XII. The journey to Kubernetes in Production

Architect it the right way and reap benefits in the future

You’ve reached the final chapter - well done! At this point, we’ll summarise all we’ve learnt through your kube-guide journey. Hopefully this document has given you some useful insights into the world of Docker, Kubernetes and Helm - which is often referred as Containerisation.

Adopting Docker Containers alone is a big undertaking from an enterprise point of view. The chances are that your developers already experiment with this stuff or even run some low hanging fruit containerised apps on your infrastructure. However, at an enterprise level you must weigh up few very important concerns.

On one hand you have the desire to stay current and innovate - very important survival tactic indeed!

On the other hand, you have infrastructural, security and general readiness concerns - which sadly take an awful lot of time for organisational structures to digest and get to terms with regarding containerisation.

So where do the Enterprises start with containerisation?

If the move toward containers started from within development teams then you already have an enormous advantage of having the right people and mindset in place capable of grasping and running the container technology stack.

However, if the move toward containers started at the top where no or little container interest is present at the developer levels then your chances of succeeding are slim - unless you upskill your workforce or hire new talent.

In both cases - you better make a move quick…

Is building and running single containers enough?

A simple answer is no. If you are serious about this tech and more importantly you’ve actually realised the benefits this tech brings then you’ll probably venture into the realms of container orchestration with Kubernetes and app packaging with Helm.

Revisit my summary where I explain Docker, Kubernetes and Helm as well as what it means to Start thinking Containers.

I’m already running containers, what’s next?

Great, you got to the next stage in your container evolution. From pure development perspective I’d recommend…

Design container-ready development as this will make your developers much, much more productive and agile.

Embed Least Privileged approach in every single container you produce - however small.

From operational and support perspective I’d suggest…

Start early with CICD and Automation as this will move your focus to delivering top quality software.

Invest efforts into Logging and Monitoring will save tons of time identifying and fixing issues.

I’m an architect, do I have anything to say in this?

Oh yes, you do… containers bring massive advantages to the way you architect your software as well as solutions.

Adopt Mesh App and Service Architecture to give you agility and multi-device reach.

API Lifecycle Management is the future which goes hand-in-hand with MASA and Microservice adoption.

Finally, collaborate with developers, infrastructure, and operations teams and…

Consider PlatformOps for delivering software so that the self service capacity becomes a reality.

I’m supposed to be leading this, but I have no clue, help me!

Your people, your workforce, need direction and confidence in the technology they adopt and run with. If you, as leader, struggle to grasp this - then you have two choices, a career change, or…

Cloud-First strategy is the theme of the day so start future-proofing your business before it’s too late.

Embrace Product-Oriented Delivery model which is probably best thing you can give to your stakeholders.

There’s a lot to consider - how did I do it?

If you are still interested in the final picture of how my Journey to Production with Kubernetes evolved and you need help with making your Kubernetes adoption a success, then…

Contact me on LinkedIn, look at my blog posts on QbitUniverse or browse through my tech work on GitHub.

Final thought…

Whichever way you approach containerisation - just remember:

Keep your eyes on the prize and persist with your Kubernetes cause… it'll pay off…

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