Cloud Native Made Simple

In March, AhnLab completed the acquisition of Cloudmate, a specialist in cloud native technologies. 
Cloudmate is a company founded in December 2018.
What type of company is Cloudmate exactly? And why did AhnLab acquire Cloudmate?

This post will introduce Cloudmate and examine what synergies AhnLab and Cloudmate will create in terms of the concept "cloud native."

 

 

Cloudmate offers a range of full-stack Managed Service Provider (MSP) services, including configuring cloud-based environments for generative AI and Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), DevOps, and supporting transitions to cloud native frameworks such as application modernization for clients in various fields such as large corporations, e-commerce, and game companies. It is also currently a Silver member of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

 

AhnLab aims to create technological synergies by integrating Cloudmate’s cloud native expertise into AhnLab's security framework-based cloud environment configuration and operating capabilities. AhnLab is also anticipating business synergy effects by employing Cloudmate as a basis to provide cloud environments optimized to the needs of various clients.

 

About the acquisition, the representatives of each company expressed their expectations as follows:

 

AhnLab CEO, Suk-Kyoon Kang

"With the recent emergence of new technologies such as generative AI, both high utility and robust security are becoming important for organizations that have adopted the cloud environment. Through this acquisition, AhnLab will provide better services to allow its clients to safely utilize cloud native."

 

Cloudmate CEO, Chang-Gyu Goh

"Becoming one with Korea's top integrated security specialist AhnLab, we anticipate growing together going forward, providing cloud management services with maximized utility and security."

 

The following Q&A format will let you know more about Cloudmate.

 

#1. How would you describe Cloudmate?

Cloudmate is a cloud specialist partner that provides various services corresponding to the cloud native concept, from implementing cloud to operating cloud environments. It provides various cloud service portfolios needed by clients such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, DataDog, and NetApp.

 

Beginning with offering technical support and managed services in 2018, Cloudmate expanded its service coverage by providing various solutions from 2019. It further cemented its cloud native capabilities after configuring Google Cloud Anthos for the LG Electronics Production engineering Research Institute in 2020. While pushing for the cloud native concept, Cloudmate did not form teams for each cloud service provider (CSP), but based on work characteristics and technical domains.

 

Cloudmate grew together with its clients based on its initial vision of providing its experiences to clients and developing upon them. Currently, based on the slogan "Make clouds truly cloud-like," it is focusing on areas such as application modernization, hybrid cloud, and AI.

 

#2. What is the meaning of Cloudmate's vision "Make clouds truly cloud-like?"

As the cloud market matured, the biggest question asked by clients is the following: "So what changed from on-premise environments with the implementation of cloud environments?" This is because until just a few years ago, the client focus on the cloud business was Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)-based rehosting migration. However, the migration method where on-premise environments were simply moved to the cloud without any changes to the applications was faced with limitations. As such, Cloudmate let its clients to more effectively utilize cloud environments based on the "cloud native" concept defined by CNCF.

 

CNCF defines cloud native as "Allowing expandable applications to be built and executed in a modern and dynamic environment, letting users utilize the benefits of cloud computing to the fullest. This technology was designed from its early stages to be able to utilize the features and functions of cloud computing, containers, service mesh, microservices, and unchanging infrastructures.”

 

The above definition encompasses a very wide range of details. Cloudmate sought to deliver the concept of cloud native in a way that clients could easily understand and came up with the vision "Make clouds truly cloud-like." It would be explained as "designing the infrastructure to fit the services and utilizing cloud environments to configure services that allow quick and flexible responses." Various external elements such as the client's major business areas and organizational structure play a part as well.

 

#3. What kind of approach does Cloudmate have to the concept of cloud native?

Traditionally, many companies prioritized infrastructures in cloud implementation and migration, giving less attention to applications. Thus, there tended to be database and service issues arising after implementation.

 

Unlike past approach methods, Cloudmate's method prioritizes applications and designs infrastructures at the last stage. Flexibility in business can only be assured when applications are prioritized in consideration of the client's environment and implement infrastructures accordingly. However, many clients are too fixated with certain technical keywords and unfortunately digress from the essence of the business. Cloud native is a means for clients' businesses to succeed. If it becomes a goal in itself, the likelihood of failure in the end becomes high. Cloudmate is actively working to correct these misconceptions.

 

Many assume that going cloud native means using Kubernetes. However, being cloud native does not always require adopting a Microservices Architecture (MSA). Often, monolithic approaches reap faster results. Even after converting to containers, it may be more efficient to use dockers for simple services. Cloudmate always strives to find methods of maximizing cloud utility for clients who are suffering from a lack of resources such as time, budget, and human resources and allow them to respond quickly to the market speed.

 

#4. What solutions does Cloudmate provide based on the cloud native approach method?

