Making Modern Applications More Secure

With the VMware Virtual Cloud Network, we are delivering a modern network that understands the needs of applications and programmatically delivers connectivity and security services to meet those requirements. The ultimate result is a better experience for both users and applications. Today, we are furthering our efforts make modern applications more secure with our intent to acquire Mesh7. Once the deal closes, the Mesh7 technology will enable VMware to bring visibility, discovery, and better security to APIs.

So why is this important?

Customers are driving app modernization to shed the legacy of monolithic applications, to free IT and developers from single, rigid environments, and to make every service, every team and every business more agile. Modern applications require reliable connectivity, dynamic service discovery and the ability to automate changes quickly without disruption as they extend across multi-cloud environments. Security teams and operators need better visibility into application behavior and overall security posture, and the developer experience needs to lead to more secure operations.

To support these initiatives, VMware is driving a new generation of modern application connectivity services leveraging open-source technologies. Early on, VMware realized Envoy would become the platform for next-generation security services. Envoy is an open-source Layer 7 proxy designed for large modern service-oriented architectures. Envoy is a foundational component of Tanzu Service Mesh, which provides consistent connectivity and security for microservices across Kubernetes clusters and clouds. Tanzu Service Mesh controls the communication between thousands of application components, enforces security policy and measures performance and other critical functions, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.

Application connectivity models, however, are moving toward APIs and Layer 7 constructs, and the API gateway is being integrated into developer workflows. VMware is seeing increased demand for a fully integrated API + service mesh product with Envoy as the foundation. The exact same Envoy architecture used in the initial service mesh use case can also control how one application can talk to another application via APIs.

Mesh7 has developed a contextual API behavior security solution based on Envoy that better protects modern cloud-native applications. Mesh7 technology helps customers improve application resiliency and reliability and reduce blind spots through the integration of deep Layer 7 insights with cloud, host and reputation data. The Mesh7 solution empowers development, security and operations leaders to address observability, security and compliance for cloud-native, API-based and other distributed applications.

With VMware plus Mesh7, VMware will be able to deliver modern application connectivity services that enable a developer experience that leads to more secure operations. Once the deal closes, the integration of Mesh7’s contextual API behavior security solution with Tanzu Service Mesh will enable VMware to deliver high fidelity understanding of which applications components are talking to which using APIs. Developers and Security teams will each gain a better understanding of when, where and how applications and microservices are communicating via APIs, even across multi-cloud environments, enabling better DevSecOps.

Upon close of the acquisition, we look forward to the Mesh7 team joining VMware and helping is us deliver an overall API solution that makes the developer experience for API’s more and more secure by default and easier to operate.

Tom Gillis is SVP/GM, Networking and Security Business Unit, VMware.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.