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Rasheed Amir

Is There an Accurate Cost of Ownership for Kubernetes Implementation?

Introduction


Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a crucial decision-making tool with various components that we should consider:


  1. We need to consider the cost of assets (software and hardware), including implementation, deployment, and operation.

  2. We should also take into account the cost of resources, such as required skills, learning, and training.

  3. It's essential to focus on the total value delivered by a product or system. We need to emphasize not only the cost but also the value it brings.

  4. It is important that we assess all the risks involved such as the cost-related risks or the risks associated with us not acquiring the solutions.

  5. We need to conduct benchmarking to evaluate our offerings against alternatives or industry standards.


Kubernetes (K8s) isn't exempt from this; we need to conduct a TCO analysis to grasp our budget requirements and long-term spending patterns.


Kubernetes adoption journey


However, it's important to note that Kubernetes implementation is a journey termed as the "K8s adoption journey". We go through preparation, experimentation, analysis, pilots, soft launches, and a well-defined scaling plan with adequate skills in place. It's important to remember that we shouldn't only consider hardware and software license costs in our calculations because the actual cost could be significantly higher.


Key cost elements to estimate your journey


To estimate our K8s adoption journey, it is important that we consider the following key cost elements:


  1. Infrastructure costs: Infrastructure costs are a crucial consideration when deciding on an infrastructure provider, whether it is on-premises, a public cloud, a private cloud, or a hybrid deployment. We must choose the provider that aligns best with our organization's specific needs and budgetary constraints

  2. Software costs: We will have to determine licensing or subscription costs based on our computing requirements.

  3. Deployment costs: We should consider the complexity of K8s and its integration with the underlying infrastructure, including platform services like logging, metrics, observability, and security.

  4. Workload costs: Accounting for the expenses related is considered necessary for developing new cloud-native services, modernizing our existing portfolios, rehosting legacy workloads, or running K8s-certified third-party software. Explore how Kubernetes Platform Assessment can help evaluate these costs.

  5. Resources and skills costs: By Investing in learning, training, new practices, team reorganization, and capabilities, we can ensure successful adoption.

  6. Testing costs: We should include the expenses related to testing the platform for performance, scalability, and reliability. In doing so, we strengthen our commitment to delivering a robust and dependable system.

  7. Day2 operations costs: We need to factor in team onboarding, manage resources and quotas, deploy workloads efficiently, and address various operational aspects.

  8. Platform adoption costs: Developing an adoption plan that encompasses training, certifications, workshops, marketing, and selling efforts to guarantee a successful adoption. Our approach will be meticulously designed and executed with a commitment to the successful implementation of the plan, emphasizing the importance of active participation and proactive measures.


Conclusion


The process of carefully selecting the right technology partners early on in our journey can be a pivotal factor in achieving success across all the crucial considerations that underpin our endeavors. At Stakater, our commitment to excellence is underscored by our extensive experience and proficiency in supporting customers on their Kubernetes adoption journeys. With our help, you can confidently proceed while staying firmly on course with your platform implementation plans.


Get in touch with us to discover more about how we, as your trusted technology partner, can assist you in initiating your adoption journey. Our team is well-prepared to guide you through this transformative endeavor, addressing your unique needs and ensuring a successful and efficient path forward.


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