Organizations today are delivering their innovation through modern application software approaches. This often drives the need to support containers and Kubernetes. Most organizations have existing private infrastructure on-premises while also exploring and adopting public cloud services. It can be overwhelming to determine what is the best way to preserve existing investments while evolving in this new world of multiple software architectures and multiple deployment options.
Dell’s Solution Strategy for containers is to provide the leading Kubernetes distributions across a range of hosting options.
Add Container Support Today
We have solutions that enable you to add container support to your existing operations today. You can do this while preserving and extending your existing investments.
Modern software architectures are becoming microservices-based. Organizations are using microservices to decompose their older monolithic applications and bring new services quickly to life. These loosely coupled software modules are combined with existing services and data sources through APIs. Containers are how microservices are deployed. These need an orchestration platform and Kubernetes is the de facto standard.
Kubernetes is an open-source project maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Some organizations will integrate their own environment from the upstream bits. Many organizations want to avoid the pitfalls inherent in building a platform. Our recommendation is to adopt one of the commercial distributions of Kubernetes. We are committed to driving a strong ecosystem of partnerships with the major providers of those distributions.
Today we have solutions for Amazon EKS Anywhere, Google Anthos, Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service, Red Hat OpenShift, SUSE Rancher and VMware Tanzu. These solutions include options for both bare-metal and virtualized deployments. This creates a level playing field so you can choose your preferred stack.
A Solution Based on Your Needs
When it comes to establishing your on-premises modern application hosting environment, every organization, even each product team, may need a different approach. There are three main strategies we see being used by our customers: As-a-Service, Turnkey and Build your own.
The as-a-Service approach is for organizations that want to avoid configuration and even day-to-day management of the underlying hardware. It allows them to focus on their applications instead of infrastructure. Our APEX Solutions provide the as-a-service option. We deliver infrastructure to your site or colo, get it up and running for you and even manage it on a daily basis if you so choose. For a VMware Tanzu-based solution APEX Cloud Services with VMware Cloud is a fully managed modern apps environment. Alternatively, we’ve just announced APEX Containers for Red Hat OpenShift as a fully managed solution.
The turnkey approach involves choosing a pre-integrated environment with streamlined lifecycle management. This speeds adoption by reducing configuration and integration tasks and simplifies day-2 operations for better efficiency and reliability. Some examples are our solutions for Google Anthos on PowerFlex or Amazon EKS Anywhere on PowerFlex with your choice of a virtualized deployment or bare metal. Of course, there are solutions for other Kubernetes distributions on PowerFlex as well. VxRail is jointly engineered with VMware to provide a seamless, curated and optimized hyperconverged experience with automated full-stack lifecycle management.
There are a variety of Kubernetes solutions with VxRail including the recently announced Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations on VxRail. For a Microsoft-centric approach, the Dell Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI allows you to deploy and manage containerized applications with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
A build-your-own (BYO) approach allows complete control including choosing industry-leading components like our PowerEdge server line, our purpose-built storage like PowerStore, PowerMax, PowerScale, or ObjectScale and PowerSwitch open networking. The flexibility of this approach means that we have BYO solutions for all the distributions. An example is our collection of SUSE Rancher based solutions. Our container storage interface (CSI) drivers and our innovative Container Storage Modules ensure that your persistent volumes will be supported across the line.
Whichever approach you choose we’ve also got you covered for protecting your operations from downtime and data loss. PowerProtect Data Manager is an enterprise-grade solution that was developed in collaboration with the Velero open-source community. It protects both virtualized and containerized applications, as well as the infrastructure that runs them to provide business continuity and disaster recovery for modern applications. Protecting your modern apps must include protecting your operations from ransomware. Cyber Vault and Cyber Recovery are a perfect addition to your cloud-native environment.
When it comes to enabling DevOps in your organization, Dell has the expertise, integrations, and tools that enable you to pragmatically evolve your approach starting today.
How to Get Started
Kubernetes is a crucial component of application modernization strategies. Dell is focused on providing a complete portfolio of solutions for Kubernetes. With a comprehensive portfolio and an open approach, we are a trusted partner. Our solutions and services support your transformation and adoption journey with modern architectures, automation tooling, and multicloud deployment options for breakthrough applications.
We will be at KubeCon NA 2022 in Detroit October 24-28, 2022. Please stop by or check out our virtual booth at the event. You can register for the virtual event here. For more information, please visit our developer portal, Kubernetes and DevOps web pages.
