Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Secure Kubernetes data management and scaling with Kasten K10 (CON204)

Summary

Michael Cade, a technologist/field CTO at Veeam, and Mark Severson, a member of technical staff at Kasten, presented on secure and scalable Kubernetes data management using Kasten K10.
Kasten K10 is a data management platform for Kubernetes, focusing on backup, security, and scalability.
The session covered the state of Kubernetes, including the increase in stateful workloads and cloud-native deployment patterns.
Kasten K10 integrates with the Kubernetes API and provides autonomous data protection, supporting various environments like EKS, ROSA, and on-premises clusters.
The platform emphasizes data security, freedom, and recovery, with features like ransomware detection, immutability, and integration with AWS services like GuardDuty and RDS.
Kasten K10's unique capabilities include application consistency, policy as code, and the ability to transform application configurations during restoration.
The session included demonstrations of Kasten K10's capabilities, such as sending audit logs to S3 and Datadog, migrating a stateful set to RDS, and managing multi-cluster deployments with Argo CD.
Kasten K10's multi-cluster management has been improved to allow secondary clusters to connect to a primary cluster, simplifying network operations and scaling.
The session concluded with resources for further learning and an invitation to try Kasten K10 Community Edition.

Kasten K10's integration with Kubernetes API and its autonomous operation mode suggest a deep understanding of Kubernetes' operational model and the need for native data management solutions.
The focus on data security, freedom, and recovery aligns with the growing concerns around ransomware attacks and the need for robust disaster recovery strategies in cloud-native environments.
The ability to transform application configurations during restoration could significantly simplify the process of migrating applications between different environments or upgrading clusters.
The demonstration of multi-cluster management with Argo CD indicates a trend towards GitOps and the importance of automation in managing complex Kubernetes deployments.
The shift in multi-cluster architecture from primary clusters reaching out to secondary clusters to secondary clusters connecting to a primary cluster reflects a design choice aimed at reducing complexity and potential points of failure.
The session's emphasis on not storing secrets in source control and using AWS Secrets Manager and External Secrets Operator for secret management demonstrates a commitment to security best practices.
The offer of a Community Edition of Kasten K10 suggests an effort to build a community around the product and encourage adoption by providing a fully functional, free version for smaller deployments.