Kubernetes serves as the backbone for orchestrating our containerized applications, ensuring scalability, reliability, and optimal resource utilization. With features like self-healing, auto-scaling, and load balancing, Kubernetes enables us to maintain service uptime and consistent performance, even under fluctuating workloads. Over the years, Kubernetes has become our industry standard, reflected not only in its rich ecosystem of tools and integrations but also in its rapidly growing community support and its frequent, reliable updates. Its ability to adapt to diverse use cases, from simple deployments to complex multi-environment workflows, makes it a foundational part of our architecture.
As early adopters of Kubernetes, we initially drove its adoption to address the challenges of managing modern, distributed systems. While alternatives like Docker Swarm and Nomad were evaluated, they fell short in terms of robustness and community maturity. Today, we focus on managed Kubernetes solutions such as Cloud Container Engine (CCE), STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and on-premise options like Tanzu, ensuring a stable and scalable foundation for critical workloads. This enables us to meet specific needs, such as sovereign-managed options for sensitive environments or integrations like Microsoft Entra ID for Azure-based workloads. Dedicated Platform Teams provide best practices, policies, and guardrails to enable secure and effective Kubernetes adoption for customers and developers alike. Despite its steep learning curve, Kubernetes has transformed how we manage infrastructure, enabling modern frameworks like GitOps while allowing us to scale seamlessly to meet demanding workloads.