--- title: "Recap: KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2023" source: "https://www.tigera.io/blog/recap-kubecon-cloudnativecon-na-2023/" --- [Company Blog](https://www.tigera.io/category/company-blog/) # Recap: KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2023 By [Laura Ferguson](https://www.tigera.io/blog/author/laura-ferguson/) on Nov 28, 2023 • 3 min read Thanks to everyone who joined us in Chicago this month at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2023. We had a chance to have many meaningful conversations about Kubernetes and container security, the latest in the open source ecosystem, and of course—Calico! Here are some highlights from the conference. ## Calico at KubeCon We had a ton of visitors at our booth this year and were happy to catch up with old friends as well as meet new ones. Tech problems for business needs, such as how to provide fixed IPs to workloads for communication outside of the Kubernetes cluster instead of architectural debates about the underlying data plane, was a popular topic of discussion. Another was runtime security at the workload level (default-deny/zero trust). The issue of visibility into workload communication at scale overlaid with effective security policies also came up often. We were all too happy to show how Calico can help! ![Crowd at booth, focusing on practical tech like fixed IPs, not architectural debates. Calico booth visible](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2023/11/KubeCon-NA-2023-booth-crowd-scaled.jpg) ## Cruise Party Those who joined us for our private cruise party enjoyed a guided architecture tour of the spectacular Chicago lakefront. The evening went swimmingly and offered our guests a chance to unwind and network while enjoying great food and an open bar, against a backdrop of glittering skyscrapers. ![Night view of the Chicago skyline from the lake, showcasing the architecture enjoyed on our private cruise](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2023/11/KubeCon-NA-2023-cruise-lakefront-scaled.jpg) ![Attendees networking at the Tigera KubeCon NA 2023 cruise event on a lakefront boat](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2023/11/KubeCon-NA-2023-cruise-crowd-scaled.jpg) ## 2023 Calico Swag This year, we took it up a notch with our swag and brought an exclusive collection of trendy T-shirts, vibrant stickers, chic bags, and cool sunglasses with us to the conference. ![Conference swag: T-shirt, sticker, bag, and sunglasses all featuring the Calico logo](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2023/10/mockup-swag-image.png) ## Tigera leadership Members of Tigera’s leadership team were on site at the conference to chat with visitors about strategic direction and exciting new developments. President & CTO, Ratan Tipirneni, Chief Revenue Officer, Fahad Rizqi, and Chief Customer Officer, Pervez Sikora, had engaging discussions with visitors to our booth and those who attended our events during the conference. ![Tigera's leadership team: Ratan Tipirneni, Fahad Rizqi, and Pervez Sikora, who were available at the conference to speak](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2023/10/Ratan-Fahad-Pervez.png) ## Calico Open Source news During KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA 2023, we announced upgrades to Calico Open Source and Calico Cloud centered around the security, performance, and scalability of Kubernetes deployment. Highlights include: - Security Score and Recommended Actions to maximize container security - Streamlined operations with Windows HostProcess Container - Performance and scalability with IPv6 support for Calico eBPF data plane - Enabling multi-cluster deployments with cluster mesh on VxLAN Check out our press release for all the details: [Tigera Introduces Powerful Enhancements to Calico Open Source and Calico Cloud to Elevate Security, Scalability and Performance](https://www.tigera.io/news/tigera-introduces-powerful-enhancements-to-calico-open-source-and-calico-cloud-to-elevate-security-scalability-and-performance/). To see what others had to say, see coverage of our news in [TFiR](https://tfir.io/tigera-announces-upgrades-to-calico-open-source-calico-cloud/), [Global Security Magazine](https://www.globalsecuritymag.com/Tigera-announced-upgrades-to-Calico-Open-Source-and-Calico-Cloud.html), [Silver Linings Info](https://www.silverliningsinfo.com/newswire/tigera-introduces-performance-enhancements-calico-cloud), [IT Digest](https://itdigest.com/cloud-computing-mobility/tigera-introduces-powerful-enhancements-to-calico-open-source-and-calico-cloud-to-elevate-security-scalability-and-performance/), and [CIO Influence](https://cioinfluence.com/containers-it-and-devops/tigera-enhances-calico-open-source-and-calico-cloud-for-security-scalability-and-performance/). It was great meeting with everyone, and we look forward to seeing you at the next conference! What’s your Cluster Security Score? [See how Calico measures your security posture](https://www.tigera.io/blog/deep-dive/whats-your-cluster-security-score-calico-now-measures-your-security-posture/). [Event](https://www.tigera.io/tags/event/)[Open Source](https://www.tigera.io/tags/open-source/)[Project Calico](https://www.tigera.io/tags/project-calico/) ## Related posts [![What’s new in Calico: Spring 2026 Release](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2026/06/Whats-New-in-Calico-NEW-TEMPLATE-2026.png)](https://www.tigera.io/blog/whats-new-in-calico-spring-2026-release/) #### [What’s new in Calico: Spring 2026 Release](https://www.tigera.io/blog/whats-new-in-calico-spring-2026-release/) By [Veronika Smolik](https://www.tigera.io/blog/author/veronika-smolik/) on Jun 2, 2026 Kubernetes has come a long way since its debut in 2014. It’s gone from running a couple of containerized microservices to orchestrating fleets of production workloads spanning everything from AI agents to full scale VMs... 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Maybe that’s how it started but data sovereignty requirements, acquisitions, AI initiatives and the need for edge servers, among other considerations, have pulled... [Read more](https://www.tigera.io/blog/kubernetes-operational-maturity-secure-and-resilient-cluster-federation-with-cluster-mesh/) [![What’s New in Calico v3.32](https://www.tigera.io/app/uploads/2026/05/Green-Please-use-a-different-background-color-alternately-1.png)](https://www.tigera.io/blog/whats-new-in-calico-v3-32/) #### [What’s New in Calico v3.32](https://www.tigera.io/blog/whats-new-in-calico-v3-32/) By [Reza Ramezanpour](https://www.tigera.io/blog/author/rezar/) on May 13, 2026 We’re excited to announce the release of Calico Open Source v3.32! 🎉 This release corresponds with Kubernetes v1.36 (Codename Haru) and it goes beyond just sharing a cat as the mascot of the release, it... [Read more](https://www.tigera.io/blog/whats-new-in-calico-v3-32/)