Confluent, the data streaming pioneer, has unveiled new capabilities in Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink® that simplify processing and securing data for faster, smarter insights. Snapshot queries bring real-time and historical data together to empower agentic AI and analytics, while Confluent Cloud network (CCN) routing and IP Filtering enhance networking and access controls, securing hybrid and public workloads.
Bridging Real-Time and Historical Data for Agentic AI
1. Snapshot Queries Unify Data Processing
Snapshot queries in Confluent Cloud enable teams to combine streaming and batch data seamlessly within a single platform. This integration allows AI agents and analytics to gain richer context by leveraging historical and real-time data simultaneously. Available now in early access, snapshot queries simplify testing, exploration, and auditing without spinning up new workloads.
2. Simplified Private Networking with CCN Routing
The new CCN routing feature reuses existing Confluent Cloud Networks to securely connect Apache Kafka® data streams to Flink workloads, including streaming pipelines and AI agents. This private networking solution is now generally available on AWS regions supporting Flink, adding an important security layer for enterprise data flows.
3. IP Filtering Secures Hybrid Environments
IP Filtering provides fine-grained control over internet traffic for Flink pipelines by restricting access to authorized IP addresses only. This feature improves visibility of unauthorized attempts and helps protect sensitive data across hybrid cloud environments. IP Filtering is generally available for all Confluent Cloud users.
Industry Insights on Agentic AI
Shaun Clowes, Chief Product Officer at Confluent, highlights the importance of data quality for enterprise AI adoption:
“Agentic AI is moving from hype to enterprise adoption… blending real-time and batch data enables enterprises to trust their AI to drive real change.”
Stewart Bond, IDC VP of Data Intelligence and Integration Software, notes:
“To unlock agentic AI’s full potential, companies should unify disparate data types in a single environment to enable richer insights and impactful outcomes.
Confluent’s latest Confluent Cloud features streamline data unification and bolster security, enabling organizations to accelerate their agentic AI journeys with confidence. Alongside snapshot queries, CCN routing, and IP Filtering, other new capabilities like Snowflake connectors and cross-cloud cluster linking further enhance data streaming and integration.
