Multi-Cloud Connectivity and Security Needs of Kubernetes Applications

Application initiatives are driving better business outcomes, an elevated customer experience, innovative digital services, and the anywhere workforce. Organizations surveyed by VMware report that 90% of app initiatives are focused on modernization⁽¹⁾. Using a container-based microservices architecture and Kubernetes, app modernization enables rapid feature releases, higher resiliency, and on-demand scalability. This approach can break apps into thousands of microservices deployed across a heterogeneous and often distributed environment. VMware research also shows 80% of surveyed customers today deploy applications in a distributed model across data center, cloud, and edge⁽²⁾.

Enterprises are deploying their applications across multiple clusters in the data center and across multiple public or private clouds (as an extension of on-premises infrastructure) to support disaster avoidance, cost reduction, regulatory compliance, and more.

Fig 1: Drivers for Multi-Cloud Transformation 

The Challenges in Transitioning to Modern Apps 

While app teams can quickly develop and validate Kubernetes applications in dev environments, a very different set of security, connectivity, and operational considerations awaits networking and operations teams deploying applications to production environments. These teams face new challenges as they transition to production with existing applications — even more so when applications are distributed across multiple infrastructures, clusters, and clouds. Continue reading