Kubernetes can't be contained: Even if you're not a DevOps type, it's likely you've heard of Kubernetes, the open-source container orchestration platform that has become the industry standard in just a couple of years. Kubernetes originated at Google, which had used it and previous incarnations of the idea to run its own operations. That's undoubtedly one reason for Kubernetes' rapid start out of the gate when Google open-sourced it in 2014.
Containers are lightweight packages that include everything an application needs to execute—binaries, config files and so forth—so they can run the same across different environments and systems. Kubernetes handles the job of deploying and managing armies of containers, which offer benefits for developers, IT operations staff as well as end-users in the form of stability and performance.
It's overseen by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, which the Linux Foundation formed in 2015. The CNCF now has 13 other open-source projects under its purview, many of which are focused on container-related functions. The group now has 160 members representing every top enterprise technology vendor; this week, Salesforce joined the CNCF in another prominent addition.
Another momentum data point: This week's KubeCon event in Austin, Texas drew greater than 4,000 attendees. That's well over three times the number who showed up one year ago.
It's not difficult to read the tea leaves, says Constellation VP and principal analyst Holger Mueller.
"Enterprises want portability and containers give them that," he says. "The more support for a container there is, the more they want it. So the flywheel is working for Kubernetes." Last week at its re:Invent conference, Amazon Web Services announced its own distribution of Kubernetes, even though it offers a homegrown container orchestration system. There's only one way to interpret that, Mueller says: "The war is over. Kubernetes has won."
Cisco buys Cmpute.io for managing cloud spend: This week, Cisco quietly struck a deal to buy Cmpute.io, a Bangalore company focused on helping enterprises manage their cloud spending. Cisco's Rob Salvagno gave the rationale for the acquisition in a blog post:
Cmpute.io’s software solution analyzes cloud-deployed workloads and consumption patterns, and identifies cost-optimization strategies. The solution helps customers right-size their cloud workload instances, minimize overprovisioning, and avoid paying for resources that don’t deliver business value.
With a multicloud strategy, customers need to budget, buy, and consume differently. Cmpute.io’s technology added to existing Cisco solutions will help our customers optimize their cloud consumption to ensure optimal business value.
Cmpute.io's team and technology will be rolled into Cisco's CloudCenter group.
POV: Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, so the price tag was likely on the smaller side. The more important thing to note is how Cisco's move ties into a broader cloud industry trend, where the market has become somewhat binary. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure hold the lead in IaaS, with Google, IBM and Oracle trying to bring up their market share. Cisco, HPE and other players who attempted to launch a public IaaS but were compelled to fold their hand under too-stiff competition are trying to make money by helping customers manage multi-cloud spend, which is arguably a runaround way to compete with the IaaS leaders.
Oracle and MongoDB's dueling earnings: This is the time of year when enterprise tech industry news slows down for a bit, but there are still some notable items to watch. One is Oracle's Q2 earnings report, which is due out Dec. 14.
The quarter is typically one of Oracle's slower ones yet the numbers, when they're released, could be telling. For Q2 is the first quarter in which customers could take advantage of new programs geared toward convincing them to adopt Oracle's IaaS and PaaS.
The programs include a BYOL (bring your own license) option for Oracle's database and middleware, wherein customers can transfer their existing on-premises licenses to Oracle's IaaS. Those who move database licenses there can run them "at a fraction of the old PaaS price," Oracle said at the time.
Oracle also rolled out universal credits for PaaS and IaaS, which it described as follows:
Customers have one simple contract that provides unlimited access to all current and future Oracle PaaS and IaaS services, spanning Oracle Cloud and Oracle Cloud at Customer. Customers gain on-demand access to all services plus the benefit of the lower cost of pre-paid services. Additionally, they have the flexibility to upgrade, expand or move services across datacenters based on their requirements.
Go here for Constellation VP and principal analyst Holger Mueller's deep-dive on Oracle's new programs. Other metrics to watch in Oracle's Q2 include trend shifts in the sale of new on-premises licenses, how well Oracle SaaS is selling across different categories, and mentions of "all-in" customer wins, particularly for Oracle cloud services.
Oracle has a long and rich history, with a market capitalization of more than $200 billion. In a bit of counterpoint, NoSQL database vendor MongoDB will issue its first earnings report since going public in October. The tech unicorn has been posting heavy losses as many hot startups do, but eyes will be closely watching MongoDB's numbers, particularly any guidance it provides on future quarters. MongoDB's leadership has long positioned the company as an alternative to Oracle's database; to that end, some of the closest observers of its numbers may be watching from a certain set of towers in Redwood Shores.