VMblog:  Give us a sneak peak of StackRox at KubeCon 2019 - what's happening at the show for you this year?

StackRox:  Since StackRox provides the industry's only Kubernetes-native container security platform, we've really stepped up our presence at KubeCon 2019. We're excited to be a Platinum level sponsor, we've doubled our booth size, and we'll have a ton going on at Booth P23. Attendees will get to hear from some of our most innovative customers - how they're tapping into the power of Kubernetes to drive innovation in hybrid and multi-cloud deployments and how StackRox is providing them the peace of mind to move fast, securely. We're running theater presentations with customers, partners, and will have live demos running in our booth as well. Stop by our booth to learn more and enter into our Amazon gift card raffle. Spend some time with our RoxStar team to hear great insights on best practices for securing container and Kubernetes environments. Also, on Monday, November 18, in the evening after the co-located events at KubeCon conclude, we're hosting a Kubernetes Rooftop Happy Hour at Rustic Root in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego with a few of our technology partners. Please RSVP here.

VMblog:  If an attendee likes what they see and hear at your booth... what message about your product can you send them back with to sell their boss on your technology?

StackRox:  StackRox is the only Kubernetes-native container security platform that leverages Kubernetes' declarative data and built-in controls for richer context, native enforcement, and continuous hardening. Our focus on Kubernetes helps DevOps and Security teams operationalize security across the full container lifecycle - build, deploy, and runtime. As a result, our customers can enable security that's built in, not bolted on, realizing the power of security as code.

VMblog:  What are some of the reasons why you believe a KubeCon attendee should add you to their MUST SEE list?

StackRox:  Just as companies have adopted Kubernetes as the organizing principle of their infrastructure, they need that same Kubernetes focus in their security of that infrastructure. StackRox is unique in the industry in providing Kubernetes-native container security. What do we mean by that? We're the only security platform that secures and leverages Kubernetes as a central aspect of our architecture. For example, instead of relying on a separate inline proxy to enforce network policies, which often presents scalability and operational challenges, we leverage the controls inherent in Kubernetes for network segmentation. Our Kubernetes-native approach allows us to do some really cool things like providing our customers a stack ranked list of their riskiest deployments by leveraging all the contextual information that Kubernetes already has about our customers' environments to provide them with actionable insights.

VMblog:  You've sponsored KubeCon before.  What brings you back as a sponsor?

StackRox:  This is our second time sponsoring KubeCon, and the coolest thing about this show is that we can dive right in on the power of Kubernetes and everyone gets it. The developers, DevOps engineers, SREs, SecOps teams at this show quickly grok how the StackRox approach to securing the cloud-native stack lets them operationalize security in a DevOps world. We get to interact with organizations steeped in Kubernetes and who understand the power of tapping Kubernetes for network segmentation, admission controllers, multi-factor risk profiling, and runtime incident response to improve their security posture.

VMblog:  Can you give VMblog readers a sneak peek as to what you will be showing off at your booth?  What should attendees expect to see and hear at your booth?

StackRox:  We'll be showcasing how our deep integration with Kubernetes delivers the next generation in container security to address your most critical security needs: 

• Visibility - gain comprehensive visibility into images, registries, containers, deployments, and runtime behavior
• Vulnerability management - go beyond CVE scoring and image scanning to enforce full lifecycle vulnerability management, from build and deploy, to runtime
• Compliance - ensure adherence to CIS benchmarks for Kubernetes and Docker as well as NIST, PCI, and HIPAA
• Configuration management - apply configuration best practices to harden your Kubernetes and container environments from the very start
• Network segmentation - leverages native controls in Kubernetes to visualize your network topography and enforce network segmentation
• Risk profiling - stack-rank all of your deployments with risk factors that identifies riskiest deployments in need of immediate remediation
• Runtime threat detection and response - use a combination of rules, whitelists, and baselining to accurately detect and prevent suspicious/malicious activities with real-time policy enforcement and response

VMblog:  Thinking about your company, give readers a few reasons why your product or service is considered unique. 

