FeatureWhen Linux containers first emerged as an architectural concept for building and packaging applications, they opened the door to a whole new world for developers. The Kubernetes container orchestration platform quickly followed, giving organisations a way to harness the power of containers more fully by answering the need for managing container environments at scale. The result was a wholesale shift in how we think about the cloud.
To better understand the impact of containers and Kubernetes on developers today, Red Hat commissioned CCS Insight to explore the current state of container use, including the benefits, challenges, adoption and use cases of container technology in organisations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa EMEA.
First, let’s set some context. Applications are getting more complex, and the demand to develop faster is ever-increasing. To better respond to today’s fast-paced, software-driven markets, organisations are changing the way they design, build and deploy applications, using cloud-native architectures based on containers and this trend is expected to continue.
According to industry analyst firm IDC, by 2024, 75% of enterprises will prioritise infrastructure agility and operational efficiency, leading to a 5x increase in the adoption of cloud-native architectures for core business applications.1 This mirrors findings from our own study, in which cloud adoption 33%, scalable operations 30% and improved productivity 29% were among the top business benefits identified by respondents for using containers.
Among those rating container-based development as a high or important priority, 30% are motivated by the need to deliver new types of application services
In light of this, it comes as no surprise that container-based development was noted as a high or important priority for 91% of respondents who are directly involved in application development and deployment through producing software application code or deploying application services.
Among those rating container-based development as a high or important priority, thirty% 30% are motivated by the need to deliver new types of application services, while another 19% are turning to containers as a way to better support business groups in their organisation. Given the broad use of containers throughout the IT industry, the technology also presents a professional growth opportunity for developers. Forty% 40% of these respondents pointed to career progression as a key driver for using them.
Container-based development was noted as a high or important priority for 91% of respondents
As the use of containers increases, so does the need for capabilities that support this growth. Platforms like Kubernetes that help orchestrate, automate and manage containers are critical for making the technology tractable in an enterprise environment. Respondents recognise this, with 61% acknowledging that they need container orchestration services; however, 19% of these respondents view it as being too complex to implement themselves.
Consequently, more than half of all respondents expect container development in their organisation will be conducted by a third-party service provider, either wholly 24% or through a combination of service provider and in-house resources 32%.
Among respondents who are decision-makers or influencing the choice of container-based programming technologies, usability of tooling services 37% and reputation and trust 44% are the two leading requirements governing their choice of vendor to support their container-based application goals. Those that get the balance right between developing and engaging internal talent and working with external partners should be well-positioned to meet the growing cloud opportunity.
According to IDC, ecosystem of tech companies helping customers migrate to cloud environments, create new innovations in the cloud, and manage their expanding cloud environments will enable enterprises to meet their accelerated schedules for moving to cloud.2
More than half of all respondents expect container development in their organisation will be conducted by a third-party service provider
Overall, container adoption is high among organisations represented in the survey, with 71% of respondents indicating that they are actively using the technology in some form, whether in widespread production 22%, limited production 26% or in pilot projects 23%.
There is a strong appetite for containers that reflects a drive to modernise as well as improve the quality, performance and security of applications. Forty-six% of respondents who are involved in producing software application code or deploying application services placed container-based applications as a top software development priority over the next 12 months. This is followed by improving quality, performance and security 43%, strengthening CI and CD processes 32%, improving portability 29% and migrating to cloud-based operations 27%.
40% of respondents pointed to career progression as a key driver for using containers
34% of technical respondents who are directly involved in producing software application code or deploying application services and have direct container programming and development experience named support for hybrid IT operations as a key development and operational benefit of using containers. Hybrid cloud is the ongoing reality within organisations at multiple levels – infrastructure, tools and applications – necessitating a multifaceted open platform and support services capable of mitigating the complexity drain on productivity and velocity.
The survey findings show that respondents see containers providing both technical and business benefits that validate their role in enabling application portability and a consistent deployment model for hybrid IT operations. Out of the 524 respondents who were served on the issue, 43% said the predominant types of container-based applications being developed and deployed within organisations are those that simplify integration and consistency for internal systems and components.
The overarching trend that we see coming out of this survey is that containers are more than just a ‘nice-to-have’ technology. They are an important element to sustainability and success for today’s organisations. And with the increased realisation of their business benefits, alongside their IT capabilities, the race is now on to leverage containers to enable greater competitive advantage.
To better respond to today’s fast-paced, software-driven markets, with applications getting more complex, the demand to develop faster needs to be met.
