Many engineering teams initially turned to NATS for real-time messaging due to its simplicity and speed, but as organizations scale, the limitations of NATS as a data backbone become apparent. With the introduction of JetStream, NATS enhanced its capabilities to include persistence and message replay, yet the demand for durable, scalable event streaming systems led to the emergence of platforms like Redpanda. Redpanda, compatible with Apache Kafka APIs, serves as a high-performance event log that supports event-driven applications, data pipelines, and business-critical workflows. It offers features like infinite retention, exactly-once delivery, and extensive data integration, positioning it as a strategic data platform. This shift from simple messaging to robust streaming supports real-time personalization, predictive analytics, and data-driven decisions. Migrating from NATS to Redpanda involves re-architecting around event streaming principles and leveraging Redpanda Connect for seamless integration, ultimately enhancing infrastructure alignment with business outcomes and future-proofing data capabilities.