Kubernetes Simplified

Removing Complexity from Container

Orchestration and Deployment

WHITE PAPER KUBERNETES

Since its initial release in 2014, Kubernetes has However, because it’s open source and deeply
become a widely popular tool, with 78% of all customizable, Kubernetes has introduced
cloud-native projects[1] using Kubernetes to
manage their container infrastructure. Developers of management platforms designed to simplify
look to Kubernetes[2] to streamline development, Kubernetes, but many of them aren’t that simple
improve productivity, and make application at all. Most Kubernetes management solutions
deployments more stable. But there’s even more make entry only incrementally easier and still
potential. The projected market for application leave developers with too many customization
container technologies is expected to reach $4.3 and integration options to navigate on their own.
billion[3] by 2022, according to 451 Research. Roughly a third of users (38%) say container
implementation complexity[5] is a top concern.
Kubernetes reduces the complexity of managing
containers and has seen unbridled success. “This Managed Kubernetes orchestration engines
was the simple, basic job that Kubernetes was should do more than just help deploy Kubernetes.
hired for,” writes[4] RedMonk’s Stephen O’Grady. It has to do what it promises: manage—and do so

[1]
Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), 2019 CNCF Survey results are here: Deployments are growing in size and speed as cloud native
adoption becomes mainstream, March 4, 2020
[2]
CoreOS Blog, 451 Research study reveals rapid adoption of Kubernetes for hybrid cloud infrastructure, June 16, 2017
[3]
451 Research, 451 Research Says Application Containers Market Will Grow to Reach $4.3bn by 2022, December 5, 2018
[4]
RedMonk, The Kubernetes Lesson, March 2, 2018
[5]
CNCF, 2019 CNCF Survey results are here

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 Implementing Kubernetes is an Uphill Battle
Although Gartner estimates that by 2022, 75% of organizations will be running containerized

Arun Chandrasekaran wrote in a report[6], citing the steep Kubernetes learning curve.

By 2024, 70% of new applications[7] will rely on containers for improved development speed, application
consistency, and portability. But with teams spending too much time on the infrastructure side of
Kubernetes, they can miss out on the acceleration potential[8]. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation
(CNCF) found[9] that setting up the security infrastructure was a top challenge for 40% of users, while
32% said monitoring was the toughest component. Roughly 25% of users also found establishing

[6]
Gartner, Best Practices for Running Containers and Kubernetes in Production, February 25, 2019
[7]
IDC, DC releases Top Ten Developer and DevOps Predictions for 2020: DevOps to Gain Wide Recognition, February 20, 2020
[8]
The New Stack, The New Stack Context: Is Kubernetes the New App Server?, May 15, 2020
[9]
CNCF, 2019 CNCF Survey results are here

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Vendors that offer Kubernetes management “A product like GKE is complicated because it
engines claim they can simplify deployment and does a lot more, some of it which we don’t need.
management, but the reality is often different. Understanding all the integrations, and deciding
Early on, providers rushed to offer management what is not worth using takes time and effort,”
technology quickly without developing it says Gerhard Lazu, site reliability engineer at
enough to address Kubernetes’ complexity. Changelog, a platform that provides news and
Now, management engines like AWS or GKE podcasts for developers.
(Google Kubernetes Engine), have so many
The other part of the problem is that these
capabilities that they do little to make Kubernetes
management solutions aren’t cost-efficient,
implementation simpler. Developers often find
often costing over $50,000[10] with much of the
themselves so overwhelmed by what’s possible
price covering features that developers don’t
that they have trouble identifying what they need
end up using. Because developers—especially at
their Kubernetes orchestration to do.
smaller companies—don’t necessarily need all
of the available options, the cost is unjustifiable.
The key to finding the right tool is identifying
the capabilities that an organization needs
and ensuring that the cost model reflects the
functionality.

