Techniques for optimized performance data collection at client nodes are disclosed. In one embodiment, a client node in a client-server environment may include at least one processing resource and a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith. The computer-readable program code being configured to obtain resource utilization data associated with a plurality of processes running on the client node, determine a list of processes having resource utilization greater than a threshold based on the resource utilization data, organize the list of processes based on predetermined criteria and the resource utilization data, generate a report including a predefined number of processes from the organized list, and transmit the report to a management node for performance monitoring.