diff --git a/src/dotnet/Program.cs b/src/dotnet/Program.cs
index 4a6641ba2..46ef6e129 100644
--- a/src/dotnet/Program.cs
+++ b/src/dotnet/Program.cs
@@ -135,6 +135,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.DotNet.Cli
                 command = "help";
             }
 
+            telemetryClient.TrackEvent(command, null, null);
+
             int exitCode;
             Func<string[], int> builtIn;
             if (s_builtIns.TryGetValue(command, out builtIn))
@@ -150,13 +152,6 @@ namespace Microsoft.DotNet.Cli
                 exitCode = result.ExitCode;
             }
 
-            telemetryClient.TrackEvent(
-                command,
-                null,
-                new Dictionary<string, double>
-                {
-                    ["ExitCode"] = exitCode
-                });
 
             return exitCode;
 
diff --git a/src/dotnet/Telemetry.cs b/src/dotnet/Telemetry.cs
index dc3a457f3..e9e0383fb 100644
--- a/src/dotnet/Telemetry.cs
+++ b/src/dotnet/Telemetry.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Diagnostics;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Microsoft.ApplicationInsights;
 using Microsoft.DotNet.Cli.Utils;
 using Microsoft.DotNet.InternalAbstractions;
@@ -17,13 +18,18 @@ namespace Microsoft.DotNet.Cli
 
         private Dictionary<string, string> _commonProperties = null;
         private Dictionary<string, double> _commonMeasurements = null;
+        private Task _trackEventTask = null;
+
+        private string _telemetryProfile;
 
         private const string InstrumentationKey = "74cc1c9e-3e6e-4d05-b3fc-dde9101d0254";
         private const string TelemetryOptout = "DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT";
+        private const string TelemetryProfileEnvironmentVariable = "DOTNET_CLI_TELEMETRY_PROFILE";
         private const string OSVersion = "OS Version";
         private const string OSPlatform = "OS Platform";
         private const string RuntimeId = "Runtime Id";
         private const string ProductVersion = "Product Version";
+        private const string TelemetryProfile = "Telemetry Profile";
 
         public bool Enabled { get; }
 
@@ -36,60 +42,73 @@ namespace Microsoft.DotNet.Cli
                 return;
             }
 
+            _telemetryProfile = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(TelemetryProfileEnvironmentVariable);
+
+            //initialize in task to offload to parallel thread
+            _trackEventTask = Task.Factory.StartNew(() => InitializeTelemetry());
+        }
+
+        public void TrackEvent(string eventName, IDictionary<string, string> properties, IDictionary<string, double> measurements)
+        {
+            if (!Enabled)
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            //continue task in existing parallel thread
+            _trackEventTask = _trackEventTask.ContinueWith(
+                x => TrackEventTask(eventName, properties, measurements)
+            );
+        }
+
+        private void InitializeTelemetry()
+        {
             try
             {
-                using (PerfTrace.Current.CaptureTiming())
-                {
-                    _client = new TelemetryClient();
-                    _client.InstrumentationKey = InstrumentationKey;
-                    _client.Context.Session.Id = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
-
+                _client = new TelemetryClient();
+                _client.InstrumentationKey = InstrumentationKey;
+                _client.Context.Session.Id = Guid.NewGuid().ToString();
 
                 _client.Context.Device.OperatingSystem = RuntimeEnvironment.OperatingSystem;
 
-                    _commonProperties = new Dictionary<string, string>();
+                _commonProperties = new Dictionary<string, string>();
                 _commonProperties.Add(OSVersion, RuntimeEnvironment.OperatingSystemVersion);
                 _commonProperties.Add(OSPlatform, RuntimeEnvironment.OperatingSystemPlatform.ToString());
                 _commonProperties.Add(RuntimeId, RuntimeEnvironment.GetRuntimeIdentifier());
-                    _commonProperties.Add(ProductVersion, Product.Version);
-                    _commonMeasurements = new Dictionary<string, double>();
-                }
-
+                _commonProperties.Add(ProductVersion, Product.Version);
+                _commonProperties.Add(TelemetryProfile, _telemetryProfile);
+                _commonMeasurements = new Dictionary<string, double>();
                 _isInitialized = true;
             }
             catch (Exception)
             {
-                // we dont want to fail the tool if telemetry fais. We should be able to detect abnormalities from data
-                // at the server end
+                _isInitialized = false;
+                // we dont want to fail the tool if telemetry fails.
                 Debug.Fail("Exception during telemetry initialization");
             }
         }
 
