Prosimo's Networking Suite Gains More Control Over Cloud

Cloudlock

By: R. Scott Raynovich


Prosimo continues to do some very interesting things in cloud networking that dovetail with Futuriom's vision on now networking will play out in the cloud world.

Networking is increasing becoming about apps and cloud connectivity and less about boxes and routing schemes. Prosimo's new Cloud-Native Network Suite hits on both of these needs with a granular cloud-native application networking approach. This is yet another example of the shift-left movement for networking.

Prosimo this week announced the Called the Cloud-Native Networking Suite, which enables microsegmentation of cloud network traffic by application, all the way down to the Virtual Private Circuit (VPC) and Virtual Networks (VNet) inside of cloud services such as Amazon Web Services, Google Gloud, and Microsoft Azure.

This hits on several growing needs we have seen in cloud networking: Managers want better compliance, security, and automation when they use networks to connect applications to -- and inside of -- the cloud.

Application Layer Control for VPCs

Unlike traditional networking tools which operate primarily at the layer 2 or layer 3 level (Ethernet or IP), Prosimo networking occurs entirely at the higher levels of the applications stack, which means that cloud developers or network managers can use it to create secure, mesh networking among clouds, including into the cloud at the virtual layer (for example VPCs in AWS or VNet in Azure).

Most organizations building cloud networks have very little control of the ways they connect to the virtualized network layers inside of a cloud service. Prosimo's Cloud Networking suite now allows customers to manage these virtual cloud networks as subnets.

The Cloud-Native Networking Suite includes:

  • Visual Transit Builder provides a drag & drop approach that simplifies the process for cloud network architects to onboard networks, applications, and services across any cloud using the same visual builder, saving resources and shortening deployment times.
  • Cloud Tracer is a tool that helps enterprises track network topology and flow tracing across different regions and data centers. It reduces MTTR by identifying and anticipating real-time issues across networking, security, and applications.
  • Adaptive Service Insertion simplifies compliance in the cloud by allowing fine-grained policy definition and real-time visibility to insert stateful services such as firewalls in the path for networks and apps. This reduces the risk of human error, simplifies ongoing maintenance, and helps right-size the services to save costs.

Policy Adds Performance Control

The Prosimo approach is useful for boosting both security and performance of cloud applications. On the security level, developers can embed zero-trust network access (ZTNA) security within the cloud app. On a policy level, applications can be assigned both performance and security characteristics. By segmenting the apps inside of a cloud network, there is additional flexibility in assigning resources to an applications.

Futuriom has highlighted this as an upcoming trend known as shift-left networking, in which network control can be embedded in an applications. It's also referred to as NetDevOps.

There's another advantage too: With additional application and cloud network visibility, Prosimo is looking to help managers plan and control the cost of carrying cloud applications traffic over networks. This is an area we will be covering in our forthcoming Cloud Cost Management and FinOps report, in which we detail how networks can be used to optimize cloud data and application costs.

Prosimo continues to be one of the more interesting cloud networking companies to watch, along with others we have been covering such as Aviatrix, Graphiant, F5, and Megaport.