Kubernetes magic is in enterprise standardization, not app portability

2 years ago 330

Commentary: Kubernetes isn't going to magically marque your applications portable, but it conscionable mightiness springiness you thing adjacent better.

Kubernetes logo concept

Image: Lisa Hornung, iStock

The unreality affords enterprises seemingly unlimited choice. According to a Canonical-sponsored survey, however, that's not the crushed astir enterprises are embracing cloud-friendly technologies similar Kubernetes. Instead, the large extremity for Kubernetes is standardization––to look and run conscionable similar everyone else.

SEE: From commencement to finish: How to deploy an exertion with Kubernetes (TechRepublic Premium)

Portability isn't the extremity

I've talked astir this before, referencing Gartner guidance connected Kubernetes and portability. Many radical deliberation Kubernetes (and containers) volition springiness them casual portability betwixt clouds, but it turns retired this isn't true. As Gartner expert Marco Meinardi wrote, erstwhile asked whether companies should clasp "Kubernetes to marque their applications portable...the reply is: no." Say that again? 

Inquiries amusement that [the] likelihood [of moving applications betwixt unreality providers] is really precise low. Once deployed successful a provider, applications thin to enactment there. This is owed to information lakes being hard––and expensive––to larboard and, therefore, extremity up acting arsenic centers of gravity.

So Kubernetes isn't mostly embraced to acquisition companies exertion portability; instead, it comes person to the information to speech astir radical portability or, enactment different way, skills portability. Weaveworks CEO Alexis Richardson hammered this taxable home:

The constituent is "skills portability" owed to utilizing a modular operating exemplary and instrumentality chain. Large organisations privation developers to usage modular ways of moving due to the fact that this reduces grooming costs, and removes obstacles to unit moving from task to project. It besides makes it easier and cheaper to use argumentation if your "platform" (or platforms) are based connected the aforesaid halfway acceptable of unreality autochthonal tools.

This brings america backmost to the Canonical survey.

SEE: Kubernetes: A cheat expanse (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Samesies

Asked to place exertion goals associated with the adoption of cloud-native technologies similar Kubernetes, survey respondents ranked portability past and much straightforward concerns first:

  • Improved maintenance, monitoring and automation - 64.6%.

  • Modernizing infrastructure - 46.4%.

  • Faster clip to marketplace - 26.5%.    

  • Removing vendor dependencies - 12.8%.

  • Global scope - 12.5%.

  • Agility astir postulation spikes - 9.2%.

  • Ensure portability - 8.9%

I emotion however Kelsey Hightower, a developer advocator for Google Cloud, commenting successful the survey report, described these results:

A batch of radical deliberation organisations are moving to Kubernetes due to the fact that of scale, oregon due to the fact that they privation to beryllium a hyperscaler, oregon person the aforesaid postulation levels arsenic Twitter. That's not needfully the lawsuit for the bulk of organisations. A batch of radical similar the information that galore decisions are conscionable built into K8s, specified arsenic logging, monitoring and load balancing. 

People thin to hide however analyzable things were, conscionable to physique an app without each that automation. If you were connected a nationalist unreality you could person utilized immoderate of the autochthonal integrations and tools. But if you were on-prem, that was not a given––you had to spell and glue the solution unneurotic yourself. With Kubernetes, you astir collapsed 25 antithetic tools into one. 

This is what radical mean erstwhile they accidental 'modern infrastructure'––they're not virtually talking astir doing thing that has ne'er been done before. They're talking astir the things that person been successful accumulation for the past 10 oregon 15 years. Kubernetes is today's checkpoint connected each the 'modern patterns'.

What radical truly privation from Kubernetes, successful different words, is simply a modular mode of reasoning astir infrastructure. Going backmost to Richardson's earlier point, portion Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies alteration companies to run astatine higher velocity, possibly the biggest payment is making skills fungible betwixt organizations––this creates a immense show summation for employers and employees alike. It's 1 much crushed that enterprises support expanding their investments successful Kubernetes.

Disclosure: I enactment for AWS, but the views expressed herein are mine.

Developer Essentials Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to the jobs with the highest salaries, get the developer quality and tips you request to know. Weekly

Sign up today

Also spot

Read Entire Article