StackRox:  While everyone understands that containers demanded a whole new approach to security, not everyone has yet realized that Kubernetes has created the need for a second wave of that innovation. The container itself is simply too limited a construct to orient around for security - you need a platform that's both container native AND Kubernetes native. Kubernetes offers unique advantages that, in turn, means StackRox offers unique security advantages: 

1. We provide rich context based on a broad set of data points pulled from the Kubernetes deployment to help you prioritize your riskiest assets first, and make prevention and detection better
2. We integrate deeply with Kubernetes to leverage its native controls, giving you broader visibility not just into the container, but also the Pod, deployment, and cluster, as well as a more scalable and robust enforcement that is frictionless and doesn't impact application performance
3. We enable an ever-shrinking attack surface by using our own continuous feedback loop, leveraging build and deploy data to improve detection and pulling the findings from detection back into the build and deploy phases to continuously harden your environment

Simply put, deep integration with Kubernetes and DevOps tooling and processes leads to better security for your applications.

VMblog:  How does your company and product fit within the container or cloud ecosystem?

StackRox:  The StackRox Kubernetes Security Platform deploys as a set of containers and provides full life cycle container security that hardens your environment during build/deploy phases and detects and stops threats during runtime. Our software deploys wherever you're running containers - on prem or in the cloud - and we tie into the broader DevOps tooling such as CI/CD tools, registries, secrets management systems, and managed cloud services - and of course Kubernetes.

VMblog:  What would you say to prospective attendees who are thinking about attending KubeCon but aren't sure if it's worth it or not?

StackRox:  Kubernetes has become the de facto orchestrator and organizations are standardizing on it. If you want to enable your organization to deliver innovation, your company has to get good at software innovation, and Kubernetes is at the heart of application development now. The sooner you master Kubernetes, the more business success you'll deliver.

VMblog:  What do you think we need to do collectively as an ecosystem to strengthen the industry?

StackRox:  We're still struggling to see the tech community reflect the diversity of our larger society. As we bring more women and people of color into the software development world, the solutions we build collectively will be more innovative and applicable. Our creativity and breadth of thinking can only grow as we make this tent bigger.

VMblog:  At what stage do you feel we are at with regard to containers? 

StackRox:  Containers have been around for over half a decade now and most organizations are using them to some degree, either to port existing applications or build greenfield apps. With the dominance of Kubernetes, containerization is poised to become the predominate technology running enterprise workloads. Gartner predicts that by 2020, over half of all organizations will be running their production workloads in containers, and what we are seeing from our customers supports that prediction.

VMblog:  What, if anything, is holding the container market back?  Or what is holding back wider deployment?

StackRox:  Containerization is here to stay and nothing in particular is holding it back besides having the right talent and skillset at your organization. One thing we often hear from customers however is that security and compliance requirements can slow down their ability to move their containerized workloads into production. This delay happens when organizations treat security as an after-thought instead of embedding security in their workflows from the moment they start building their apps.

VMblog:  What do you attribute to KubeCon's growing success this year?

StackRox:  The meteoric rise of Kubernetes adoption and the value it delivers, combined with the diligence of the open source community and CNCF who are continuously improving the security and stability of the platform while adding feature rich capabilities with each new release are the key drivers behind KubeCon's growing popularity and success.

VMblog:  What do you hope to come away with from exhibiting at KubeCon?  What does event success look like to you?

StackRox:  Success comes from a combination of increasing awareness of StackRox as a company and in sharing the details of how we improve security with people embarking on container and Kubernetes security projects.

VMblog:  Do you have any tips for first time attendees that you'd like to share?

StackRox:  Sign up for sessions early as they fill quickly. Wear comfortable shoes, and be sure to check out the various after hours shows that will be taking place, including on Monday, November 18, in the evening after the co-located events at KubeCon conclude, we're hosting a Kubernetes Rooftop Happy Hour at Rustic Root in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego with a few of our technology partners.

VMblog:  Attendees always enjoy a good trade show tchotchke.  Are you guys giving away anything special or interesting this year?

StackRox:  Our prize wheel, where everyone's a winner, includes fun giveaways like fidget cubes, carabiners, light-up bouncy balls, and other fun stuff. We're also entering people to win 25 Amazon gift cards - so head over to our booth and make sure you're entered!

VMblog:  Are you guys throwing or involved with any type of party during the event?  Can you share the details? 

StackRox:  On November 18, Monday evening after the co-located events at KubeCon conclude, we're hosting a Kubernetes Rooftop Happy Hour at Rustic Root in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego with a few of our technology partners. RSVP and get more details here. We are also sponsoring the Red Hat OpenShift Commons Gathering.