The new AppOrbit capabilities include AppSwitch, which facilitates virtualized networking very close to the application and is fully programmable.

San Jose-based AppOrbit has announced the 2.0 version of their modern application platform. It fleshes out the original platform with four components, which have been part and parcel of AppOrbit’s vision. The central one is the Application Capsule framework, which facilitates the tightly coupled integration and virtualization of compute, data, network, and security. AppSwitch, which the company touts as the networking stack of the future, adds virtualized zero-touch controller-less network programmability. AppPorter is an automated modernization capability that provides additional applications and security capabilities. AppVizor adds additional hybrid cloud management and security capabilities.

AppOrbit was formed in 2014 with founders who had a strong VMware pedigree, and was funded by Kleiner Perkins and Costanoa Ventures. They emerged from stealth in 2017 with the 1.0 version of their container-based platform.

“VMware did a great job of virtualizing the infrastructure,” said Rahul Ravulur, AppOrbit’s CEO. “We believed that what we could do to extend that was build a modern end-to-end application platform – that would be application driven, on a highly available infrastructure, and can run on any cloud infrastructure. We have a comprehensive, software-defined storage platform that handles data management – and now with 2.0, application-defined network and security as well.”

AppOrbit allows Kubernetes to be deployed and managed on any cloud platform, with the key value-add being the ability to modernize legacy enterprise apps with the containers.

“While having a good modern app package is great for new applications, customers also have investments in old ones as well,” Ravulur said. “Our AppPorter analyzes these applications and modernizes them into a new container. It provides different building blocks that you can synthesize together to make modern applications.”

In addition to developing the product, AppOrbit has developed a select channel as well, mainly large global systems integrators, but also some VARs. They have about a dozen partners in all. The SI partners include Wipro, Capgemini, KPIT, Ericsson, and UST Global. The VARs include RKMC Management Consultants, Augusta Software, Agitare Technologies and Hostway Cloud Hosting.

“We offer a very strong value proposition for large enterprises, and these large systems integrators have relationships with them,” Ravulur said. “Our global SIs are taking us to some of these larger customers. AppOrbit provides a programmatic way to address the long tail of applications that need to be modernized, and brings their investments into the new world.”

AppOrbit 2.0 greatly extends the original platform. Adding networking and security capabilities allows each application to be encapsulated in a secure, independent Application Capsule, with tightly coupled integration and virtualization of compute, data, network, and security containers.

“Initially, we had binaries and a data platform, but we have enhanced that with networking and security capabilities as well,” Ravulur said. “You get to define all of these. You can define what components can talk to components, determine network policies, and  pull them all together in a programmatic way.”

AppSwitch provides the ability to define the networking and security policies.

“AppSwitch is a new technology we have developed that moves the networking very close to the application,” Ravulur said. “Traditionally in networking, everything has been done at the infrastructure layer. Now, without any overlays, you get superior performance, and you can now have all kind of policies being enforced.”

AppPorter provides the portability for the enterprise applications, and automates the whole process.

“It lets you import the applications and modernize them with reusable artifacts,” Ravulur said. “It’s completely air-gapped for security, and has a very simple installation process, that allows a partner to easily onboard the applications.”

“AppPorter gives the channel a tool that automates the whole function, instead of having to do it by hand,” said David Morris, AppOrbit’s VP of Marketing. “That gives you a big leg up when you have 20,000 to 30,000 application servers that you need to move.”

While the AppVizor applications management capability has been announced, it is scheduled for availability in Q3.