The intersection of AI and emerging technologies such as WebAssembly (WASM) and extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) presents incredible opportunities and challenges, particularly through environmental sustainability. At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2024, cloud-native enthusiasts and other attendees had the opportunity to immerse themselves in innovation. With over 12,000 participants and a program featuring over 223 sessions, including keynotes, lightning talks, and breakout sessions, alongside 90 Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) project maintainer-hosted sessions, this event serves as the epicenter for exploring the fusion of AI, WASM, and eBPF, and their impact on building sustainable digital ecosystems.
So, why was The Futurum Group team so excited to attend this year? With our coverage of the Kubernetes space growing, this event is one of the flagship events of the year for our expanded coverage. The Futurum Group focuses on collaborative discussions on how automation, CI/CD, platform engineering, development, app modernization, observability, and testing drive continuous improvement in software delivery pipelines through automation and adoption of platform engineering principles. Let’s discuss what happened at the event.
CNCF Analyst Roundtables
During the analyst and media sessions at KubeCon Europe 2024, the discussion was vibrant and forward-looking, offering insights into the future of cloud native technologies and platform engineering. In the Media + Analyst Roundtable titled “What’s Next in Cloud Native,” luminaries such as Thomas Graf, cofounder and CTO of Isovalent, Chuck Dubuque from Red Hat, Paula Kennedy of Syntasso, and Equinix’s CTO, Justin Dustzadeh, explored emerging trends and innovations. Another session, “AI and Cloud Native,” featured notable figures like Annie Talvasto from VSHN, Sudha Raghavan of Oracle, Bill Ren of Huawei, Arun Gupta from Intel, and Lachie Evenson representing Microsoft, shedding light on the intersection of artificial intelligence and cloud-native technologies. Moreover, the Media + Analyst Press Conference showcased industry leaders like Hans Kristian Flaatten of the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration, Gualter Barbas Baptista from Deutsche Bahn, Jinhong Brejnholt of Saxo Bank, and Sergiu Vasile Petean from Allianz Direct, who shared their experiences and insights gleaned from the forefront of cloud native adoption. These sessions underscored the ongoing evolution and significance of cloud-native ecosystems in shaping the future of technology.
CNCF made significant announcements, highlighting key partnerships and recognizing outstanding achievements within the cloud native community. Firstly, CNCF revealed CERN as the recipient of the prestigious Top End User Award, acknowledging their remarkable contributions and adoption of cloud native technologies. This recognition underscores CERN’s commitment to innovation and their role in advancing scientific research through technology. Additionally, CNCF unveiled an exciting collaboration with Udemy aimed at empowering the next generation of cloud native developers. This partnership aims to provide accessible and comprehensive training resources to learners worldwide, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the ever evolving landscape of cloud-native computing. These announcements underscore CNCF’s dedication to fostering collaboration, innovation, and skill development within the cloud native community.
Vendor Highlights and Announcements
The attendees were captivated by the energy and innovation within the vibrant atmosphere of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Paris 2024, solidifying the event’s standing as a top gathering for cloud-native and open source enthusiasts. Seeing the dynamic spirit of developers and industry experts coming together in person to build relationships and advance platform engineering, application development and modernization, and Kubernetes was energizing. Below are a small handful of the announcements and highlights from the event. We look forward to the emergence of further innovations in these areas.
Fermyon Technologies: Pioneering WASM Platform for Kubernetes
Fermyon Technologies has introduced a WASM platform for Kubernetes, integrating WASM capabilities with Kubernetes infrastructure. This platform offers superior application performance and developer productivity, with over 50 times more workload density per node. Fermyon also contributed SpinKube to CNCF, streamlining the development, deployment, and operation of WASM workloads on Kubernetes. These innovations set new standards for serverless computing, scalability, and cost efficiency.
Amazon Web Services: Advancements in AI Offerings
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has expanded its AI offerings, introducing Claude 3 Haiku and Claude 3 Sonnet on its Amazon Bedrock platform. These models offer enhanced performance and broad applicability across industries, bolstering AWS’s position as a leader in the AI space. The strategic collaboration between AWS and Anthropic demonstrates a shared commitment to ethical AI advancement. Developers can leverage these advancements to create sophisticated, high-quality applications, benefiting from cost-efficient and high-performance AI capabilities. The strategic partnership signals a promising future for AI innovation.
Cohere: Command-R AI for Enterprise Scale
Cohere has introduced Command-R, an AI innovation designed for large-scale production environments. It offers exceptional accuracy, efficiency, and context capabilities for tasks like retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Command-R optimizes RAG using Embed and Rerank models, ensuring accuracy and mitigating misinformation risks. Its availability on Cohere’s hosted API and major cloud providers streamlines enterprise adoption, ensuring privacy and data security.