[10]
Replex, The Ultimate Kubernetes Cost Guide: AWS vs GCP vs Azure vs
Digital Ocean, September 19, 2018

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 Meeting Modern Container Management Needs
No doubt, an easy UI for initial implementation is a must-have for a Kubernetes management engine.
If configuring, provisioning, and managing your initial Kubernetes clusters takes more than just a few
steps, the management engine isn’t simplifying much of the process. Factors like security and load
automation are also important to consider when choosing a Kubernetes management engine.

The orchestration engine should ensure that Kubernetes automatically distributes containers across the
cluster to provide the most efficient use of resources, and should also automate backup and recovery
so data are never lost when errors occur. Scalability should be automated too; 70% of Kubernetes[11]
users look to it for autoscaling, which ensures that resources grow in real-time as workloads increase.
The significance of security goes without saying that developers must be able to trust that the
Kubernetes engine they choose is committed to consistently protecting their data. “Security can’t be an
afterthought,” Gartner’s Chandrasekaran warns[12].

[11]
CNCF, 2019 CNCF Survey results are here
[12]
Gartner, Best Practices

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Beyond these basics, however, what differentiates
a powerful Kubernetes management engine is
its adaptability. While selecting a vendor with
an extensive web of proprietary frameworks
and services might seem like an obvious choice,
getting locked into one set of tools is limiting.

“To me, the biggest challenge is deploying

Kubernetes in a way that is independent of
and allows flexibility for various deployment
infrastructures including public cloud, private
cloud, and on premises,” Mark Stadtmueller,
VP of product strategy at Lucd, an enterprise AI
platform, told Threatstack[13]. “Most companies It’s precisely this adaptability that makes some
need flexibility in deployment infrastructure management engines simpler than others. Rather
choice, and so when deploying Kubernetes, than bombarding developers with available
maintaining that flexibility is the biggest features, they get the option to pull in the
challenge.” integrations and customizations that they see fit.

Meanwhile, infrastructure that enables developers “We prefer a simpler Kubernetes experience that
to build their apps on multiple clouds through delivers on all the key requirements, and then
shared development and operations approaches gets out of the way,” Lazu said. “We also prefer
is a truer reflection of the promise of cloud fewer options and better defaults, because we
technology. That’s also why open APIs to manage don’t have all day to spend on Kubernetes.”
and modify clusters, and flexible integrations with
Lastly, the pricing structure also has to be
popular Kubernetes tools such as Rancher, Helm,
adaptable. Management engines with a simple,
and Operator, are important.
flat, and predictable price model are more
attainable for most companies. While Amazon
EKS and GKE charge a per cluster management
fee of $.10 per hour or $73 per month, alternative
cloud providers offer customers a more cost-
efficient option for running Kubernetes. For
example, Linode doesn’t charge per cluster so
that developers can save up to 50% with full-time
usage.

[13]
Threat Stack, 20 Developers and Kubernetes Experts Reveal the Biggest
Mistakes People Make During the Transition to Kubernetes, December 20,
2018

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 Infrastructure for Longevity
Kubernetes allows users to build a common infrastructure between multiple cloud providers to create
a unified data realm. This approach depends heavily on the proper configuration and maintenance of
Kubernetes (and its underlying infrastructure). To get the most out of Kubernetes, IT teams need to set it
up right from the get-go.

For companies to build environments that truly speed up application development, they need
Kubernetes management engines that are affordable, adaptable, and simple. Only then will they be able
to leverage Kubernetes’ fullest potential as data infrastructures get more complex.

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 About Linode
Linode accelerates innovation by making cloud computing simple, accessible, and affordable to
all. Founded in 2003, Linode helped pioneer the cloud computing industry and is today the largest
independent open cloud provider in the world. Headquartered in Philadelphia’s Old City, the
company empowers more than a million developers, startups, and businesses across its global
network of 11 data centers.

KUBERNETES SIMPLIFIED: REMOVING COMPLEXITY FROM CONTAINER ORCHESTRATION AND DEPLOYMENT 08

 The World’s Largest
Independent Open Cloud

linode.com | Support: 855-4-LINODE | Sales: 844-869-6072

249 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19106 Philadelphia, PA 19106