Enabling Enterprise-Grade Event Streaming with an Event Mesh

One of the more flexible and widely interpreted terms in event-driven architecture (EDA) is ‘event streaming’. Depending on who you ask, the definition may vary. In simple terms, an event stream is an unbounded, time-ordered sequence of events. These events can include notifications, state changes, and more, but the key characteristic is that they are immutable – once sent they cannot be altered, only consumed.

Enterprise-grade event streaming requires capabilities that allow an organization to quickly, reliably, and securely stream events across a wide variety of environments. This includes hybrid-cloud, multi-cloud, and IoT systems, as well as other components that may be integral to the enterprise’s supply or value chain, such as factories, stores, warehouses, and distribution centers. Such a solution must support consistent, real-time event flow across distributed, complex infrastructure while meeting enterprise demands for security, scalability, and fault tolerance. To see a comparison of event streaming platforms, check out How Solace Compares to Other Event Streaming Platforms for EDA.

Shortcomings of Traditional Event Streaming

Traditional log-based streaming solutions, while effective in certain contexts, may not fully address the diverse requirements of modern enterprises. These solutions are primarily designed to capture, store, and distribute continuous streams of data (events).

However, they may lack some of the advanced capabilities needed for more complex and dynamic enterprise-grade EDA. For example:

• Complex to manage at scale, often requiring external components for advanced features like schema management, data governance, and stream processing.
• Not optimized for high throughput streaming or massive data streams, leading to challenges in scalability and fault tolerance without complex configurations.
• Limited by specific cloud ecosystems (vendor-native), reducing flexibility and lacking real-time event streaming capabilities compared to more versatile platforms.
• Insufficient functionality in key areas such as persistence, fault tolerance, and large-scale streaming, requiring more manual management and expertise.
• Primarily suited for batch-oriented data ingestion and may lack integration flexibility and advanced features compared to hybrid or on-premises solutions.
• Scalability challenges due to static replication models, causing delays and inconsistencies. These models lack real-time synchronization and require complex configurations, limiting scalability and adaptability in large-scale environments.
• Lack of advanced data filtering capabilities, leading to inefficiencies causing unnecessary processing and higher network costs.

Requirements for Enterprise-grade Event Streaming

The critical requirements of an enterprise-grade event streaming solution include:

Performance and Scalability

• Scalability
• Latency
• Throughput
• Processing Time

Management and Monitoring

• Management Complexity
• Observability and Monitoring
• Elasticity

Protocol and Schema Management

• Protocol/framework support
• Event schema management

Reliability and Durability

• Fault tolerance
• Data durability
• Data Retention

Event Processing and Integration

• Event Processing
• Integration
• Real-Time Metrics

Security, Deployment and Multi-Tenancy

• Security
• Multi-tenancy
• Multi-cloud support

How an Event Mesh Meets Key Requirements of Enterprise-Grade Event Streaming

I’ll now examine a few critical needs for enterprise-grade event streaming, and describe how an event mesh powered by PubSub+ Platform helps address them:

High Availability

By connecting brokers across distributed environments, PubSub+ Platform enables automatic message rerouting and continuous event flow, even if individual brokers fail. Geographical redundancy across regions or clouds further safeguards against localized outages, and persistent storage with event replay ensures no data loss, allowing systems to recover smoothly. These features collectively support resilience and uptime in complex, large-scale deployments.

Dynamic Message Routing (DMR)

Distributed environments need adaptive message routing to synchronize events dynamically across multiple locations. PubSub+ Platform supports this with its dynamic message routing, intelligently routing messages across geographies and clouds. This flexibility supports the complex requirements of distributed architectures, enabling efficient global event management without relying on rigid, static replication models

Management and Monitoring

PubSub+ Platform includes a tool called Mesh Manager that offers centralized control over distributed event brokers across diverse cloud, edge and on-premises environments. It gives administrators real-time visibility into system health and performance, making it easier to monitor event throughput, diagnose issues, and ensure high availability.

Interoperability across Hybrid and Multi-Cloud environments

PubSub+ Platform addresses this by connecting different environments, such as on-premises, public clouds, and private clouds, into a cohesive, seamless network. It supports hybrid deployments by enabling brokers to integrate across multiple cloud services. This capability helps enterprises maintain a reliable and unified data flow, regardless of the underlying infrastructure supporting diverse integration scenarios.

Conclusion

In summary, implementing an event mesh with PubSub+ Platform enables organizations to achieve enterprise-grade event streaming that is efficient, scalable, and reliable. This architecture not only enhances real-time data flows but also empowers businesses to innovate and adapt to evolving demands with agility. By understanding the foundational principles and advantages of DMR and event meshes, organizations can better position themselves for success in today’s data-driven landscape.

Learn More

• What is an Event Streaming Platform?
• Feature Spotlight – Dynamic Message Routing
• DMR Best Practices
• DMR Datasheet
• Streaming with Dynamic Event Routing (Beyond Kafka)
• How Solace Compares to Other Event Streaming Platforms for EDA