Aviatrix: Distributed Cloud Networking with Kubernetes Firewall
Aviatrix has launched the Distributed Cloud Firewall for Kubernetes, aiming to revolutionize distributed cloud networking and security for containerized enterprise applications. The solution connects Kubernetes clusters with external workloads, simplifying network security across multi-cloud environments. It empowers enterprise cloud teams to support Kubernetes-based application development without extensive skillset alterations, reducing operational costs and enhancing security measures.
Tetrate Enterprise Gateway for Envoy Supports Kubernetes Ingress
Tetrate has released Tetrate Enterprise Gateway for Envoy (TEG), a fully supported distribution of Envoy Gateway tailored for Kubernetes environments. TEG offers modernized ingress options for Kubernetes users, enabling optimization of application delivery, security, and deployment workflows. Its seamless integration with the Gateway API enhances flexibility, security, and scalability. TEG’s collaboration with the Envoy community supports open-source innovation and ecosystem development, allowing developers to leverage cutting-edge technologies in Kubernetes environments.
StorMagic and Acronis: Enhanced Data Protection Solutions
StorMagic has integrated Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud with StorMagic SvSAN for enhanced data protection. This integration offers simplified, flexible, and cost-effective high availability configurations, enabling MSPs to meet stringent service levels with minimal resources. It also enhances data backup, recovery, endpoint management, and security features, providing a streamlined path for MSPs to achieve comprehensive cyber-resiliency and compliance with data privacy legislation.
Red Hat and Docker: Simplifying Developer Experience with Testcontainers Cloud on OpenShift
Red Hat and Docker have partnered to integrate Testcontainers Cloud into OpenShift, aiming to simplify the developer experience by integrating the platform’s security and adaptability. This integration streamlines development workflows, enhancing productivity and promoting collaboration and scalability. The integration enables developers to focus on producing high-quality software while adhering to security and compliance requirements. This partnership signifies a significant advancement in promoting platform-centric development.
Red Hat also made updates to OpenShift. Red Hat’s latest release, OpenShift 4.15, unveiled at Kubecon + CloudNativeCon Europe, introduces a suite of new features focused on enhancing edge computing capabilities, core infrastructure resilience, and virtualization functionalities. Leveraging Kubernetes 1.28, OpenShift 4.15 demonstrates a commitment to staying at the forefront of technology to meet modern demands for application deployment and management. Notable enhancements include seamless integration with AWS Outposts and AWS Wavelength, empowering administrators to deploy clusters effortlessly on AWS infrastructure, enhancing application performance and user experience. Additionally, improvements in core infrastructure security and virtualization resilience set a new standard for deploying and managing cloud-native applications, reflecting Red Hat’s dedication to innovation and security in the digital era.
Traefik Labs: Elevating Cloud-Native API Networking and Security
Traefik Labs has launched a Kubernetes-native API gateway, integrated Web Application Firewall (WAF), and advanced API management features to improve API management in modern digital infrastructure. The gateway streamlines API networking in Kubernetes environments, allowing developers to focus on innovation. The integrated WAF enhances runtime protection against cyber threats and ensures compliance with emerging standards. These advancements empower enterprises to navigate digital infrastructures confidently, fostering innovation and resilience.
SUSE: Updates to Rancher Prime
SUSE’s Rancher Prime 3.0 release marks a significant advancement in container management, offering features that address critical enterprise needs. This includes a secure software supply chain with SLSA certification and SBOM, ensuring trust in software delivery. Additionally, the release introduces self-service PaaS capabilities and enhanced support for AI/ML workloads, empowering development teams and streamlining deployment processes. These innovations position Rancher Prime 3.0 as a cornerstone for modern application deployment and management, enhancing agility and security for enterprises.
Solo.io: Gloo as a Vital Part of K8S Networking
Solo.io’s recent announcement of Gloo Network for Cilium marks a significant advancement in cloud-native application networking. This enterprise-grade solution simplifies the adoption of Cilium by addressing deployment challenges, ensuring seamless integration with Gloo Mesh Core. By combining exceptional networking, scalability, and observability tools, Gloo Network for Cilium significantly boosts the performance of cloud-native infrastructure. Its ease of use, reduced complexity, and deep insights make it indispensable for organizations navigating the complexities of modern cloud environments. This strategic move reaffirms Solo.io’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of cloud-native networking technologies forward, ensuring that businesses can maximize the capabilities of cloud networking efficiently and effectively.
Diagrid: Free Conductor Tool Enhances Dapr-based Microservices Development
Diagrid has introduced a free tier of its Diagrid Conductor tool, aimed at improving the development experience for microservices applications using the open-source Dapr framework. The tool offers insights into application interactions, message flows, and infrastructure connections, enabling developers to optimize performance and understand application behavior. It also provides metrics on error rate, throughput, and performance indicators for developers using Dapr on Kubernetes clusters. The tool aims to streamline the development process and foster innovation in the microservices industry.
