Google Anthos Updates: Logging, Windows Containers & More

Google Enhances Anthos Multicloud Platform with New Features

Google has recently unveiled a significant update to its Anthos multicloud platform. This advancement empowers users to construct, deploy, and administer containerized applications across diverse environments, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and, currently in preview, Microsoft Azure.

Key Improvements in Version 1.7

The latest version, 1.7, introduces several enhancements. These include refined metrics and logging capabilities for Anthos on AWS, alongside a new Connect gateway. This gateway facilitates interaction with any cluster directly from the Google Cloud environment.

Furthermore, a preview of Google’s fully managed control plane for Anthos Service Mesh is now available. Additional features encompass support for Windows containers within environments utilizing VMware’s vSphere platform.

Developers will also benefit from new tools designed to streamline the deployment of their applications to any Anthos cluster.

A Two-Year Evolution

This update arrives almost two years following the initial announcement of Anthos by Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the Cloud Next event in 2019. Prior to this, the project was known as the “Google Cloud Services Platform” and launched three years ago.

Hybrid and multicloud strategies are central to Google Cloud’s roadmap, potentially even more so than for its competitors. Recently, Jeff Reed, an industry expert, joined Google as the VP of Product Management overseeing Anthos.

Strategic Positioning and Market Dynamics

Reed expressed his belief that current market conditions are highly favorable for Anthos. “Current trends are working in our favor. Our investments in Kubernetes and containers have proven to be sound decisions,” he stated.

He observed a growing trend of customers expanding their Kubernetes deployments and needing a consistent platform for scaling clusters and deploying them across different environments.

Reed also highlighted that these factors are primary determinants in a company’s consideration of Anthos.

Differentiating Google’s Approach

While acknowledging the presence of other competitors in the market, Reed emphasized the unique nature of Google Cloud’s approach. “We stand out due to our cloud-native origins; it’s fundamental to our core strategy,” he explained.

“A key aspect of Anthos 1.7 is leveraging the power of the cloud and utilizing what we term an ‘anchor in the cloud’ to simplify operations. We function more like a cloud provider, but our support for on-premise solutions sets us apart from others.”

He referenced IBM/Red Hat’s OpenShift and VMware’s Tanzu as examples of alternative solutions.

Supporting Enterprise Modernization

The inclusion of Windows container support for vSphere environments underscores the fact that many Anthos customers are traditional enterprises undergoing infrastructure modernization.

These organizations often rely on legacy applications that they are now seeking to migrate to the cloud.

Future Integrations and Apigee

Looking forward, further integration with a broader spectrum of Google Cloud products within Anthos is anticipated. More Google Cloud teams are now building their products directly on top of Anthos.

This, in turn, simplifies the delivery of these services to Anthos-managed environments. Apigee is one of the first internal services to operate on Anthos.

“An Apigee deployment now inherently benefits from Anthos’ underlying container environment, scalability, and related features. We’ve streamlined the entire environment to function as a cohesive stack,” Reed clarified.

Further announcements regarding these developments are expected at Google Cloud Next 2021.