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Kubernetes as an Enterprise Strategy

By George Trujillo, Principal Data Strategist, DataStax

The agenda for KubeCon | CloudNativeCon - Oct 2022 in Detroit highlights the expanding role of Kubernetes beyond application modernization and into cloud, data, storage and networking strategies.  Everyone is seeing the growth of Kubernetes. For example, Gartner says Kubernetes' current adoption of ~30% will continue to grow in 2022 and surpass 75%. What's often not so clear, is the expansion of Kubernetes across technology stacks  There is a lot of momentum to this growth due to the benefits Kubernetes brings to additional technology areas.  This article will use data as an example to show how Kubernetes has become a growing wave of transformation across an enterprise ecosystem.  

A siloed approach for deployments is not meeting the flexibility and speed needed in today's rapidly changing environments.  The components of an ecosystem have to work together with the surrounding ecosystem. Kubernetes orchestrated alignment for automation, reliability, resilience, CI/CD, unit testing, modular construction and services are important for all areas of an ecosystem. 

Applications have an ecosystem that includes data streams (message queues, event-streaming, pub-sub) and databases.  Applications feed data streams that feed databases.   If a customer decides to move an application from on-premise to the cloud or to multiple clouds, the data streams and databases the application feeds have to move also.  Software and data engineers can work with SRE teams to align application, stream and database deployments.  For use cases where this makes sense, deployment velocity is increased, complexity and errors are reduced.  This also helps build a culture of cooperation and alignment across teams in executing to deliver business outcomes.  Kubernetes is a glue that spans different areas of technology.

Kubernetes simplifies distributed systems lifecycle management.  Kubernetes' strengths create a growing and natural progression of aligning applications, data streams and databases.  Kubernetes, applications and data are a synergistic fit.  Open source software with Apache Pulsar and Apache Cassandra are leading the way with this. 

  • Apache Pulsar is a distributed and unified queuing, pub/sub and streaming solution.  Pulsar's cloud-native architecture is a strong solution for message-driven microservices and is easy to deploy using Kubernetes.  Deploying Apache Pulsar in Kubernetes adds powerful features such as resource-based scheduling and enforcement, rolling upgrades, and well-integrated support for tools needed for a production deployment of Apache Pulsar, such as Prometheus, Grafana, and cert-manager.  Apache Pulsar is a first class citizen with Kubernetes and opens up great opportunities to align high growth applications with real-time data strategies.
  • Apache Cassandra, a cloud-native NoSQL database, is also a natural fit for Kubernetes.  The Kubernetes and Cassandra communities have come together in a great collaboration called K8ssandra, a production-ready platform that makes it easy to run CassandraTM on Kubernetes. 

Despite its growing popularity, Kubernetes is still a challenge.  Kubernetes has many moving parts and tools.  It's important for Kubernetes to start being looked at from an enterprise strategy perspective and not just tactically at the project level.  Now is the time for different technology teams to start looking at consistent standards and how to leverage Kubernetes across an ecosystem. 

DevOps, DataOps, MLOps, PlatformOps, etc. can all learn, grow together and help build a cross-functional culture of collaboration with Kubernetes.   Kubecon is an excellent opportunity to dig deep into technical details and also to take a strategic view of how Kubernetes can be leveraged across applications,  cloud, data, storage and networking. 

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To hear more about cloud native topics, join the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and the cloud native community at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2022 in Detroit (and virtual) from October 24-28.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George-Trujillo 

George Trujillo is a Data Strategist with DataStax.  DataStax offers an open data stack that enables enterprises to mobilize real-time data to build high-scale data apps.   As a data practitioner, George has led data modernization initiatives as an enterprise architect, vice president and executive with all data reporting to his office.   George enjoys working with CDOs and data executives on the modernization of real-time data strategy for enterprise data ecosystems. Industry recognized expertise in data management.  Known for building high performance teams for data-value driven initiatives and cloud-native cultures. Internationally recognized speaker and published author.

Published Friday, October 21, 2022 7:34 AM by David Marshall
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