On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
Ledger
On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
Spectro Cloud Palette: On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger
Spectro is moving Palette from Kubernetes fleet management towards AI and VM infrastructure under the PaletteAI name, funded by a $100M round in July 2026.
Edition October 13, 20266 min read
Part of the On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger (edition 2026-10-13). How the scores work: methodology.
1. Snapshot
- Tier: Challenger
- Owner: Spectro Cloud, Inc., independent venture-backed company; $260M raised to 2026-07-15, Series D led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives
- Licence model: Proprietary subscription (SaaS, dedicated SaaS or self-hosted); no public price list; open-source parts include Kairos and Hadron
- Products scored: Palette 4.10 with VerteX, Edge, VMO and PaletteAI; Nutanix, MCP server, Management Appliance counted as previews only
- Latest release: Palette 4.10 (first listed release 4.10.13, 2026-09-06); 4.10.25 on 2026-10-09
- Next signal: No dated roadmap; Nutanix provider, MCP server and Management Appliance still Tech Preview
- Archetype: Edge-first fleet manager
- Evidence grade: B. Release notes read from docs branches, press releases and advisories; older Kubernetes minors are dated only by first retained listing, and no pricing or roadmap exists.
2. Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 71.4 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +21.8 points | higher is better |
| Credibility | 17.0 / 25 | higher is better |
| Commercial risk | 10.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 8.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Integrator fit | 14.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 10.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 68.0 / 100 | balanced weights |
3. Capability by domain
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2016 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install, upgrade and lifecycle (12) | n/a | n/a | 3 | 3.5 |
| Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure (10) | n/a | n/a | 3.5 | 4 |
| Multi-cluster and fleet management (10) | n/a | n/a | 4 | 4.5 |
| Networking (10) | n/a | n/a | 3 | 3.5 |
| Storage and data protection (10) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3 |
| Security and compliance (12) | n/a | n/a | 3.5 | 4.25 |
| Developer platform (8) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Observability and day-2 operations (8) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3 |
| VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) (10) | n/a | n/a | 0 | 3.5 |
| GPU and accelerator workloads (10) | n/a | n/a | 0 | 3.5 |
| Total / 100 | not released | not released | 49.6 | 71.4 |
Year by year: 2020: 33.8 · 2021: 35.4 · 2022: 49.6 · 2023: 62.8 · 2024: 62.8 · 2025: 69.2 · 2026: 71.4
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Observability and day-2 operations | 1.5 → 2.5 | +1.6 | 2.0 (2021-11-01): cost visibility, ITSM alerts, Kubernetes dashboard |
| 2022 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 2 → 3.5 | +3.0 | 3.0 Native Edge (2022-10-24), MAAS bare metal, OpenStack, vSphere |
| 2022 | Developer platform | 1 → 2.5 | +2.4 | 3.0 (2022-10-24): Palette Dev Engine, app profiles, virtual clusters; Argo CD and Harbor packs later |
| 2022 | Install, upgrade and lifecycle | 2 → 3 | +2.4 | 2.6/3.1: versioned profiles, rolling upgrade on config change, self-hosted release since 2020-11-19 |
| 2022 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3 → 4 | +2.0 | 2.0 Workspaces and 3.0 Native Edge fleets; Terraform provider |
| 2022 | Networking | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | 3.x: Calico, Cilium, Flannel and MetalLB packs |
| 2022 | Security and compliance | 2.5 → 3.5 | +2.4 | 3.1 (2022-12-28): FIPS-compliant PXK and PXK-E, AWS GovCloud |
| 2022 | Storage and data protection | 2 → 2.5 | +1.0 | 2.5/3.0: backups to S3 and GCP buckets, Portworx, Rook-Ceph and Longhorn packs |
| 2023 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 0 → 3 | +6.0 | 3.4 (2023-05-22) NVIDIA GPU Operator pack with passthrough and vGPU |
| 2023 | Networking | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | 4.0 (2023-08-27): vSphere NSX overlay; FIPS Cilium and Calico packs and Multus pack; no Gateway API feature found |
| 2023 | Security and compliance | 3.5 → 4 | +1.2 | VerteX FIPS 140-2 edition (2023-07-18) |
| 2023 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 0 → 2.5 | +5.0 | 4.0 (2023-08-27): VMO runs KubeVirt VMs beside containers with snapshots and clones |
| 2025 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 3.5 → 4 | +1.0 | Agent Mode GA 2025-03, Edge tested to 30,000 nodes, air-gapped VerteX; OpenStack removed 2026-04, CloudStack GA 2026-09, no Proxmox |
| 2025 | Install, upgrade and lifecycle | 3 → 3.5 | +1.2 | 4.6 (2025-02-16) profile variables to production; 14-month support per minor, lag about 4.5 months, no LTS |
| 2025 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 4 → 4.5 | +1.0 | 4.6 profile variables, Local UI for disconnected sites, Edge fleets tested to 30,000 nodes; no fleet policy engine |
| 2025 | Security and compliance | 4 → 4.5 | +1.2 | FIPS 140-3 module (CMVP 5061), signed bundles 4.7, Trusted Boot, Kyverno and Gatekeeper packs; FedRAMP Moderate 2026-10-01; no STIG found |
| 2025 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 2.5 → 3.5 | +2.0 | 4.6 VM Migration Assistant from vSphere, KubeVirt 1.4; VM Launchpad appliances 2026; scale and Windows guests not documented |
| 2026 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | PaletteAI adds AMD GPU Operator and ROCm (2026-07-21); no MIG or time-slicing docs found |
| 2026 | Observability and day-2 operations | 2.5 → 3 | +0.8 | 4.10: appliance metrics and logs to Splunk and OTLP, remote shell preview; no bundled observability stack |
| 2026 | Security and compliance | 4.5 → 4.25 | -0.6 | 4.5 less 0.25 for critical upload-service flaw (Advisory 016) fixed in 4.9.14 on 2026-05-31; no KEV |
| 2026 | Storage and data protection | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | 4.10: Piraeus/LINSTOR and Portworx HA appliances for VM Launchpad, Velero backups; no storage product of its own |
4. Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07 | Palette VerteX FIPS 140-2 edition and Government practice | D9 Security | M |
| 2023-08 | Palette 4.0: VMO runs VMs beside containers | D10 VMs on Kubernetes | M |
| 2024-04 | Palette 4.3: Edge Local UI and Cluster Profile variables as Tech Preview | D3 Fleet management | C |
| 2024-10 | Palette 4.5: Agent Mode lets Palette manage existing hosts | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | V |
| 2025-02 | Palette 4.6: VM Migration Assistant from vSphere | D10 VMs on Kubernetes | M |
| 2025-07 | Palette 4.7: Management Appliance and Artifact Studio in Tech Preview; OpenStack deprecated | D1 Install and lifecycle | P |
| 2025-10 | PaletteAI launched on NVIDIA AI Enterprise | D13 Accelerators | V |
| 2026-01 | Hadron immutable Linux base for Edge and Kairos | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | V |
| 2026-04 | OpenStack support removed from Palette | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | P |
| 2026-05 | Palette MCP Server in Tech Preview | D7 AI-assisted operations | M |
| 2026-07 | PaletteAI Inference Launchpad and AMD GPU support | D13 Accelerators | M |
| 2026-09 | Palette 4.10: Apache CloudStack provider reaches GA | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | C |
| 2026-10 | FedRAMP Moderate certification for Palette VerteX | D9 Security | M |
- Centre of gravity: Bare metal, edge and infrastructure (4), Security (2), VMs on Kubernetes (2)
- Driver mix: Vision 23%, Customer need 15%, Market window 46%, Upstream 0%, Portfolio 15%
5. Credibility: 17.0 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 4 | A Palette minor every three to six months plus weekly component updates; no published schedule |
| Roadmap transparency | 2.5 | Dated release notes and public advisories in an open docs repo; no roadmap |
| Say-do | 3 | Preview to production took 5 to 13.5 months for three features, FedRAMP 38.5 months, Nutanix preview open 33 months |
| Velocity | 4.5 | VMO, Edge, Agent Mode, PaletteAI, MCP server and Hadron in three years |
| Lifecycle stability | 3 | N-3 Kubernetes minors for 14 months, extension on request, no LTS; OpenStack removed in 2026 |
Say-do record, 2023 to 2026: 9 items 2023-2026: 5 shipped (profile variables 10 months, Local UI 13.5, Agent Mode 5, FedRAMP Moderate 38.5, CloudStack GA undated), 1 slipped (Nutanix still preview after 33 months), 2 pending (MCP server, Management Appliance), 1 dropped (OpenStack); no vendor dates exist, so lags run from preview.
