Cloud native

What is cloud native?

• In cloud-native development, modular, scalable architectures like microservices divide applications into smaller, independent services. However, traditional development uses monolithic architecture, where applications are tightly connected.
• Cloud-native deployments employ containers (e.g., docker) and orchestration tools (e.g., kubernetes) for consistent, scalable deployments, unlike virtual machines or physical servers, which are less flexible in traditional approaches.
• Unlike traditional methods that need manual intervention and are less flexible, cloud-native development automatically scales based on demand.
• Cloud-native development cycles use DevOps and CI/CD pipelines for frequent upgrades. Traditional development has longer cycles, updates, and more manual operations. In agile development seeks small changes done frequently with feedback loops to catch bugs early.
• Cloud-native architecture allows for better resilience and DR capabilities through the features available in the orchestrator like Kubernetes, monitoring and logging is still not automatic. It requires careful planning to enable Centralized logging, monitoring and tracing for cloud native workloads.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) automates provisioning and ensures consistency in cloud-native systems. Traditional methods involve manual infrastructure configuration.
• Cloud-native environments optimize resource utilization through pay-as-you-go models and dynamic scalability, while conventional environments may have greater upfront hardware, licensing, and maintenance costs.

The transformative power of cloud native architecture brings the following benefits to businesses. 

• Independence: Cloud native enables enterprises to avoid lock-in to a specific vendor by leveraging multiple cloud providers and services. This independence provides flexibility in selecting the most appropriate and cost-effective cloud solution for different components of an application. It also enables enterprises to seamlessly migrate workloads between cloud environments or on-premises infrastructure.
• Resiliency: Applications are designed to be highly resilient with built-in fault tolerance and disaster recovery mechanisms. Using distributed architectures and auto-scaling, cloud native applications can seamlessly handle outages or spikes in traffic by reallocating resources and maintaining service availability. Resilience is achieved through replication, load balancing, and fault-tolerant design patterns.
• Standards-based: The cloud native architecture follows industry-standard practices and frameworks to ensure interoperability and compatibility. Enterprises can leverage vendor tools and services by adhering to open standards, such as Kubernetes for container orchestration. This promotes portability and enables seamless integration and collaboration across native cloud environments.
• Business agility: Cloud native enables rapid application development and deployment, allowing enterprises to respond quickly to changing business needs. Cloud native architectures like microservices offer faster iterations, independent scaling, and easier maintenance. This flexibility enables enterprises to incorporate enhanced features and updates to their applications more frequently, giving them a competitive edge in the marketplace.
• Automation: The architecture leverages automation for scalability, deployment, monitoring, and management, reducing manual effort. Infrastructure as a Code (IaC) tools and orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes help to automate tasks such as infrastructure provisioning, container deployment, auto-scaling, and service monitoring. Automation simplifies and accelerates deployment and management processes, ensuring consistency, reducing human error, and freeing up resources for higher-value tasks.
• No downtime: Cloud native applications can achieve continuous availability with no-downtime deployments and auto-scaling. Organizations can update or change their applications without disrupting end users by leveraging practices such as rolling updates, blue-green deployments, and canary releases. In addition, cloud native platforms can dynamically scale resources as needed, ensuring high availability even during increased traffic or workload periods.

Security in cloud-native systems involves code solutions like Open Policy Agent or Kyverno to safeguard apps, data, and infrastructure:

• Identity and access management (IAM): IAM systems consolidate user identities, rights, and authentication and limit resource access to approved users and services.
• Data encryption: Encryption protects data in transit and at rest. Technologies such as SSL/TLS for data in transit and encryption algorithms for data at rest protect sensitive information from interception or theft.
• Network security: Use firewalls, network segmentation, and VPCs to regulate traffic and prevent unwanted resource access. Network security rules should limit access to essential ports and protocols.
• Vulnerability management: Automate and manually check apps and infrastructure for vulnerabilities. Patch vulnerabilities immediately to reduce exploitation risk.
• Container security: Use code quality, image scanning, runtime protection, and least privilege access to secure containerized programs. Container security solutions monitor and mitigate risks in containerized settings. Code quality by leveraging on Static Code Analysis to find potential vulnerabilities on application code that can be exploited to escalate privileges. Image scanning will scan binaries and libraries for vulnerabilities whilst code scanning will highlight vulnerabilities on the application source code.
• Logging and monitoring: Track user behavior, spot abnormalities, and respond to security events in real-time using strong solutions. Centralized logging platforms, intrusion detection systems, and SIEM solutions provide incident response and security event visibility.
• Run Time Security: Actively analyzes the application's behavior and data flow to identify and mitigate security threats in real time.

Addressing security issues can help companies develop and maintain safe cloud-native environments that defend against emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Integrating security practices into development and deployment requires collaboration between development, operations, and security teams.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) has been actively embracing cloud-native technologies to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Here's an expansion on how HPE GreenLake, HPE Ezmeral, and HPE Aruba Networking are contributing to the cloud-native landscape:

• HPE GreenLake: HPE GreenLake is a consumption-based IT platform that provides cloud-like agility and flexibility under on-premises governance. Businesses can pay for what they utilize of infrastructure, platforms, and software services. HPE GreenLake lets organizations design, deploy, and manage cloud-native applications on their premises using containers and Kubernetes. This cloud-based solution addresses data sovereignty, compliance, and security while scaling and adapting.
• HPE Ezmeral: This software solution accelerates digital transformation by enabling enterprises to create, deploy, and manage cloud-native apps and data-intensive workloads in hybrid cloud settings. It includes container orchestration, data analytics, and AI/ML activities. HPE Ezmeral updates apps, optimizes infrastructure, and provides cloud-native data insights.
• HPE Aruba Networking: Aruba, an HPE subsidiary, provides cloud-native networking solutions. Its networking technologies and services offer cloud-native application connection, security, and administration in distributed settings. Using HPE Aruba Networking Central, organizations can centrally manage their network infrastructure, protect cloud services, and optimize application performance. In today's fast-changing digital world, HPE Aruba Networking's cloud-native networking solutions help companies embrace digital transformation, enable remote workforces, and provide improved user experiences.
• HPE Cloud Native Computing Services enables development methodology to scale cloud infrastructure with cost efficiency using container-based architectures. Cloud native services leverage containers, DevOps practices, microservices, and Kubernetes to enable deployment, security, and efficient resource utilization from edge to cloud. HPE offers a range of services, including Cloud Native Engineering Service, DevOps Roadmap Service, and Container Adoption Service, to help organizations transition to cloud native environments, improve software development and delivery processes, and run scalable and reliable container platforms both on-premises, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud.