Maximising the ROI in Kubernetes

November 23, 2022 08:42
Photo: Reuters

IT decision makers are always looking out for the best way to stay ahead of the competition whilst finding the best return on investment (ROI) for any technology venture. Understanding the complexity of Kubernetes, the potential it has for your business and how to integrate it into current practices is crucial to maximise investments. Here are some thoughts on what IT leaders should consider before jumping on board the Kubernetes train.

As more enterprise businesses in AJP migrate their systems to the increasingly popular and progressive Kubernetes open-source platform, leadership executives are weighing up the costs of switching from outdated, less flexible infrastructures to a more streamlined architecture. Meanwhile start-ups are looking at their cloud-based choices and likely to opt for Kubernetes to keep up with comparable businesses whose technology is leading-edge.

With applications increasingly moving to the cloud, expectations are that cloud spending will outpace non-cloud IT infrastructure spending for the first time by the end of this year, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The IDC also reported a significant rise in spending on computer and storage infrastructure products for cloud deployments in Q1 of 2022. The IDC notes that this growth is a continuation of year-on-year spending increases in shared and dedicated cloud infrastructure products, despite supply-chain obstacles such as component shortages and transportation network disruptions.

It's a fast-moving trajectory that’s tantamount to “jump on board or you’ll miss your train”. Therefore businesses are looking at their likely outlay, especially as the investment under consideration goes beyond just financial. Adopting a new infrastructure requires a big spend on time, allowing for education, risk analysis and then, in turn, the money to spend on aligned products to ensure the enterprise is getting the best out of its new technological base, especially in the data storage and security space.

Given Kubernetes and its containerised cloud-based approach is an entirely new language for many, (particularly enterprises that originated in site-based architecture systems and have been lagging in the move to the cloud, or only gradually moving into hybrid infrastructures), the education piece for an entirely new business technology like Kubernetes is substantial. But that essential learning should be viewed as an investment that reaps the biggest rewards. Investing in people in any enterprise is valuable spending and the more knowledgeable and comfortable every active user becomes, the easier it is for them to perform the actual work that will raise revenue, so training is key. There is no better adage to employ here than that old favourite: knowledge is power.

In any business, assessing the importance of the learning curve in tandem with the personnel’s actual interface with the subject will help in financial and time budgeting. Where a move to Kubernetes directly impacts the architecture engineering, development and programming hub of the organisation’s business, these are the people that need to get across the new technology first. From there on, an as-needs process of education can be filtered through the company to ameliorate output without too much downtime.

Equally important alongside people knowledge is data storage and security; an entirely new operating system is going to require a re-think of how adaptable the enterprise’s existing data management system is. Now more than ever, businesses are tightening their security against the threats of ransomware and cyber-attacks. It’s vital to do an audit of existing data management and if the current service provider is not set up to move the system across to a Kubernetes-compatible model then a re-think and cost analysis of data solutions will be in order.

It should quickly become evident that the efficiencies of the scalable cloud-based infrastructure that Kubernetes offers will save time and money while boosting productivity, alleviating any headaches around investment. Education and employing tailor-made data management and protection strategies will ensure that a savvy enterprise travels well on its rapidly evolving business journey.

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Senior Global Technologist, Veeam