Enterprises are doubling down on hybrid, multicloud as their operating model of choice. This shift unlocks the flexibility to leverage the best of public and private clouds—but it’s no free lunch. The complexity of hybrid multicloud renders traditional application delivery paradigms ineffective. The old approaches, patched together to solve yesterday’s problems, now exacerbate them in ways that can no longer be ignored.
The rules for application delivery in the AI era are being rewritten—and they start by addressing complexity head-on.
Why current application delivery approaches fall short
The tangled web of legacy application delivery strategies and siloed approaches creates challenges so universal they’ve become the status quo. Here’s the reality of today’s hybrid, multicloud world:
- Too many point solutions: Every problem gets its own tool, and none of them talk to each other.
- Multiple management consoles: Fragmented interfaces lead to operational headaches.
- Policy inconsistency nightmares: Policies differ across environments, creating gaps in security and governance.
- Manual complexity: Over-reliance on human intervention slows everything down.
- Lack of interoperability: Siloed systems create a Tower of Babel effect.
- Incomplete observability: Monitoring tools live in isolation, leaving visibility gaps across the delivery chain.
These challenges are so widespread they’ve been codified in "The Application Delivery Top 10." Tackling these issues demands a new playbook.
Six key principles of modern application delivery
The next generation of Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs) isn’t about incremental improvements—it’s about resetting the foundation. These six principles don’t just address the challenges; they cancel out complexity at its core.
Each of the six key principles of the next generation of application delivery solve multiple challenges in the Application Delivery Top 10 list.
1. Complete security and delivery for every application
Hybrid, multicloud environments demand end-to-end security baked into every aspect of delivery. Modern ADCs integrate security at every layer, protecting applications against modern threats while ensuring smooth delivery.
- Policy inconsistency nightmares: Unified security ensures policies are consistent across all environments.
- Incomplete observability: Integrated security provides insights into application performance and potential vulnerabilities.
- Too many point solutions: Combining security and delivery eliminates the need for separate tools.
Example: An ADC with built-in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, web application firewall (WAF), and API security ensures that apps are secure and efficiently delivered—everywhere.
2. Deployed in any form factor
Hybrid multicloud demands flexibility. ADCs must operate seamlessly across hardware, software, containers, and cloud-native environments. This adaptability reduces silos and aligns with dynamic strategies.
- Multiple management consoles: Unified form factors reduce the need for disparate tools.
- Lack of interoperability: ADCs compatible with diverse environments eliminate friction.
- Manual complexity: Consistency across deployments streamlines management.
Example: A containerized ADC deployed in Kubernetes clusters ensures consistent app delivery across on-prem and cloud setups without extra overhead.
3. Single policy and consistent control
Consistent controls eliminate policy fragmentation and simplify governance. A consistent management interface provides a reliable, familiar way to manage multiple points of control.
- Policy inconsistency nightmares: Consistent policy management ensures alignment across all clouds.
- Manual complexity: Familiar tools and APIs reduce configuration errors and speed up operations.
- Too many point solutions: A single interface for controls minimizes the need for disparate tools.
Example: A consistent interface for traffic policies, security rules, and analytics empowers teams to deliver applications faster and more securely with tools and APIs they already know. This isn’t the old “single pane of glass” vision; it’s about achieving consistency in controls, policies, and APIs across every environment.
4. Provides rich analytics and insights
Visibility is non-negotiable in hybrid, multicloud. Advanced analytics offer real-time insights into performance, user experience, and security.
- Incomplete observability: Centralized analytics fill visibility gaps across environments.
- Policy inconsistency nightmares: Analytics identify and address policy enforcement gaps.
- Manual complexity: Automated insights streamline troubleshooting and decision-making.
Example: An ADC with real-time dashboards reveals traffic patterns, app performance, and potential security threats in near-real time while insights provide potential actions to mitigate issues before they become problems.
5. Fully programmable data planes
Programmable ADCs allow for deep customization, from traffic handling to security policies. This flexibility is essential for modern hybrid workloads.
- Too many point solutions: Programmable data planes consolidate functionality into one platform.
- Lack of interoperability: Customization ensures compatibility across diverse systems.
- Manual complexity: Automation of repetitive tasks reduces operational effort.
Example: Custom routing logic for AI-driven workloads optimizes delivery without additional infrastructure.
6. Includes full-lifecycle automation
Automation is the antidote to manual complexity. From deployment to scaling, automation simplifies application delivery across distributed environments.
- Manual complexity: Automation eliminates human error and accelerates processes.
- Policy inconsistency nightmares: Automated enforcement ensures compliance everywhere.
- Incomplete observability: Continuous monitoring and automated responses close the loop.
Example: Automatically provisioning ADCs during app deployment speeds up delivery and reduces admin workload.
Welcome to the ADC 3.0 era
This is more than a new chapter; it’s a new era. ADC 3.0 redefines how applications are delivered in a hybrid, multicloud world. These six principles provide the roadmap to solving the complexity, inconsistency, and inefficiency that have plagued application delivery for too long.
Piecemeal strategies won’t cut it anymore. Enterprises need a unified, future-proof approach that simplifies operations, enhances security, and ensures consistent delivery across any environment. The rules have changed. It’s time to adapt.
About the Author
Related Blog Posts
At the Intersection of Operational Data and Generative AI
Help your organization understand the impact of generative AI (GenAI) on its operational data practices, and learn how to better align GenAI technology adoption timelines with existing budgets, practices, and cultures.
Using AI for IT Automation Security
Learn how artificial intelligence and machine learning aid in mitigating cybersecurity threats to your IT automation processes.
The Commodification of Cloud
Public cloud is no longer the bright new shiny toy, but it paved the way for XaaS, Edge, and a new cycle of innovation.
Most Exciting Tech Trend in 2022: IT/OT Convergence
The line between operation and digital systems continues to blur as homes and businesses increase their reliance on connected devices, accelerating the convergence of IT and OT. While this trend of integration brings excitement, it also presents its own challenges and concerns to be considered.
Adaptive Applications are Data-Driven
There's a big difference between knowing something's wrong and knowing what to do about it. Only after monitoring the right elements can we discern the health of a user experience, deriving from the analysis of those measurements the relationships and patterns that can be inferred. Ultimately, the automation that will give rise to truly adaptive applications is based on measurements and our understanding of them.
Inserting App Services into Shifting App Architectures
Application architectures have evolved several times since the early days of computing, and it is no longer optimal to rely solely on a single, known data path to insert application services. Furthermore, because many of the emerging data paths are not as suitable for a proxy-based platform, we must look to the other potential points of insertion possible to scale and secure modern applications.