6. Commercial risk: 10.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence volatility | 1.5 | No public price list or licence change found since 2023; focus shifted to PaletteAI in 2025 |
| Purchase constraints | 3 | Sales-led; VerteX access by request; no public prices, trial limits unknown |
| Channel and access | 2 | Docs and release notes open; partner portal, VerteX installer on request |
| Owner stability | 2 | Independent venture-backed company, new $100M round in July 2026; no acquisition |
| Cost of staying supported | 2 | 14-month window with extension on request; OpenStack and virtual-cluster K3s deprecated |
Security record of the product itself: One critical flaw in Palette's own components: Advisory 016 (upload-service authentication bypass, severity CRITICAL, no CVE id), fixed in 4.9.14 on 2026-05-31 and disclosed 2026-06-04, so 0.25 is deducted; Advisories 015 and 017 (HIGH) fixed in 4.9.16 on 2026-06-08; no KEV entry (the security record).
7. Technical lock-in: 8.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 1.5 | Workload clusters run PXK, RKE2, K3s or managed Kubernetes; Cluster Profiles and packs are Palette's own model |
| Export path | 2.5 | Imported clusters are supported; a documented path to detach Palette-built clusters was not found |
| Stack coupling | 1 | Choice of OS, Kubernetes distribution, CNI and CSI through packs |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 1 | Self-hosted and air-gapped options; SaaS is the default management plane |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 2.5 | Profile, pack and Palette Terraform skills are product-specific |
8. Integrator fit: 14.0 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Partner programme openness | 3 | Partner portal and channel partners; tiers not opened |
| Multi-tenancy and self-service | 4.5 | Tenants, projects, Workspaces, RBAC, virtual clusters and dedicated SaaS |
| API and infrastructure-as-code | 4.5 | Terraform provider with 7.0M downloads, Go and TypeScript SDKs, Crossplane provider, CLI |
| Skills and certification | 2 | Docs and tutorials; no certification programme found |
9. AI leverage: 10 / 20
| Strand | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|
| AI workload support | 3 | 2026: AMD GPU Operator and ROCm, NVIDIA DPF packs through PaletteAI |
| AI platform stack | 4 | 2026: Inference Launchpad 2026-07-21 added to PaletteAI |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | none |
| Agent openness | 3 | 2026: Palette MCP Server in Tech Preview since 4.9.5 (2026-05-03), read-only by default, writes behind a flag |
AI say-do: 4 AI items found, 3 GA (PaletteAI, Inference Launchpad, AI packs), 1 preview (MCP server), 0 dropped; the AI is a GPU and inference platform plus an agent interface, not an operator assistant.
10. Reading
Spectro is moving Palette from Kubernetes fleet management towards AI and VM infrastructure under the PaletteAI name, funded by a $100M round in July 2026. The record is steady preview-to-production delivery within about a year on edge features, slow Kubernetes minor uptake of about four and a half months, and one critical flaw in the Edge upload service. A buyer gets a strong edge and multi-tenant console and a VMware migration path, but pays through an unpublished price list and waits on Nutanix, the MCP server and the self-hosted appliance.
11. Open questions and evidence caveats
- Kubernetes minor dates for 1.30, 1.31 and 1.34 to 1.36 are upper bounds (first retained listing or certified version); true lag may be shorter.
- Palette 4.0 has a release-note date (2023-08-27) that conflicts with the press release (2023-07-18).
- No public pricing or roadmap; commercial scores rest on absence of found changes.
- Advisory 016 gives severity CRITICAL but no CVSS or CVE id; the 0.25 deduction follows the vendor's rating.
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