and SolarWinds Information Security pages.

Is my data used to train AI models?

No. Customer data is not used to train the underlying AI models for the benefit of large language model providers, and interactions with model providers are designed to be stateless at the LLM layer.

AI assistant uses commercially available foundation models accessed through managed provider APIs and secure interaction patterns.

Does AI assistant change anything in my environment without my consent?

No. For SolarWinds products that offer AI assistant, SolarWinds currently follows a human-in-the-loop approach and requires user consent before any change to your environment is made. AI assistant can only act within the permissions the user already has access to.