The key service offered by Cloudmate is application modernization. This service is for building cloud native while considering both applications and infrastructures in terms of accelerating business for clients.

 

A first priority task of application modernization is determining whether the client application is "greenfield" or "brownfield." Greenfield means an application developed from scratch without a legacy code for a completely new environment. Brownfield refers to the development and distribution of new software with a legacy code.

 

The main purpose of greenfields is to launch a new service. Thus, using Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provided by CSP for infrastructure, OS, middleware, and runtime to launch service quickly will allow clients' goals to be achieved efficiently. Greenfield clients are often composed mainly of developers. Hence the use of PaaS is recommended because their focus must be placed on quickly launching and updating the service instead of spending time on managing infrastructures.

 

On the other hand, brownfield clients are often mature organizations that aim to modernize services that are currently ongoing without many issues. Realistically, their cases tend to require implementing hybrid or multi-cloud environments.  In such cases, solutions such as Google Cloud's GKE Enterprise or Azure's Arc are used. Because these projects require advanced technologies such as service mesh and chaos engineering, they require many resources and the project duration becomes longer in comparison to that of Greenfields.

 

Cloudmate determines whether client applications are greenfields or brownfields by checking applications and infrastructures, providing optimum solutions for the ultimate goal of application modernization.

 

#5. What is a distinguishing factor of Cloudmate? Please explain through major cases of implementation.

LG Electronics Production Engineering Research Institute developed MAVIN-Cloud, an AI quality inspection platform using machine learning technology for production and manufacturing lines. By integrating the AI quality inspection process globally, the institute is playing a leading role in the digital transformation process for production sites.

 

It was the first case using Google Cloud Anthos in Korea and was implemented alongside with open-source programs such as Kafka and Envoy. The platform was built to distribute main services to the equipment in the client's factories and controlled from the Google Cloud Console and was designed to be expanded to factory equipment in Korea or abroad (bare metal or vSphere environments).

 

There was an application design issue at the early stage of the project, so a consultation service was provided to resolve the issue before implementation. Anthos was an early version at the time, so a feature update request was sent to Google Cloud. Google Cloud responded quickly and the case could be wrapped up without further issues. Afterward, an update was implemented to improve operational convenience, and the services are continuing to expand.

 

LG Electronics accomplished stable service distribution and operation management through this case and expanded the implementation to more production sites. As a result, errors in fault checks decreased by 95% and the factory was chosen as the 2022 Lighthouse Factory by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Currently, LG implemented generative AI and is expanding its services to allow quick and intuitive viewing and analysis of notification information such as alert history, remedy status, data trend lookup, etc. based on conversational questions and answers.

 

#6. What are the status and limitations in the Korean market for cloud native?

In Korea, there is a reluctance to adopt PaaS, often cited as having many limitations. However, internationally, enterprise-level financial sectors have utilized PaaS architectures, operating environments that can respond quickly even with frequent updates. IaaS-oriented architectures are still preferred in Korea and as a result, developers end up needing to take care of operating infrastructures. Even when one considers developers' wages, having them spend their time on infrastructure operations instead of concentrating on development is a considerable waste of money. Although some might claim PaaS is expensive, the opportunity cost of inefficiency that arises due to selecting IaaS is not actually being considered.

 

Also, there are cases where customers are fixated on the term cloud native and seek to convert services that are not complex to MSA in preparation for the future. Then they implement Kubernetes at this stage which results in high learning costs, eventually giving up on the conversion process.

 

Here is the first point that companies need to consider: do they need container orchestration or not? Also, they must understand that a significant amount of time is needed when attempting application modernization. Examining the most prominent case of Netflix shows that it took the company roughly 7 years to modernize the application. Thus, application modernization should not be thought of as ordinary migration. The starting point for companies should be whether their services are implemented in ways that fit their business models.

 

#7. What synergies can be anticipated following AhnLab's acquisition and the values that it can provide to your clients?

Until now, Cloudmate was not dependent on any certain CSP and built services in a cloud native manner according to clients' businesses. With AhnLab's acquisition, the company is expected to create cloud native environments that are safer and freer.

 

While CSPs are improving and launching security services, there are cases where they are not suitable for the Korean environment or need additional security measures. Also, although there are many cloud partner companies in Korea, there are not many that have the capabilities to properly run CSP security services. From a cloud security perspective, AhnLab has unmatched levels of experience and expertise in comparison to major MSPs.

 

By combining AhnLab's competence in cloud security and Cloudmate's cloud native capabilities, it would be possible to provide effective solutions for clients who feel the services offered are inadequate when using cloud services. With the acquisition, our clients will be able to concentrate on their business scopes while enjoying a safer cloud environment. Cloudmate will be able to develop various solutions and provide premium cloud capabilities with AhnLab-Cloudmate solutions, going beyond simply offering CSP infrastructures.