Revolutionise your development process with containers – but watch out for the pitfalls

What are containers and what opportunities does this technology offer?

“When we talk about containers, what we’re talking about, technology-wise, is Kubernetes and cloud native applications and platforms, i.e. ones that are designed and built in and for cloud environments. Cloud native computing is a modern technology stack for building and distributing applications in the cloud and involves the use of containers that are orchestrated in platforms, such as Kubernetes. One of the advantages of cloud native computing is that it enables faster development cycles and a higher degree of automation – which not only increases efficiency, but also reduces the risk of manual errors.”

What, in your experience, are the most common mistakes companies make in connection with containers?

“One of the most common mistakes by far is forgetting basic functions such as monitoring, security, maintenance and backups of persistent storage, and documentation. And poorly organised GIT repos – or the total lack thereof – can make it difficult to trace errors or update code.”

“These are all problems that operating organisations solved decades ago when it comes to operating virtual servers in hypervisor environments, but which many forget to resolve in conjunction with a technology shift to containers, and this can result in incidents and data loss.”

What’s the key to keeping track of these issues?

“When it comes to monitoring, it’s important both to have a good grasp of what needs to be monitored and to make sure that you have a clear plan for handling any anomalies and problems that may arise. From a security viewpoint, meanwhile, it’s important to make sure that you have the right network segmentation. Network segmentation is an important issue in networks in general, but it’s particularly important in CNIs, or “Kubernetes networks”. It’s vital that the network is properly segmented in order to prevent unauthorised access and protect data transferred between containers. You also need clearly defined roles and permissions in order to avoid security risks and unauthorised access.”

“It’s also important to ensure that you have a plan for handling maintenance, patching, and upgrades, and one for persistent storage backups, in order to avoid losing important data. Finally, you need clear documentation, including documentation of applications and their configuration, network and security policies, maintenance and upgrade plans, backup and recovery routines, and how any incidents are to be handled.”

How can Iver help its clients on their journey towards a container-based infrastructure?

“We have a strong consultancy organisation that can help our clients with everything from advice to building entire Kubernetes environments and CI/CD pipelines. We also have a strong operations organisation that guarantees secure, customised solutions. Iver, as a company, has both a deep understanding and extensive experience of operating and managing socially critical services run in containers. As a result, we have the skills needed to ensure maximum possible availability for our clients’ applications.”

“The Iver group also has our own secure cloud in Cleura, where a container cluster can be built in just a few minutes, ensuring that our clients have a secure, reliable, and scalable platform on which to run their applications. Another important factor is that Iver has its own SOC, or Security Operations Centre, that can monitor the security of our clients’ environments around the clock, guaranteeing the maximum possible security and integrity for their data. Collectively, these parameters make Iver a reliable and forward-looking partner for clients who want to get started on container solutions.”  

Interested in finding out more about Cloud native computing and how Iver can support you in your organisation’s cloud journey? Get in touch using the form below!