Containers and Microservices to Rule 2018 and Beyond.

It's safe to say that the words Microservices and Containerization have been hot topics in the technology industry for some time now. However, as we enter 2018, these terms will become more than just standard buzzwords blowing in the wind.  Soon, we'll be seeing companies from all backgrounds adopting the unique advantages that microservices and containerization bring.

As the era of cloud computing continues to grow more significant, orchestration services like containerization and microservice architecture will become increasingly popular, allowing enterprises to adopt a more agile and transformative framework for future growth.

Microservices and containers go together like Starsky and Hutch, so as the adoption of new container solutions goes up in 2018, there's a good chance that we'll see more microservice solutions too. In fact, we've already seen enterprises around the world adopting this solution as they strive to stay ahead of the competition.

Kubernetes Leads the Way for Microservice Management

Google's open-source container solution, Kubernetes, is expected to be one of the major technologies leading the way towards stronger containerization and microservice management in 2018. The Container system allows companies to manage, scale, and deploy their containerized microservice systems in an instant, with as little effort as possible. What's more, because the solution was built by Google, it's cloud technology that enterprises can trust.  It's fair to say that Google is home to some of the most innovative developers on the planet.

In 2018, the containers that Kubernetes was built to manage will become more common in mainstream DevOps, spawning the birth of new initiatives for standardization, such as the already successful Certified Kubernetes program. Since many organizations are already running on the Google framework, it makes sense that they'd look to related container strategies that allow them to enhance their ecosystem.

Kubernetes offers developers complete simplicity when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits that containerization can offer. With the system, you can automate software rollbacks and rollouts, while keeping an eye on the overall health of your system. You can even run constant checks against available services, running restarts when containers stall and scaling naturally up and down based on needs and utilization.

Just like containers themselves, Kubernetes is a resource in helping developers to carefully and effectively manage their cluster in the way that best suits them.

The Benefits of Containerization

Containers are the lightweight and agile approach to managing development - something that's bound to become more important in 2018, as the age of digital transformation pushes companies around the world to roll out new ideas and strategies faster than ever. Because containers run atop the OS kernel, they're far more lightweight and use a fraction of the memory responsible for boosting a full OS. With containers, CIOs can access a consistent environment, the ability to run software anywhere, and the security of an isolated package.

The flexibility of containerization is also an important issue to consider when it comes to addressing the growing popularity of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies. Today's experts don't want to be tied down to a single cloud provider, and containerization means that it's easier to run microservices from a range of different vendors. IT leaders can simply match their applications to the workloads of different environments.

Some experts already predict that containers will be able to overshadow the 80/20 rule for IT budgeting. In other words, this refers to the pattern that CIOs use to commit 80% of their budget to maintenance, and 20% towards innovation. Containerization will mean that investing in innovation is no longer as risky as it once was. Organizations will be able to reap the portability and security benefits of the cloud while investing in more strategic solutions for digital transformation.

Microservices in the Age of Digital Transformation

While the words "digital transformation" might have emerged as something of a cliché in the eyes of CIOs lately, many businesses are concerned that they're simply not moving fast enough to keep up with trends on the transformation front.   Gartner believes that companies are struggling with maintaining an agile approach that will allow them to be competitive in the modern digital environment.

As businesses continue to transform and implement strategies around the concept of cloud migration, microservices and containers could play an important role in helping enterprises to achieve their competitive goals. By accessing containers and microservices, enterprise customers will be able to access the more immediate benefits of digital transformation, including portability within various environments, faster delivery times for apps, and more.

Some industry analysts even suggest that containers and the growth of microservices could be the solution that foils the next big internet security breach in our history. 

According to the Sr. Cloud Infrastructure Architect for the Fortune 500 Enterprise, microservices now give businesses the chance to reduce their hardware costs, while avoiding the lock-in involved with standard IT buying and hardware investment. With containerization and microservices, brands can become more agile, increasing ROI, and reducing Capex.

Some industry analysts even suggest that containers and the growth of microservices could be the solution that foils the next big internet security breach in our history. As evidenced by the Equifax breach in 2017, cyber attacks can place personal information at risk and lead to serious concerns with consumer confidence. However, if companies can stop a breach from being too significant by placing the software they need in a container, then they could maintain the loyalty of their customers.

Containers can reduce the amount of service area available for a cyber-attack, and thus enhance the difficulty of accessing sensitive files. In the future, it's possible that containerization and microservices won't just be a solution for making our companies more agile and transformative, but also a way in which we can keep businesses secure.

Going Agile for 2018

In 2018, the goal for many CIOs will be to transform and do so with speed if they want to stay ahead of digital competition. In the world of DevOps, you can either embrace the containerization and microservices that have become so popular in the marketplace, or you could risk losing your place to your competitors. Containers and microservices allow companies to enter the cloud on their terms, accessing all the benefits of a fully flexible, and fully agile framework.

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