Software must make way for containerization and Kubernetes

Nowadays, it’s very common to use an application or piece of software on your phone for most everyday tasks, such as adjusting the temperature in your home or even turning on the lights. But this convenience can actually be a hindrance – and in the context of service provision to an end customer – a slightly different priority is given.

Service is complex and fluid

Inflexible software can threaten even the best service provider plans. Service companies are often complex in nature, and through acquisitions or organizations that partner with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, aftermarket parts manufacturers or temporary employees, they are often threatened by a cultural mismatch. Moreover, the service itself does not fit into a box; instead, it encompasses many industries that provide home or mobile services to end customers.

The purpose of service software is to improve the service process, help complete the action, and not disrupt it in any way. But this level of complexity means that many service providers struggle to get their teams coordinated to use the available technologies.

For example, if an HVAC installation provider can only schedule technician work schedules based on availability capabilities three weeks in advance and can’t update them on the day of the day, they won’t be able to use their time efficiently. Changes due to illness, a sudden high-priority outage, or other day-to-day issues may occur. If software isn’t customizable, it’s worse than pen and paper. It’s a hindrance.

Get a grip on containerization to break through complexity

That’s why service providers should look at containerized applications. Gartner has predicted that by 2023, 70% of global organizations will be using more than two containerized applications — up from just 20% in 2019. The concept of containerization, in its simplest terms, is that software is packaged, with all the supporting processes, enabling it to be used at the discretion of the end user.

With containerization, service organizations can start introducing massive levels of flexibility further down the value chain, be it reverse or last mile logistics, virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). The options are huge.

Far away in the cloud or on the ground: flexible deployment at the heart of containerization

Cloud-based solutions and containerization are inextricably linked. A cloud-first software product enables service organizations to completely relieve the IT burden of managing maintenance, upgrades, licensing and operations.

But a containerized product, one that naturally lives in the cloud, can just as easily be packaged and deployed on a home server with the same internal structure, APIs, and effect. If your infrastructure requires it, cloud solutions can meet those needs, not dictate the terms of how you interact with the product.

Depending on the user, even the deployment of service software requires flexibility. Some service companies simply require, perhaps for legal reasons, that their solutions be managed on-premises. Others have their own managed cloud space that they want to use.

Others are in a position to move to the cloud. None of this (or any other adoption permutation) is wrong, and software that supports that flexibility will be key.

Containerization opens the door to greater agility and new technology — enter Kubernetes

Once a service organization has implemented a containerized software architecture in a way that works for its business, it can introduce huge levels of flexibility further down the value chain. This could be the introduction of a new business model, such as reverse logistics, or new technologies for engineers, such as AR and VR, and for expert-expert or expert-to-expert collaboration.

Enter Kubernetes.

Kubernetes is the open source technology that enables containerization. It is a must have for cloud computing because it simplifies system configuration, increases reliability, enables faster software deployment, and improves the efficient use of computing resources. According to a survey by VMware, 95% of participants realized benefits from Kubernetes, including 56% who said they saw improved resource use.

Kubernetes-enabled software can accelerate the pace for service companies to bring new features and capabilities to market and into the hands of customers. In turn, companies themselves can quickly adapt to changes in the market and regulations, and even turn that agility into a competitive advantage, benefiting the end user only tenfold from a service perspective.

Peak demand or business interruption, your services will always be there

The benefits of containerization are clear: it is a multi-purpose, multi-benefit software approach that will only improve service delivery. Kubernetes and containers are built to be highly scalable and can even be set up to scale services up and down in real time. When traffic to those servers increases or decreases, it’s reassuring that your services are always readily available to employees and customers – not limited to the surge in demand that depends on market forces.

Raymond Jones is SVP of Cloud Operations at IFS.