Let's dive into the world of hybrid cloud-native networking and explore the challenges and opportunities it presents. The core issue is this: how can we make our networks more useful and efficient for applications, without adding unnecessary complexity? It's time to rethink our approach and embrace a new paradigm.**
First, let's clarify some terms. When we talk about cloud-native hybrid networking, we're referring to the integration of various cloud environments and on-premise systems into a cohesive network. It's about creating a seamless and secure communication channel for applications, regardless of their location.
Now, here's the controversial part: many organizations struggle with this concept, often because they're stuck in traditional networking mindsets. But here's where it gets interesting - we can do better! By adopting a cloud-native approach, we can elevate our networks to a whole new level.
Let's start with a key insight: networks should evolve to provide more functionality and support for applications. In other words, the network should serve the application, not the other way around. Too often, we see networks as a limitation, with developers and admins spending excessive time compensating for their shortcomings.
Networks need to be more than just a means of shoving bits around at high speeds. They should be intelligent, adaptable, and capable of understanding and supporting the needs of the applications they serve. This is where the concept of 'elevating' our networks comes into play.
One of the biggest challenges is the dominance of IP addresses in our networking mindset. We're so focused on IP addresses that we often overlook the bigger picture - the application itself. Applications don't care about IP addresses; they care about communicating with other services and APIs. Yet, we spend an inordinate amount of time and resources managing and dealing with IP addresses and their associated complexities.
Here's a thought-provoking question: why haven't we evolved beyond this IP-centric mindset? It's time to shift our focus and prioritize the needs of the application layer. We need systems that shield us from these complexities, making our networks more user-friendly and efficient.
Now, let's talk about control. As admins, we often want to inject control and policy into the network to ensure applications behave as intended. This is especially important in a hybrid environment, where we need consistent policies across different infrastructure.
The challenge arises when we move from one infrastructure to another. Why should we have to rewrite policies every time? It's an expensive and time-consuming process. We need networks that can adapt and evolve with our policies, providing a seamless experience regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
To illustrate this point, let's consider a tragic tale inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In this modern-day network security story, we see the consequences of misconfigured firewalls, accidental dependencies, and ineffective post-mortems. It's a cautionary tale that highlights the importance of robust network policies and the need for better control.
One of the key issues is the asymmetry of DNS. When services communicate, they often use names, but the underlying network infrastructure relies on IP addresses. This creates a disconnect, making it difficult to identify and control communication. We need a solution that provides verifiable identities for everything on the network, ensuring secure and efficient communication.
The good news is that solutions do exist. We have technologies like PKI, X509, and mTLS that can provide identities and secure communication. The challenge is integrating these solutions into our networks in a way that's easy for applications to consume. The networking layer should take responsibility for this, ensuring a seamless and secure environment.
Now, let's talk about composability. We want to be able to inject controls and tools into the conversation between applications and services, but we also need to ensure that our policies are composable. In other words, we want policies that can be easily combined and adapted to different situations.
The current pattern of using a big proxy and a big policy store has its limitations. While it provides control and visibility, it can also lead to big outages and single points of failure. We need a more distributed and flexible approach, one that allows us to distribute policy enforcement across the network, reducing the risk of widespread failures.
Cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes embrace the concept of eventual consistency, and we should apply this thinking to our networking policies. Networks should be treated as cattle, not pets. They should be flexible, adaptable, and capable of running anywhere without affecting the behavior of our applications.
To achieve this, we need commodity infrastructure and policy controls that are consistent across different environments. We need a policy language that expresses our organizational needs and compiles into the infrastructure, ensuring our policies are sustainable and don't rot over time.
In conclusion, it's time to rethink our approach to hybrid cloud-native networking. We need to elevate our networks, making them more useful and efficient for applications. We need to prioritize control and composability, ensuring our policies are adaptable and secure. By embracing these concepts, we can create a more robust and flexible networking environment, driving innovation and efficiency in our organizations.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to challenge the traditional networking mindset and embrace a cloud-native future? The choice is yours, and the potential rewards are significant.
