Now you know more about the origins and the benefits of Kubernetes, it’s time to discuss how to create an effective Kubernetes strategy. If your organisation wishes to make it easier to manage software complexity, teams will require a central tool to orchestrate the changes, and Kubernetes is the solution.
Assess your position with Kubernetes
Building a successful Kubernetes strategy begins with understanding where Kubernetes is currently running and assessing how this may change over time. The good news is that evaluating your position with Kubernetes has become less complex. Open source tools make provisioning and upgrading a Kubernetes cluster quicker and easier.
Collaboration
In our experience, tension can sometimes develop when Kubernetes is used. On the one hand, software development teams run Kubernetes to accomplish development goals, whereas an IT department may prioritise security. Additionally, development teams want flexibility. By having cluster-level administrative control, development teams can configure a cluster to operate in a certain way, such as in storage, security or infrastructure. IT teams may feel nervous about clusters that are deployed when unpatched and unmanaged. Naturally, they will want to restrict cluster access to the specific teams that require it for security reasons. If Kubernetes is to become the foundation of running applications across infrastructure, all teams must be able to collaborate effectively.
Defining goals
Building a successful Kubernetes strategy for your organisation requires a prioritisation exercise. Enterprises can use Kubernetes in two primary ways: to reduce infrastructure costs and to accelerate innovation. Whichever way applies to your organisation, it makes sense to build your strategy with the intention of managing multiple Kubernetes clusters down the line.
Standardisation versus Innovation
By standardising Kubernetes, developers can focus their efforts on finding more efficient ways to use software. But how much will standardisation impact plans for innovation? Thankfully, Kubernetes is flexible enough to keep all teams happy while delivering value for the organisation and its clients. As an organisation formulates its Kubernetes strategy, teams should consider blending the best parts of a decentralised approach with the controls and management to remove repetitive, time-consuming tasks and ensure compliance.
Preparing teams for a new Kubernetes strategy
With a new Kubernetes strategy comes further training for relevant teams in the organisation. Teams may already contain some members that are proficient in containers or Kubernetes, meaning they may be an excellent candidate to be involved in the strategy at certain stages. The good news is that if your teams do require more Kubernetes training, we can assist. Our Kubernetes and Rancher training course has a duration of two days where individuals will gain an understanding of container fundamentals, Rancher server architecture, Kubernetes architecture and networking, container security, and much more. You can learn more about the content of the course here.
If the course is of interest to you, please sign up to our mailing list to be notified of any upcoming course availability.