Greymatter.io: Pioneering Zero Trust and Service Connectivity - A Year of Reflection and Vision

Welcome to 2024.

As we start moving full speed ahead for the year, I wanted to take a few minutes to say thanks to the Greymatter.io community, reflect on an amazing 2023, and share my vision for what is next. Here are my take on trends:

Zero Trust Implementations are on the Rise

2023 was about Zero Trust Implementations. In fact, our Gartner analysts have told us it’s one of their highest requested call topics. CIOs, CTOs, CISOs are tired and done with security issues and are confused about which frameworks are necessary to gain control. We live this every day with our customers.? We are proud to support some of the most mission critical operators in the world. In our world a data leak doesn’t just mean your credit cards have been compromised.

In the realm of information security, the rapid adoption of zero trust strategies has been a game-changer; significantly reshaping IT strategies and designs for most organizations. The? Gartner Hype Cycle? for Zero Trust Networking 2023 offers invaluable guidance to I&O leaders, about technologies capable of seamlessly integrating zero trust principles into their networks.

In 2023, we demonstrated that zero-trust implementations include the service connectivity layer (SCL). A great deal of investment has been made to secure the perimeter. But as I explain to folks all the time - and it resonates incredibly well - you have applications, APIs, and microservices that reside inside the ‘hard candy shell’ and that area remains wide open to vulnerabilities.

As organizations prioritize zero trust networking in 2024 and beyond, infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders and platform engineering teams find themselves at the forefront, entrusted with the task of implementing key aspects of zero trust that Gartner’s Andrew Lerner outlines as:

1. Access to the network is granted only after identity is authenticated and authorized.
2. Network access is restricted only to necessary applications, APIs, and data within an enterprise.
3. Network access is continuously adjusted in near real-time, derived from identity and context.
4. A zero-trust policy decision point (PDP) must be able to use a variety of signals to make decisions.
5. A zero-trust implementation should include multiple policy enforcement points (PEPs) placed as close to the resource being accessed as possible.

Amidst the noise of zero trust discussions, it becomes imperative to distinguish substantive practices from mere marketing hype. Zero trust isn't a single, isolated technology or endpoint; instead, it represents a transformative mindset that guides the development of strategies and the implementation of specific architectures and technologies.

To that end, we're advancing our platform's security, focusing on microservices, multi-tenancy, and diverse environments. Our transformative approach replaces traditional implicit trust with dynamic and continuous assessments of risk and trust levels, firmly anchored in identity and context. We intend to leverage our implementation of PEPs placed as close to the resources being accessed for more technical control and advanced visibility into your zero-trust efforts.? Expect indispensable features that foster collaboration between I&O leaders and peers to integrate zero trust into cloud and microservice architectures.

Managing the Service Connectivity Layer (SCL) is a Must Have

The service connectivity layer has emerged as a pivotal way for enterprises to optimize platform architecture, abstracting complexity and simplifying service connectivity using orchestration and automation.? An SCL augments your journey towards modern distributed applications that are composed of many APIs, microservices, and data services. Because an SCL platform is a superset of technologies and libraries that came before it such as service mesh, application proxies, and pipeline automation it will decrease an enterprise’s cycle time, increase your productivity and delivery to market, and improve your operational simplicity.? Essentially it helps you deliver new software and capabilities to your customers faster and more securely.

This past year has been a landmark period for us, characterized by major advancements in multi-cloud service connectivity, control, security, and visibility. Here's a summary of our key accomplishments:

• We revolutionized management across various cloud environments and clusters by implementing a "single pane of glass" approach through our mesh connections feature. This unified interface greatly simplifies an administrator's view into multi-cluster cross cloud applications, ensuring seamless and efficient management.
• Our new project automation pipeline introduced over 100 defaults for control, security, and visibility, significantly streamlining the setup, maintenance, and on-boarding of your systems. This development not only bolsters enterprise managed security and control but also enhances the accessibility and user-friendliness of our platform.
• An integral part of our automation pipeline, these defaults ensure comprehensive health and metrics coverage for all connected resources. This feature guarantees continuous monitoring of your system's performance and health, enabling proactive management and rapid resolution of issues with seamless integration to your existing APM, SIEM, and SOAR investments.
• We enable full compliance with NIST 207 & 207A zero-trust standards for all applications and APIs managed by the Greymatter platform. This achievement reflects our deep commitment to security and robust zero-trust implementation, providing you with a fortified and trustworthy system.

Grateful for the Confidence in Greymatter.io By Our Community

We earned recognition as a Listed Vendor in two recent Gartner? Hype Cycle? reports: the Gartner? Hype Cycle? for Zero Trust Networking and the Gartner? Hype Cycle? for Enterprise Networking. Greymatter.io aligns with Gartner's key adoption drivers, emphasizing secure connectivity, cloud service utilization, identity extension, and reducing networking complexities. As a result, Greymatter.io has been at the forefront of this technology shift, offering a ready-out-of-the-box solution for enterprise software development and delivery.?

Additionally, Greymatter.io was named a Leader and Outperformer in the GigaOm Radar Report for Service Mesh. This accomplishment is a testament to our commitment to rapid innovation and excellence in the service mesh technology domain and highlights our position as a key player in the industry, underscoring our dedication to delivering top-tier solutions.

One of the most exciting developments for Greymatter.io in 2023 was our inclusion in Tomorrow Street's SCALEUP X program with Vodafone. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering dedication to innovation, efficiency, and transformative potential. It opens up exciting opportunities for us to introduce Greymatter.io to a wider audience and showcases its capabilities to esteemed leaders and experts in the industry. We believe this partnership will play a pivotal role in redefining the future of technology and empowering businesses to thrive in the digital age.

I am incredibly humbled by the vote of confidence by our community, partners, and most importantly: our customers. In 2024, I am first and foremost focused on our customers. It’s our highest priority to ensure they are fully equipped for zero-trust implementations, multi-cloud complexity management, and delivering meaningful visibility to application and API workloads across an enterprise.

Thank you to our customers for your continued trust and support. And a huge thank you to my extended Greymatter.io family - our people, our investors, our partners - you make all the difference in what we do.?

With gratitude,

Chris Holmes

CEO

Greymatter.io?