Imagine the power of rapidly deploying a new container platform strategy, a process devoid of the usual configuration headaches and easily integrated into your infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS) for replicable scalability.
Welcome to a new type of ecosystem where open-source deployment and orchestration darling Kubernetes (originally created at Google HQ and then donated to Cloud Native Computing Foundation) is revolutionizing the speed with which containers are scaled and managed. Containerization offers a new methodology for updating existing legacy systems or building new ecosystems — utilizing platform technology and interfacing with cloud giants, such as Amazon Web Services Inc., Microsoft, and Google.
Running containers in your platform ecosystem have the ability to vastly improve your organization’s infrastructure and modernization initiatives; however, it has its own container of items for consideration, so to speak. Let’s unpack the main benefits, challenges, and tips when beginning the exploration and evaluation of a container platform strategy.
Benefits
- It’s robust enough to handle a range of workloads. Container deployment has the ability to transform existing systems or to build a new ecosystem to handle deployment and management of applications. Containers are created around application-groupings and streamline the process of managing application functions to best suit your organization’s needs.
- Leverage containers for improved operational speed and simplicity. Containers house applications that are overseen by an orchestration layer and then scheduled with the container host as needed. By integrating with application tools, the entire workflow can be automated. Modifications to the container ecosystem can be accomplished in literally seconds.
- Containers offer independence and autonomy. Containers, operating as their own independent ecosystems, act on the rules set in place by your development team. Portability is one of the containerization’s biggest advantages, giving your organization greater IT flexibility and options.
Challenges
- Organizations must be prepared for the implications of new technology. “Although there are growing interest and rapid adoption of containers, running them in production requires a steep learning curve due to technology immaturity and lack of operational know-how,” says Arun Chandrasekaran, research vice president at Gartner. “I&O teams will need to ensure the security and isolation of containers in production environments while simultaneously mitigating operational concerns around availability, performance, and integrity of container environments.”
- Skilled IT resources are still in short supply. There is a passionate and growing community around Kubernetes and container management; however, there still is an overarching shortage of skilled IT resources who are able to adeptly handle new technology needs within enterprise IT organizations. Workforce development concerns could take time to catch-up, so the investment may be needed in-house especially with high-level app coding.
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