What is Kubernetes?

The digital transformation is constantly presenting companies with new challenges. Applications need to be deployed quickly, scaled flexibly and operated with high availability. This is exactly where Kubernetes comes into play. But what exactly does this term, which appears in almost every modern IT strategy, mean and why should you, as a decision-maker, concern yourself with it?

Kubernetes simply explained

Nowadays, people often talk about containers and automation. And rightly so, because containers make it possible to run applications independently of their environment in a lightweight way. This allows software solutions to be developed faster, distributed more easily and operated with fewer resources. However, containers alone only solve part of the problem. Only when they are coordinated, monitored and managed automatically do they unfold their full benefits. This is exactly where Kubernetes comes in.

Kubernetes (often called K8s) is an open source system for orchestrating containers. It ensures that containers run reliably, are automatically distributed and restarted in the event of problems.

A simple image: Imagine you are conducting an orchestra. Each musician plays their instrument (container), but harmony is only created by the conductor (Kubernetes). Kubernetes therefore takes on the role of conductor and ensures structure, reliability and smooth interaction.

What’s more, Kubernetes has a huge and rapidly growing ecosystem with tools, extensions and an active community. This makes the platform a standard in the modern IT world.

Why should decision-makers rely on Kubernetes?

As a decision-maker, you are primarily interested in the added value for your company – not the technical fine-tuning. Kubernetes offers you precisely the advantages that are decisive for competitiveness today:

Flexibility

With Kubernetes, you can adapt, expand or migrate applications quickly and easily. This is particularly valuable if your company needs to tap into new markets or respond quickly to customer needs.

Scalability

Kubernetes enables flexible scaling without incurring high hardware costs. Intelligent workload distribution optimizes the use of resources, balances load peaks and increases availability.

Reliability

Faulty containers are automatically detected and restarted so that business processes remain stable. Kubernetes ensures that applications are always error-free and can automatically switch to alternative infrastructure resources in the event of problems.

Efficiency

Kubernetes orchestrates workloads dynamically. This not only reduces infrastructure costs, but also operational expenditure.

Competitiveness

Kubernetes enables a faster development process through Continuous Integration & Deployment (CI/CD), simpler testing and therefore faster deployment. Companies can take advantage of market opportunities more quickly and thus secure a competitive advantage.

Innovation

Because Kubernetes supports cloud-native applications and promotes agile development methods, developers can experiment safely and test new functions quickly without affecting the overall system.

Automation

Automation reduces manual intervention. This not only minimizes errors, but also relieves the burden on IT teams and speeds up operational processes.

Typical application scenarios

• Microservices architectures: Complex applications are divided into smaller, independent services.
• Faster software development: DevOps teams can provide applications continuously (CI/CD).
• Edge computing: Kubernetes also orchestrates containers at the edge of the network, for example for IoT solutions.

Challenges and what you should consider

As powerful as Kubernetes is, it also involves complexity. Its setup and operation require special know-how. For decision-makers, this means

• Check whether your company has the necessary IT expertise or whether external partners need to be involved.
• Consider whether a managed Kubernetes service makes sense to reduce internal effort.
• Allow enough time for change management and training so that your teams can use Kubernetes successfully.

Kubernetes is not a sure-fire success, but with the right strategy it is a powerful tool.

Conclusion: Kubernetes is an enabler for digital innovation

Kubernetes is more than just a technical trend. It is a basic technology for modern IT infrastructures and offers you flexibility, scalability and security. Especially at a time when speed and the ability to innovate are crucial, you should have Kubernetes on your strategic agenda.

Whether in your own data center or in the cloud: with Kubernetes, you can make your company technologically future-proof.

Making the advantages of Kubernetes directly usable

As CNCF Certified Kubernetes®, we have extensive expertise and are happy to support you in setting up your Kubernetes environment. Quickly and easily and without any of the challenges mentioned above. Find out more here.