Looking Ahead
Looking back on the incredible experience of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2024, it’s evident that the event has left a lasting impact on the advancement of open source collaboration and cloud-native technologies. More than 12,000 people attended the vibrant and innovative event, which reinforced the value of face-to-face interactions in advancing Kubernetes, platform engineering, and application development.
As we bid farewell to Paris in the springtime and look forward to our next gathering in Salt Lake, we have to acknowledge the role that open source has in influencing technology. The collaborative and knowledge-sharing atmosphere at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon underscores the group’s shared dedication to utilizing open source as a catalyst for innovation and sustainability.
Looking ahead to Salt Lake in the second half of 2024, we expect an even deeper dive into platform engineering. Platform engineering is going to be an increasingly important digital transformation facilitator as cloud-native technologies continue to advance quickly, bringing scalability and efficiency to a wide range of industries.
It’s important to remember that efficiency requires reducing complexity, even in the midst of the excitement surrounding new collaborations and progress. Streamlining processes and embracing simplicity will be crucial in promoting innovation and guaranteeing the smooth integration of cutting-edge technology as we negotiate the complexity of cloud-native ecosystems.
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2024 has been a testament to the boundless possibilities of collaboration and innovation in the cloud-native community. Here’s to the exciting adventures that await us in Salt Lake and beyond!
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other Insights from The Futurum Group:
Fermyon Unveils Revolutionary WebAssembly Platform for Kubernetes
Command-R: Revolutionizing AI for Enterprise Scale
Diagrid Launches Free Tool to Enhance Dapr Microservice Development
Author Information
Camberley brings over 25 years of executive experience leading sales and marketing teams at Fortune 500 firms. Before joining The Futurum Group, she led the Evaluator Group, an information technology analyst firm as Managing Director.
Her career has spanned all elements of sales and marketing including a 360-degree view of addressing challenges and delivering solutions was achieved from crossing the boundary of sales and channel engagement with large enterprise vendors and her own 100-person IT services firm.
Camberley has provided Global 250 startups with go-to-market strategies, creating a new market category “MAID” as Vice President of Marketing at COPAN and led a worldwide marketing team including channels as a VP at VERITAS. At GE Access, a $2B distribution company, she served as VP of a new division and succeeded in growing the company from $14 to $500 million and built a successful 100-person IT services firm. Camberley began her career at IBM in sales and management.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from California State University – Long Beach and executive certificates from Wellesley and Wharton School of Business.
At The Futurum Group, Paul Nashawaty, Practice Leader and Lead Principal Analyst, specializes in application modernization across build, release and operations. With a wealth of expertise in digital transformation initiatives spanning front-end and back-end systems, he also possesses comprehensive knowledge of the underlying infrastructure ecosystem crucial for supporting modernization endeavors. With over 25 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record in implementing effective go-to-market strategies, including the identification of new market channels, the growth and cultivation of partner ecosystems, and the successful execution of strategic plans resulting in positive business outcomes for his clients.
Regarded as a luminary at the intersection of technology and business transformation, Steven Dickens is the Vice President and Practice Leader for Hybrid Cloud, Infrastructure, and Operations at The Futurum Group. With a distinguished track record as a Forbes contributor and a ranking among the Top 10 Analysts by ARInsights, Steven's unique vantage point enables him to chart the nexus between emergent technologies and disruptive innovation, offering unparalleled insights for global enterprises.
Steven's expertise spans a broad spectrum of technologies that drive modern enterprises. Notable among these are open source, hybrid cloud, mission-critical infrastructure, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and FinTech innovation. His work is foundational in aligning the strategic imperatives of C-suite executives with the practical needs of end users and technology practitioners, serving as a catalyst for optimizing the return on technology investments.
Over the years, Steven has been an integral part of industry behemoths including Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), and IBM. His exceptional ability to pioneer multi-hundred-million-dollar products and to lead global sales teams with revenues in the same echelon has consistently demonstrated his capability for high-impact leadership.
Steven serves as a thought leader in various technology consortiums. He was a founding board member and former Chairperson of the Open Mainframe Project, under the aegis of the Linux Foundation. His role as a Board Advisor continues to shape the advocacy for open source implementations of mainframe technologies.
Bringing more than a decade of varying experience crossing multiple sectors such as legal, financial, and tech, Sam Holschuh is an accomplished professional that excels in ensuring success across various industries. Currently, Sam serves as an Industry Analyst at The Futurum Group, where collaborates closely with practice leads in the areas of application modernization, DevOps, storage, and infrastructure. With a keen eye for research, Sam produces valuable insights and custom content to support strategic initiatives and enhance market understanding.
Rooted in the fields of tech, law, finance operations and marketing, Sam provides a unique viewpoint to her position, fostering innovation and delivering impactful solutions within the industry.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems and Business Analytics from Colorado State University and is passionate about leveraging her diverse skill set to drive growth and empower clients to succeed in today's rapidly evolving landscape.
