F5 Distributed Cloud Services to Connect and Secure Multi-Cloud OpenShift Workloads

This article serves as an update to a previous post, reflecting the latest information and updates in the "OpenShift Anywhere with F5 Distributed Cloud" video series.

Introduction

Creating and managing an OpenShift environment can be complex. To help customers reduce this complexity and focus on their applications, Red Hat has partnered with key cloud providers to offer fully managed container environment services such as Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (ROSA) and Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO).

In previous blogs, we covered how F5 technologies (BIG-IP Container Ingress Service (CIS)  and NGINX Ingress Controller) can be integrated into ROSA and ARO service offerings: 

• Deploying NGINX Ingress Controller with OpenShift on AWS Managed Service: ROSA
• Running F5 with managed Azure RedHat OpenShift

Now, let's delve into F5 Distributed Cloud Platform, a SaaS-based solution for multi-cloud OpenShift services, and explore its ability to address two main challenges: connecting and securing applications for Multi-Cloud OpenShift clusters.

Challenge 1: Connecting Apps for Multi-Cloud OpenShift Clusters

Multi-cloud OpenShift clusters present several challenges when it comes to connecting applications:

• Administrative overhead: Managing multiple cloud environments can be time-consuming and complex.
• Full networking stack: Implementing a complete networking stack across different cloud providers can be difficult.
• Advanced network routing: Ensuring optimal routing of traffic between different cloud environments requires sophisticated solutions.
• Inconsistency across providers: Different cloud providers may have varying capabilities, making it hard to maintain a consistent environment.

F5 Distributed Cloud Mesh for OpenShift

By utilizing F5 Distributed Cloud Mesh as an ingress and egress gateway for OpenShift, we can discover services and make OpenShift services available in any location, whether it's Public Clouds, Private Clouds, or the edge. This approach helps overcome the challenges of connecting apps in multi-cloud OpenShift clusters.

Challenge 2: Securing Apps for Multi-Cloud OpenShift Clusters

Multi-cloud adoption presents a couple of challenges when it comes to securing applications:

1. Ensuring applications are protected regardless of where they are deployed becomes increasingly difficult. With disparate toolsets used by each cloud provider to monitor, secure, and manage applications and workloads, it is challenging to find a solution effective at handling all app security demands.
2. The multi-cloud approach leads to a significant increase in attack surface. Failing to modernize app security results in increased risk, as attackers have more options to target modern apps, such as corrupted app code, APIs, growing user bases, exposed infrastructure, and data.

Securing Multi-Cloud OpenShift Clusters with F5 Distributed Cloud Platform

F5 Distributed Cloud Platform is designed to secure multiple OpenShift clusters by providing features such as:

• Network policies (L3/4)
• Services policies (L7)
• Web Application and API Protection (WAAP)

This approach results in unified Multi-Cloud Networking with consistent networking policies, application security, and network security. By reducing complexity and offering common standards for IT professionals to manage, F5 Distributed Cloud Services effectively addresses the security challenges associated with multi-cloud OpenShift clusters.

F5 Distributed Cloud WAAP delivers a SaaS-based solution for app security, covering each application attack surface, including WAF, Bot and fraud mitigation, application-based DoS mitigation, and API protection. This ensures a comprehensive and unified security policy across your multi-cloud OpenShift environment.

OpenShift Anywhere with F5 Distributed Cloud Video Series

To help users explore and embrace this new Distributed Cloud model for multi-cloud OpenShift services, we have created a series of how-to videos called "OpenShift Anywhere with F5 Distributed Cloud." The series includes the following episodes:

1. Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) with F5 Distributed Cloud
2. Red Hat OpenShift on AWS (ROSA) with F5 Distributed Cloud
3. Deploying, Managing, and Enforcing Security Policies with F5 Distributed Cloud for Multi-Cloud OpenShift Clusters

Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) with F5 Distributed Cloud

Red Hat OpenShift on AWS (ROSA) with F5 Distributed Cloud

F5 Distributed Cloud to Secure Multi-Cloud OpenShift Services

 

Upcoming Videos in the OpenShift Anywhere Series

In addition to the initial episodes of the "OpenShift Anywhere with F5 Distributed Cloud" video series, we are continuously working on creating more informative and practical content to help users further explore and embrace the Distributed Cloud model for multi-cloud OpenShift services.

Stay tuned for upcoming videos that will cover advanced topics, best practices, and real-world use cases to ensure you get the most out of F5 Distributed Cloud Platform in your multi-cloud OpenShift environment.