The Future of Cloud-Native Networking and Security

Cisco acquired Isovalent in 2024, bringing together some of the most influential technologies in the cloud-native ecosystem. Isovalent is best known for its contributions to the open-source projects eBPF, Cilium, and Tetragon, all of which have become key building blocks of modern cloud-native infrastructures.

At the core of Isovalent’s portfolio is Cilium, an advanced Kubernetes networking solution powered by eBPF. By operating directly within the Linux kernel, eBPF enables high-performance networking and security capabilities without requiring additional infrastructure components.

Key Benefits of Isovalent

• Unified networking architecture across data center, cloud, and Kubernetes environments
• Higher performance through eBPF-based processing in the Linux kernel
• Simplified management of hybrid and multi-cloud environments
• Enhanced visibility and observability across networks and workloads
• Scalability for modern AI and containerized workloads
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Ready to learn more? Dive deeper into Isovalent.

What Is Tetragon?

Tetragon is Isovalent’s security and runtime observability solution. Built on eBPF, it provides deep visibility into processes, containers, and workloads directly at the operating system level, enabling real-time threat detection and analysis.

Unlike traditional security tools, Tetragon operates directly within the Linux kernel, allowing organizations to monitor process execution, file activity, and network connections with minimal impact on application performance.

Key Benefits of Tetragon

• Real-time threat detection and response
• Deep kernel-level visibility
• Protection for Kubernetes and cloud-native workloads
• Support for modern Zero Trust security strategies
• Reduced security tool sprawl through integrated capabilities
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Ready for a deeper dive? Explore Tetragon in more detail.

Why Are Isovalent and Tetragon Relevant for AI?

Artificial Intelligence and Large Language Models (LLMs) require highly scalable Kubernetes environments capable of supporting thousands of nodes. This is where Isovalent and Tetragon deliver significant value, as both technologies were designed specifically for large-scale cloud-native environments.

Combined with Cisco Nexus, Cilium, and Tetragon, organizations can build a powerful platform for:

• AI training and inference workloads
• Secure multi-tenant environments
• High-performance GPU networking
• Unified observability and security
• Automated, policy-driven network management

Less Complexity, More Security

Many organizations struggle with a growing number of tools for networking, security, service mesh, monitoring, and compliance. With Isovalent and Tetragon, Cisco aims to reduce this complexity by bringing networking, security, and observability together on a unified platform.

As a result, organizations can lower operational costs, improve visibility across their environments, and simplify the management of modern IT infrastructures.

With the integration of Isovalent and Tetragon, Cisco has further strengthened its position in cloud-native networking and security. The combination of eBPF, Cilium, and Tetragon provides a powerful foundation for Kubernetes, multi-cloud, and AI-driven environments. Organizations benefit from enhanced security, greater visibility, and simplified operations across their modern digital infrastructure.