KyvernoCon Virtual 2026

KyvernoCon Virtual 2026 will expand access to policy-as-code conversations by offering a fully virtual, globally accessible event. With a mix of thought leadership, hands-on sessions, and success stories, this event will showcase how Kyverno enables teams to scale policy management and AI workloads safely and efficiently, enhance platform security, and improve developer experiences. The virtual setting is ideal for connecting our broader global community while encouraging participation from new users and contributors.

KEY DATES:
CFP Closes: Sunday, March 8
Speaker Notifications: Wed, April 1
Schedule Announced: Wed, April 8

Who Should Submit & Who Should Attend

We welcome proposals from first-time speakers and seasoned presenters alike. Whether you’re an end user, platform engineer, security practitioner, contributor, or maintainer, we encourage you to share your experiences and lessons learned. KyvernoCon values a diverse range of voices across age, gender, background, and nationality, and we actively strive to create an inclusive and supportive speaking environment.

This event is open to everyone! KyvernoCon is a welcoming, global, and growing community focused on policy as code, an ever-green topic that continues to shape the future of Kubernetes, platform engineering, security, and AI workloads.

CFP TOPICS:

1. Getting Started with Kyverno (CEL-First)

For newcomers, evaluators, and teams beginning their Kyverno journey, this track focuses on fundamentals with a strong emphasis on CEL-based policy types, which represent the future of Kyverno policy authoring.

• Introduction to policy as code in Kubernetes and why it matters
• Writing your first Kyverno policies using CEL policy types (validating, mutating, generating, image validation)
• Migrating from legacy and cluster-scoped policies to CEL-based approaches
• Testing, validating, and iterating on policies safely across environments
• Best practices for scaling policy adoption across teams and clusters

2. Security, Compliance & AI Workloads at Scale with Policy as Code

These talks highlight how Kyverno enables consistent, automated governance for security, compliance, and AI workloads, from development through production.

• Using Kyverno for Kubernetes security hardening and runtime protection
• Enforcing security controls for AI/ML workloads (images, provenance, resource constraints, data access)
• Automating security and compliance checks in CI/CD pipelines
• Mapping Kyverno policies to industry frameworks (CIS, NIST, SOC 2, PCI, etc.)
• Leveraging policy as code to reduce risk while accelerating delivery

3. Developer Enablement & Platform Experience

Designed for platform engineers and DevEx leaders building Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs), this track focuses on how policy as code improves developer experience without sacrificing control.

• Using Kyverno to standardize and simplify workload configuration
• Policy-driven guardrails that enable developer self-service
• Integrating Kyverno with developer portals and platforms (e.g., Backstage)
• Policy-based scaffolding, defaults, and opinionated golden paths
• How policy as code strengthens platform engineering outcomes

4. Kyverno Integrations and Advanced Use Cases

For experienced users, operators, and contributors, this track dives into advanced patterns, integrations, and real-world scaling strategies.

• Kyverno integrations across the cloud-native ecosystem
• Using external data sources, variables, and context-aware policies
• Advanced CEL expressions and complex policy logic
• Performance tuning, scalability, and operating Kyverno in large environments