What To Consider When Choosing an Enterprise Container Management Solution

Containers are transforming enterprise IT. Renowned for their compatibility, support, scalability and integration with existing systems, containers make it easier to scale applications and drive cloud native strategies. However, many organizations need support in managing those platforms effectively. 

Two of the most common paths are to invest in container orchestration platforms, such as Kubernetes, or container management platforms, such as SUSE Rancher Prime. While they both help manage containers across your organization, there are some key differences: container orchestration platforms automate the management of many containers, while container management platforms create, manage and secure containerized applications.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you choose the container management solution that is the best fit for your specific enterprise.

What To Look for in an Enterprise Container Management Platform

When choosing an enterprise container management solution, here are some key criteria to keep in mind:

• Compatibility with existing infrastructure. The container management solution you choose should integrate smoothly with your current IT systems, cloud platforms and on-premises environments. 
• Support for multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments. Choose a container management solution that supports deployment across multiple cloud providers such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, as well as hybrid infrastructures. This will help prevent vendor lock-in and give you flexibility.
• Scalability for enterprise workloads. Evaluate the container management solution’s ability to scale seamlessly as your enterprise workloads grow. Focus on both horizontal and vertical scaling capabilities.  
• Kubernetes integration and orchestration. Kubernetes has long been the gold standard for container orchestration. Your container management platform should seamlessly integrate with Kubernetes to manage large-scale container deployments. 
• Container security and compliance. Will the container management solution provide the security you need? Before choosing a vendor, ask about the solution’s role-based access control (RBAC), built-in zero-trust security policies, network policies and compliance with industry standards.
• Ease of use across different skill levels. The better the user experience for all skill levels, the higher rate of utilization you’ll get from the container’s capabilities.

A Container Management Platform Is Only as Good as Its Support and Maintenance

Container management platforms also have a variety of support options that are important to consider. You’ll want to evaluate the container management solutions for their support, patching and maintenance options. To keep your data safe, you should opt for a solution that offers regular updates. And look for 24/7 technical support — you can’t afford downtime for your most critical systems. 

You’ll also want to consider whether you’d prefer a managed container service or a self-hosted container management platform. Managed container services, such as SUSE Rancher Prime, are highly reliable, secure and scalable. They also reduce overhead because you don’t have to manage them yourself. Self-hosting a container platform may be a better choice if you have specific compliance requirements or you need a highly customizable environment. 

Another consideration is long-term viability. Ask about the vendor’s plans for updates and feature enhancements and see if they align with your enterprise’s goals.

Integrating Container Management Platforms with Existing DevOps Practices and Tools

Your enterprise container management solution doesn’t just need to fit with your existing infrastructure; it also needs to integrate with your existing DevOps practices and tools. When you’re choosing a container management solution, think about how it will integrate with continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) tools. The solution you pick should improve the automation and deployment speed of your projects. 

Monitoring and performance management is also important. Look for a container management solution that provides robust observability to ensure optimal container performance. It’s worth asking the vendor about support for microservices architectures, too. There’s no application too small.

Enterprise Case Studies — Container Management in Real-World Scenarios

Enterprises from all industries frequently adopt container management solutions for critical applications. Here are two case studies that illustrate the scalability, security and efficiency benefits of containers in enterprise environments.

Hyundai Steel wanted to automate workloads. Because they were shifting from an on-premises, hardware-centric approach to open source-based implementation, Hyundai Steel embraced containerization, especially for microservices. They invested in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and SUSE Rancher Prime for their containerization solution. 

“SLES provided a stable and secure operating system, while SUSE Rancher Prime allowed us to configure microservices-based containers efficiently, addressing our specific industry needs,” said JongKyun Jeung, an IT Professional at Hyundai. 

Another example is Hexagon. Their Geosystems division was moving to containerized deployments with built-in, high-availability features to help increase the availability of applications. They implemented SUSE Rancher Prime to help with automation. SUSE Rancher Prime’s containerization capabilities allowed them to deploy a complete cluster with three nodes in just 15 minutes — something which before would have taken them several days.

SUSE Rancher Prime, The Enterprise Container Management Solution for Cloud Native Transformation

Containerization offers many advantages for enterprises, such as compatibility, scalability, security and support. IT leaders should evaluate their specific needs and choose a solution that aligns with both short-term and long-term company goals. 

For companies seeking to accelerate their cloud native transformation, SUSE Rancher Prime is a top choice. SUSE Rancher Prime accelerates deployment, enhances flexibility and streamlines operations—all with an open source foundation built to adapt as quickly as business needs change. Learn more about SUSE Rancher Prime here.