Guest: Artem Andreev (LinkedIn)
Company: Mirantis (Twitter) 
Show: Let’s Talk

The latest release of Mirantis OpenStack for Kubernetes (MOSK) 24.3 offers a suite of enhanced features designed to streamline enterprise operations and support VMware migration. In this episode, Artem Andreev, Product Manager at Mirantis, discusses how this release draws on a decade of OpenStack expertise highlighting the new features like dynamic resource scheduling, advanced host OS management, and lifecycle improvements. Andreev also talks about the renewed interest in OpenStack following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and outlines Mirantis’ strategic direction moving forward.

Mirantis’ evolution in OpenStack and Kubernetes development

• Andreev shares the key insights into the latest release of MOSK version 24.3. Andreev explains how this release aims to meet market needs as OpenStack continues to evolve.
• Andreev outlines Mirantis’ history with OpenStack, beginning with their initial commercial deployments in 2012, emphasizing Mirantis’ consistent contributions to the open-source community and their efforts to advance OpenStack’s capabilities.
• Drawing from 12 years of production experience with large-scale clients, Mirantis has developed its third-generation OpenStack product, leveraging extensive field knowledge to optimize performance and user adaptability.
• Andreev teases a renewed focus on OpenStack community involvement, with Mirantis set to contribute new code and resources, signaling their continued commitment to shaping OpenStack’s future growth.

OpenStack’s maturity and shifting market perspectives

• Andreev describes OpenStack as a stable technology that has been widely commoditized, which has led to reduced market excitement but increased reliability for core enterprise needs in diverse industries.
• Interest in OpenStack has reignited due to Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, pushing enterprises to seek alternative solutions that offer more control and fewer licensing constraints.
• Andreev explains that Mirantis is actively supporting this renewed demand with tailored offerings that help companies move from VMware environments into OpenStack, adding new value to existing IT investments.

Why the VMware acquisition is driving interest in alternative technologies

• Andreev discusses market responses to Broadcom’s VMware acquisition and how enterprises are assessing OpenStack among other potential alternatives.
• Andreev notes mixed reactions in the market, as many customers are weighing OpenStack alongside other solutions, seeking to identify the best technology fit for specific organizational requirements.
• Rather than positioning OpenStack as a direct VMware replacement, Andreev emphasizes Mirantis’ approach of helping customers find optimal solutions based on functionality and long-term infrastructure goals.
• Andreev highlights the features that have been introduced in MOSK 24.3 that facilitate migration for organizations looking to shift from VMware, catering to the needs of enterprises seeking open, flexible alternatives.

New features in MOSK 24.3 for enhancing user migration support

• Andreev explains that while the primary focus of MOSK 24.3 is on performance and reliability, Mirantis has also added functionalities that make the transition for VMware users as smooth as possible.
• The release includes a dynamic resource scheduler designed to optimize load balancing across OpenStack resources, delivering functionality similar to VMware’s offerings and creating a seamless user experience.
• Mirantis is piloting this scheduler with select customers to refine its features and ensure it meets the operational demands of enterprises that require high resilience and scalability.
• Smaller features within MOSK 24.3 support VMware-to-OpenStack migration, helping enterprises take full advantage of OpenStack’s flexibility while retaining familiar functionalities from VMware.

How MOSK 24.3 is empowering operators with enhanced infrastructure control

• Andreev goes into detail about the advancements in MOSK 24.3 aimed at providing cloud operators with more granular control over their infrastructure in response to specific enterprise needs.
• Andreev shares how Mirantis has improved the host operating system management subsystem, simplifying the configuration process and allowing for extensive performance tuning that integrates with broader enterprise systems.
• The platform’s central Application Programming Interface (API) and connected Git repository ensure full transparency, enabling operators to track changes and exercise precise control over their cloud infrastructure, aligning with enterprise security standards.

Streamlining OpenStack’s complexity through Kubernetes integration

• Andreev explains that Mirantis deploys all OpenStack components within Kubernetes, transforming OpenStack’s historically complex architecture into a more manageable, Kubernetes-native setup.
• This integration allows for seamless, disruption-free updates that avoid traditional OpenStack maintenance challenges, improving efficiency and reducing downtime for end users across enterprise environments.
• Mirantis’ lifecycle management process ensures each update is rolled out quickly and securely, maintaining compliance and performance standards critical to large-scale organizations.
• Andreev emphasizes this managed update capability as a signature feature of MOSK, noting how it addresses past OpenStack pain points by enhancing ease of use and security.

How Mirantis is helping customers navigate historical OpenStack challenges

• Andreev discusses the early challenges associated with OpenStack, such as fragmentation and difficulty in managing upgrades and how Mirantis is leveraging Kubernetes expertise to solve these problems by creating a more cohesive infrastructure, bringing new stability and simplicity to OpenStack deployments.
• By integrating Kubernetes, Mirantis enables efficient upgrades and streamlined management, addressing previous OpenStack pain points and positioning the platform as a more attractive solution for enterprises.
• Andreev tells us that Mirantis is launching a new Kubernetes offering based on the k0s open-source project, which is expected to further improve operational efficiency and adaptability.

OpenStack’s relevance in today’s cloud landscape

• Andreev talks about OpenStack’s place in the market, highlighting that OpenStack’s open-source nature allows enterprises to retain full ownership and control of their infrastructure, providing a customizable alternative to public cloud solutions.
• The flexibility of OpenStack makes it suitable for various use cases, especially for on-premise environments where organizations need reliable, in-house cloud capabilities to support their data and applications.
• Andreev notes that Mirantis is advancing OpenStack to support high-demand use cases like AI and machine learning (ML), expanding its relevance in enterprise environments that prioritize specialized workloads.

Mirantis’ vision for future OpenStack contributions and innovations

• Andreev outlines how Mirantis plans to introduce further innovations aimed at simplifying and optimizing OpenStack for enterprise deployments.
• Andreev mentions that Mirantis will open-source the core of its MOSK product, enabling customers to deploy, adapt, and contribute back to the OpenStack community, creating a more collaborative development environment.
• Andreev believes that this open-source strategy encourages community-driven contributions, helping OpenStack evolve more quickly and align with emerging enterprise needs, while maintaining a strong focus on quality and security.
• Mirantis’ goal is to foster a thriving OpenStack ecosystem that encourages innovation and helps enterprises shape a cloud infrastructure that aligns with their unique requirements.

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.