VIEWPOINT
TAILORING KUBERNETES FOR TELCOS BART SALAETS, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EMEA SOLUTION ARCHITECTS AT F5, ON WHY KUBERNETES IS THE NEXT STEP FOR TELCOS.
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n the IT world, Kubernetes is everywhere. Supported by more than 43,000 contributors, this open-source system has become the default way to deploy modern applications in the cloud. Why? Simply put, Kubernetes makes life much easier for developers, speeding up the rollout of apps and adding value to the underlying platform for end-users. Kubernetes, also known as k8s, has recently turned heads in the telecoms industry, as operators look to make the transition from walled gardens to open platforms. The system is set to be an intrinsic part of the flexible cloud-native 36
CXO INSIGHT ME
APRIL 2021
architecture required to bring out the best in standalone 5G networks. A true cloud-native network offers a myriad of benefits, from rapid deployment of services and automation to much greater resiliency and efficiency. As a case in point, Google deploys more than two billion containers a week using its internal platform Borg, which was the predecessor to Kubernetes. This kind of flexibility and scalability is fundamental to the telco cloud vision— the idea that 5G networks will become a versatile platform for a wide range of services and apps developed by third parties. As it enables telcos to deploy
apps in portable containers, Kubernetes can, for example, bring services to the edge of the network, closer to endusers, reducing latency. Abstract and appealing for developers So, what does Kubernetes actually do? A modern application is typically built out of different microservices, each handling a specific function, such as order management, reporting, or payments. Once the microservices are packaged in containers, Kubernetes automates their deployment, scaling, and management. Kubernetes can also
