Expert Take on Kubernetes: Container Orchestration and Automation

Kubernetes is an open-source platform that helps manage and automate the deployment, scaling, and operation of applications in containers (a technology used to package applications so they can run consistently anywhere). It’s like a manager which provides a framework for deployment, scaling and managing of applications in containers. Support engineer Harika discusses Kubernetes and her experience with and explores how it makes application scaling, resource management, and automation easier and paves the way for new cloud-native approaches.

Harika's journey with Kubernetes began with her role as a support engineer, where she was instrumental in resolving intricate cluster issues for customers and in guiding resource utilization for better performance. By ensuring best practices, such as maintaining a minimum of three nodes (excluding the master node for application hosting), she ensured optimal performance and high availability. Additionally, she played an important role in securing Kubernetes environments, advocating for measures like Managed Service Identity (MSI) and Service Principal (SP) rotation, as critical steps in protecting against unauthorized access.
Her work also involved orchestrating environments to troubleshoot CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operation issues, ensuring their systems run smoothly and efficiently. 

Reflecting on the impact of her work, Harika highlights how she enhanced customer satisfaction by resolving network configuration challenges and addressing capacity issues related to overloaded SKUs on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). She used to successfully resolve the issue by checking internal documentation, and external resources, and seeing if anyone posted about the issues in their team's channel. Then she would escalate the issue to her technical advisor, towards the next step and keep customers informed. This collaborative problem-solving approach resolved problems and improved the reliability of the services.

Harika's expertise extends to several Azure container services, including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Registry (ACR), and Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO). However, the majority of her efforts have been concentrated on AKS, where she tackled problems, such as scaling workloads, optimizing resource allocation, and maintaining up-to-date Kubernetes versions. Her proactive efforts ensured that customers could leverage the potential of Kubernetes from development to deployment.

However, these results were also because of her proactive interest in learning more about Kubernetes. Early on, she had to overcome the daunting task of mastering Kubernetes and related technologies in a short timeframe. She dedicated herself to self-learning, attending training sessions, and seeking mentorship/guidance from senior engineers, to gain a deeper understanding of the technology. This proactive approach enabled her to quickly troubleshoot issues, provide effective customer support, and contribute to incident resolutions, ultimately improving customer satisfaction.

From her experience, she tells us that she has seen how Kubernetes changes the game in managing applications. It makes deploying and scaling microservices a lot easier, and automation is key to keeping everything running smoothly. “Kubernetes lets us focus on building better software, while it handles it simplifies deployment, scaling, and management,” she explains. When asked about the trends in Kubernetes, Harika is optimistic about its growth. "AI and machine learning workloads are becoming increasingly common on Kubernetes, and there would be a rise in serverless computing and enhanced security features. There’s also going to be more focus on improving monitoring and managing apps across multiple cloud platforms.”

For those embarking on their Kubernetes journey, Harika offers a bit of advice: "To start with the basics, get comfortable with automation, and always stay on top of security trends." Through her work, Harikahas experienced the impact Kubernetes can have on application management and her experience can serve as an encouragement for individuals looking to dabble their toes in understanding Kubernetes to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of container orchestration.