D2iQ Allies With Kong to Manage APIs on K8s Clusters

D2iQ has allied with Kong Inc. to make it simpler to provision and manage a service connectivity platform running on a Kubernetes cluster.

Kong Inc. has been making a case for a services connectivity platform on which IT teams manage application programming interfaces (APIs) at a higher level of abstraction. The platform integrates all Layer 4 through Layer 7 services for both monolithic and microservices-based applications. Rather than having to manage an array of networking and associated services in isolated silos, that layer of abstraction makes it simpler to manage distributed applications that have dependencies on a wide range of APIs.

The number of internal and external APIs that organizations are using has expanded tremendously over the last several years. The challenge today is finding a way to manage and secure all the APIs used to drive microservices-based applications deployed on Kubernetes clusters.

D2iQ CEO Tobi Knaup says the alliance will make it simpler for IT teams to deploy Kong’s service connectivity platform on the D2iQ Kubernetes Platform (DKP). In addition to providing access to a distribution of Kubernetes, DKP also comes with a suite of management tools D2iQ has created to manage Kubernetes environments at a higher level of abstraction. D2iQ’s management tools use a graphic interface that makes Kubernetes accessible to both IT administrators and DevOps teams that have programming skills.

Kong has also developed a Kubernetes operator that makes it easier to deploy its service connectivity platform on a Kubernetes cluster, notes Knaub.

In general, the stacks of software deployed on top of Kubernetes are becoming more challenging to manage than the underlying cluster. D2iQ is committed to fostering an open ecosystem that makes it easier for IT teams to manage the entire cloud-native software stacks running in a Kubernetes environment, says Knaub.

It’s not clear to what degree the inherent challenges associated with managing Kubernetes environments are holding back adoption. Kubernetes is simultaneously one of the most complex and powerful platforms to find its way into enterprise IT environments in recent times. However, as management frameworks enable IT teams to manage Kubernetes environments at higher levels of abstraction, there should be a corresponding increase in the number of Kubernetes clusters being deployed in production environments.

One way or another, the pace of Kubernetes adoption will steadily increase in 2022, even though it may not be the year that is remembered as the exact moment when Kubernetes crosses the proverbial chasm of adoption. However, it’s clear that organizations are building a lot more microservices-based applications that are destined to be deployed on Kubernetes clusters. As such, more IT operations teams are either moving toward acquiring some level of Kubernetes management expertise or starting to rely on managed service providers (MSPs) to create and maintain Kubernetes environments on their behalf.

The only thing left to determine now is just how many Kubernetes clusters will eventually be distributed across the extended enterprise.

Mike Vizard

Mike Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist with over 25 years of experience. He also contributed to IT Business Edge, Channel Insider, Baseline and a variety of other IT titles. Previously, Vizard was the editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise as well as Editor-in-Chief for CRN and InfoWorld.

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