Solo.io, a service mesh company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, revealed significant advancements to its strategy today with the introduction of a comprehensive platform of services specifically designed for enterprise-level operations. This development will culminate in the release of Gloo Mesh Enterprise, a new offering slated for beta availability before the year’s end.

Service meshes are an integral component of modern, cloud native development practices utilizing containers, facilitating communication between microservices.

Idit Levine, founder and CEO of Solo, explains that the company initially focused on developing individual components upon its launch in 2017, recognizing that the market wasn't yet fully prepared for service meshes. Today’s announcement signifies the integration of these components into a unified, interconnected product tailored for enterprise needs.

Despite initial concerns regarding the potential impact of the pandemic on business operations, Levine reports that the company experienced increased activity and that today’s announcement reflects a response to customer requests received throughout the past year.

The majority of Solo’s clientele utilize Kubernetes and identified certain essential functionalities that Solo has addressed. The initial challenge that prompted the company’s founding centered around service mesh management, and Gloo Mesh, built upon the open-source Istio service mesh, assists developers in managing their service mesh clusters.

Another key area addressed involves the deployment of containers at the network edge, necessitating an API gateway. In response, the company unveiled Gloo Edge, an API gateway constructed using the Envoy Proxy, a dedicated edge service proxy. Deploying applications at the edge allows them to access necessary resources, enhancing performance and reducing bandwidth consumption.

A third component is Gloo Portal, which delivers a centralized, self-service directory of services that developers can utilize during application development. The final element is Gloo Extensions, providing developers with the capability to access or create extensions in the form of web assembly modules.

These components are all accessible as open-source projects; however, organizations seeking enhanced functionality, dedicated support, and a unified integration of these elements will require the enterprise product. Additional features within the enterprise version include the ability to assign roles to APIs within Gloo Edge, controlling access permissions. Gloo Mesh users benefit from production-level Istio support, encompassing updates and security patches, as well as a dashboard for cluster management and developer tools for constructing web assembly components within Gloo Extension.

According to PitchBook data, the company has secured over $36 million in funding, with the most recent round totaling $23 million in September. Levine states that the startup currently serves several large customers and employs 35 individuals, with active recruitment efforts underway to reach a team of 50.