Do customers have direct and visible access to search heads?

Customers do have direct and visible access to search heads in a Splunk Cloud environment. This access allows them to perform searches and analyses on their indexed data directly. Search heads are the components within the Splunk architecture that handle user search requests; they process queries, retrieve results, and format the output for users.

Having direct access ensures that users can utilize Splunk’s powerful search capabilities to gain insights from their data without mediation, enabling them to perform data exploration, run reports, and analyze trends as needed. This level of access is essential for operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making within organizations leveraging Splunk Cloud.

The other choices imply limitations on user access that do not accurately reflect the typical operational model of Splunk Cloud. Limiting access to specific hours or users would restrict the ability to fully leverage the platform's capabilities, which goes against the flexible and user-centric design that Splunk offers.