devopsy.kinsta.cloud

Tag: network services

  • Cloudflare Unveils Platform to Programmatically Unify Cloud Networking

    Cloudflare Unveils Platform to Programmatically Unify Cloud Networking

    Cloudflare today launched a Magic Cloud Networking platform that makes it simpler to programmatically manage multiple cloud networking environments using Terraform code.

    Based on a platform the Cloudflare gained when it acquired the core technology from Nefeli Networks late last year, the Magic Cloud Networking platform presents IT teams with a console through which they can use the existing Cloudflare One secure access service edge (SASE) platform to securely manage multiple cloud networks. The Cloudflare global network spans more than 310 cities in over 120 countries and interconnects with more than 13,000 networks worldwide.

    Annika Garbers, director of product for Cloudflare, said this addition to the Cloudflare portfolio promises to make it simpler to integrate network operations (NetOps) with DevOps workflows in a way that makes it simpler to enforce zero-trust IT policies.

    The degree to which NetOps and DevOps are integrated tends to vary widely from one organization to the next. It’s still not uncommon for DevOps teams to be able to provision a virtual machine in seconds or minutes but then be forced to wait days for a NetOps team to provide then network access. Arguably, those kinds of delays defeat the purpose of investing in DevOps in the first place.

    That’s becoming a more problematic issue as organizations start to deploy workloads across multiple clouds, each with its own construct for managing software-defined networking infrastructure. The Magic Cloud Networking platform provides DevOps teams with a higher level of abstraction for programmatically managing those networks using Terraform code that is already widely used to manage infrastructure-as-code, noted Garbers.

    That approach eliminates the need to rely on cumbersome virtual routers that IT teams don’t want to manage. In fact, more IT teams than ever just want to be able to access network services versus having to build, deploy and manage physical routers and switches, said Garbers. In the age of the cloud, the physical network underlay is typically managed by the cloud service provider, so all that’s required is a way to programmatically unify the management of multiple cloud networks that can be invoked via lower-level application programming interfaces (APIs).

    The one thing that is certain is that as networking services become more programmable, the pace at which applications can be deployed is only going to accelerate. Each organization will need to determine which teams are best suited to manage any given layer of the networking stack. Still, regardless of approach it’s clear networks are finally catching up to rest of the IT infrastructure that is already being managed using code. The challenge, as always, is making just as easy for network administrators that lack programming skills to manage those networks as easily as a DevOps team that already has extensive experience using code to manage the rest of the infrastructure used to provide IT services.

    Of course, there will still be plenty of routers and switches to manage in on-premises IT environments but it’s only a matter of time before they become part of a larger DevOps workflow.

  • Volterra Service Mesh Service Automatically Discovers APIs

    Volterra Service Mesh Service Automatically Discovers APIs

    Volterra announced today it has updated a service mesh it makes available via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform to include the ability to automatically discover all the application programming interfaces (APIs) in an application using machine learning algorithms, then automatically apply all the whitelist policies that apply to those APIs.

    Service meshes add a programmable layer of abstraction above a proxy server that makes it easier for IT teams to provision networking and security services on demand. The challenge is service meshes tend to be complex to deploy and between the service mesh itself and the underlying proxy server software also consume a significant amount of resources.

    Company CEO Ankur Singla said Volterra addresses that issue by making VoltMesh available as a service that DevOps teams can invoke remotely to simplify the provisioning of network services without having to deploy and maintain a service mesh on their own. Volterra claims VoltMesh has already been embraced by more than 50 enterprise IT organizations and service providers. VoltMesh can also be globally extended to clusters across multiple cloud providers via an application delivery network (ADN) that the company also manages.

    Singla said VoltMesh is shifting control over networking and security services left toward DevOps teams by employing a network fabric delivered as a service that eliminates the need to deploy separate load balancers, API gateways and web application firewalls for each cluster. That network fabric also provides DevOps teams with a zero-trust architecture for networking services that better ensures application security because it is managed by Volterra, added Singla.

    In general, service meshes are emerging as a critical linchpin in the convergence of network operations and DevOps processes. Most DevOps teams can provision virtual machines in a matter of minutes. However, outside of a public cloud it can still take days or sometimes weeks to provision networking and security services. Service meshes provide a mechanism for programmatically exposing networking and security services to APIs without requiring networking staff to manually provision each individual appliance, router and switch using command-line interfaces (CLIs) that are unique to each device.

    It’s too early to say to what degree IT organizations may decide to rely more on external networking services. However, more organizations are showing a marked preference for devoting more of their limited resources to developing and deploying applications. Everything required to run those applications simply becomes yet another cloud service that can be programmatically invoked.

    Naturally, the implications of that transition for network operations teams could be profound. Many organizations have “sunk costs” in enterprise networks measured in multiple millions of dollars. However, at a time when DevOps teams are being challenged to deliver applications faster than ever, tolerance of rigid networking services is declining. Many DevOps teams will simply opt to rely on external networking services in much the same way they opt to employ virtual machines in the cloud versus waiting for internal IT teams to make resources available in a local data center. When it comes to traditional approaches to networking, time and patience are running out.

  • Catchpoint Provides Free Remote Monitoring Tools to Help Combat COVID-19 Pandemic

    Catchpoint Provides Free Remote Monitoring Tools to Help Combat COVID-19 Pandemic

    Catchpoint announced today it will provide free access to tools to monitor remote network connections to help organizations that are helping to combat the COVID-19 virus by requiring employees to work from home.

    Company CEO Mehdi Daoudi said supporting an entire workforce that suddenly needs to work remotely is clearly a major IT challenge. To enable IT teams to cope with that transition, Catchpoint is providing access to free tools that monitor access to software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications using agent software installed on endpoints. The company also makes available a browser extension through which remote users can discover instantly what is slowing down application performance, which they can then share with their IT support teams.

    Catchpoint is also making available an Enterprise Digital Experience Monitoring for free for 90 days to IT organizations that want to more proactively monitor application experience. That service is based on a Global Monitoring Network that consists of 825 worldwide locations through which Catchpoint monitors network traffic flows.

    With large numbers of workers accessing applications remotely, many IT teams are about to discover how intermittent network access from home can be. Not all neighborhoods and residences have access to the same levels of network bandwidth. With more workers trying to access backend network services remotely—some with children who are home from school because of COVID-19—the probability of connectivity issues is high for the next several months. In addition, Daoudi noted the need to have employees working from home could go on for as long as three to six months, which means many employees may decide to relocate to other places, such as summer residences, where connectivity is not as robust as their primary home service.

    Rather than viewing the virus outbreak as roughly the equivalent of an extended snowstorm, IT teams would be well-advised to make sure critical employees have access to multiple networks. In some cases, that may mean providing employees with multiple wireless access cards for different networks in case the services provided by one carrier become overly taxed or simply inaccessible. Daoudi said Catchpoint is already seeing divergent levels of network performance between carriers operating in the same geographic regions.

    At the same time, IT teams that operate in highly regulated industries may want to make sure employees are not inadvertently making use of their neighbor’s wireless network—or, potentially worse, accessing applications over a wireless network provided by their local café.

    It’s too early to say with any certainty just how fragile network services in the months ahead may become. What is clear is providing network bandwidth and making certain those connections are secure requires a lot of planning on the part of internal IT teams. In some localities, there is still time to put those contingency plans in place. Elsewhere, employees are already being told to work from home by local and state officials.

    Whatever the outcome, the dependency organizations have on IT and IT professionals is about to become more apparent than ever.

    — Mike Vizard