-        public void TrackEvent(string eventName, IDictionary<string, string> properties, IDictionary<string, double> measurements)
+        private void TrackEventTask(string eventName, IDictionary<string, string> properties, IDictionary<string, double> measurements)
         {
             if (!_isInitialized)
             {
                 return;
             }
 
-            using (PerfTrace.Current.CaptureTiming())
+            try
             {
-                Dictionary<string, double> eventMeasurements = GetEventMeasures(measurements);
-                Dictionary<string, string> eventProperties = GetEventProperties(properties);
+                var eventProperties = GetEventProperties(properties);
+                var eventMeasurements = GetEventMeasures(measurements);
 
-                try
-                {
-                    _client.TrackEvent(eventName, eventProperties, eventMeasurements);
-                    _client.Flush();
-                }
-                catch (Exception)
-                {
-                    Debug.Fail("Exception during TrackEvent");
-                }
+                _client.TrackEvent(eventName, eventProperties, eventMeasurements);
+                _client.Flush();
+            }
+            catch (Exception)
+            {
+                Debug.Fail("Exception during TrackEventTask");
             }
         }
 
-
         private Dictionary<string, double> GetEventMeasures(IDictionary<string, double> measurements)
         {
             Dictionary<string, double> eventMeasurements = new Dictionary<string, double>(_commonMeasurements);
@@ -128,9 +147,9 @@ namespace Microsoft.DotNet.Cli
                 }
                 return eventProperties;
             }
-            else 
+            else
             {
-                return _commonProperties;    
+                return _commonProperties;
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/test/dotnet-test.Tests/GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms.cs b/test/dotnet-test.Tests/GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms.cs
index dd25f1dbe..765afe4b6 100644
--- a/test/dotnet-test.Tests/GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms.cs
+++ b/test/dotnet-test.Tests/GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 using System.IO;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
 using FluentAssertions;
 using Microsoft.DotNet.InternalAbstractions;
 using Microsoft.DotNet.ProjectModel;
@@ -14,13 +15,13 @@ namespace Microsoft.Dotnet.Tools.Test.Tests
 {
     public class GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms : TestBase
     {
-        private readonly string _projectFilePath;
-        private readonly string _netCoreAppOutputPath;
-        private readonly string _net451OutputPath;
+        private string _projectFilePath;
+        private string _netCoreAppOutputPath;
+        private string _net451OutputPath;
 
-        public GivenThatWeWantToUseDotnetTestE2EInDesignTimeForMultipleTFms()
+        private void Setup([CallerMemberName] string callingMethod = "")
         {
-            var testInstance = TestAssetsManager.CreateTestInstance(Path.Combine("ProjectsWithTests", "MultipleFrameworkProject"));
+            var testInstance = TestAssetsManager.CreateTestInstance(Path.Combine("ProjectsWithTests", "MultipleFrameworkProject"), callingMethod);
 
             _projectFilePath = Path.Combine(testInstance.TestRoot, "project.json");
             var contexts = ProjectContext.CreateContextForEachFramework(
@@ -51,6 +52,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.Dotnet.Tools.Test.Tests
         [WindowsOnlyFact]
         public void It_discovers_tests_for_the_ProjectWithTestsWithNetCoreApp()
         {
+            Setup();
+
             using (var adapter = new Adapter("TestDiscovery.Start"))
             {
                 adapter.Listen();
@@ -68,6 +71,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.Dotnet.Tools.Test.Tests
         [WindowsOnlyFact]
         public void It_discovers_tests_for_the_ProjectWithTestsWithNet451()
         {
+            Setup();
+
             using (var adapter = new Adapter("TestDiscovery.Start"))
             {
                 adapter.Listen();
@@ -86,6 +91,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.Dotnet.Tools.Test.Tests
         [Fact]
         public void It_runs_tests_for_netcoreapp10()
         {
+            Setup();
+
             using (var adapter = new Adapter("TestExecution.GetTestRunnerProcessStartInfo"))
             {
                 adapter.Listen();
@@ -105,6 +112,8 @@ namespace Microsoft.Dotnet.Tools.Test.Tests
         [WindowsOnlyFact]
         public void It_runs_tests_for_net451()
         {
+            Setup();
+
             using (var adapter = new Adapter("TestExecution.GetTestRunnerProcessStartInfo"))
             {
                 adapter.Listen();