Startup Solo.io Inc. today introduced Gloo Mesh Enterprise, a service mesh management platform that promises to simplify networking tasks in enterprise software container environments.

The term “service mesh” refers to a category of tools that enterprises are increasingly adopting in their container environments. The typical containerized application comprises a set of loosely-connected components, called microservices, that need a way to communicate with each other to coordinate their work. A service mesh provides the networking layer that facilitates communications among microservices.

The technology is receiving significant industry attention, from Solo.io and other players, because it has the potential to simplify operations greatly. Normally, if a given application consists of 100 microservices, developers have to build networking components into all 100 microservices to facilitate communications. A service mesh makes it possible to replace all those moving parts with a single, centralized networking layer that’s much easier to work with.

But the technology doesn’t take out all the complexity out of container networking. That’s the challenge Solo.io’s new Gloo Mesh Enterprise platform is aimed at addressing.

Gloo Mesh Enterprise allows enterprises with multiple service mesh deployments to manage all of them all centrally. Administrators can define rules for how data traffic should be routed among microservices. Additionally, they have access to a number of other features designed to ease maintenance.

Gloo Mesh Enterprise includes a centralized dashboard that allows administrators to monitor their service mesh deployments in one place. The dashboard shows how each service mesh is configured, tracks system health and automatically updates the displayed information when new components are added to a deployment.

Beyond infrastructure visibility, Global Mesh Enterprise provides controls that administrators can use to regulate user access in situations when a service mesh is shared by multiple teams. Developers, in turn, have access to tools they can use to extend the capabilities of their company’s service mesh with custom modules. 

The platform also includes what Solo.io refers to as production Istio support. Istio is an open-source service mesh implementation that is usually the go-to choice for enterprises looking to adopt service mesh technology. Solo.io will provide software maintenance, patches, hotfixes and other support for Istio to reduce the amount of work involved in customers’ day-to-day network operations.

Global Mesh Enterprise incorporates several of Solo.io’s existing products and open-source tools for container environments. “Awareness (or hype) of service mesh is now at an all time high!” Solo.io Chief Executive Officer Idit Levine (pictured) explained in a blog post today. “The time felt right to bring together our previously distinct products into a unified message and integrated suite.”

Solo.io has raised more than $36 million from investors that included Redpoint and True Ventures. The startup expects to make a beta version of Gloo Mesh Enterprise available by year’s end.

Photo: SiliconANGLE