Ever Since Kubernetes launched in 2014, it has been winning the world praises with each release. However, one topic that repeatedly comes up is how shifting workloads over to Kubernetes will help the organization and how building this great internal PaaS will provide value to certain groups within the organization and yada yada yada. 

The fallacy with this mindset is it’s generally held by upper management who many times is so far removed from Kubernetes that they don’t understand it. Through no fault of their own, many times they view Kubernetes as a way to save management and the organization from years of mistakes and missteps that have put them and their subordinates behind the technology curve and increased their rate of toil.

Expecting Kubernetes to solve these very large and existential management problems is the equivalent of giving a poorly skilled driver the keys to a vehicle with all-wheel drive and expecting the vehicle to “save” them and improve their haphazard driving skills. Inevitably the driver is shocked and surprised when they have their next wreck and will ultimately blame the car because it didn’t do what they expected it to do. 

If only Kubernetes had an External Management Autoscaler (EMA) to give higher-ups a proper expectation and help them understand that Kubernetes will exacerbate their management shortcomings if they do not adapt the organization to it.

Takeaways. If you find yourself in a decision-making position within the organization here is a list of things to consider before or after having adopted Kubernetes. 

• Consistent training

• open-source participation

• making data-driven decisions based on expanded observability

• re-examing your internal software supply chain

• adopting SBOMs

• promoting from within, burnout

• maintaining appropriate Kubernetes headcount

• Adopting a structure where Kubernetes is the language of application deployment 

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ThnkBiG is a global technology services, solutions, and staffing firm specializing in Kubernetes Implementation & Operationalization and DevOps Cloud Services to small medium-sized businesses, smb commercial, and government customers. Our managed and consulting services are a cost efficient option, and we scale as your needs do. With our SRE expertise, we operationalize Kubernetes environments both large and small using best practices, automation, cloud-native open-source tools, and technology.