DevOps has become a critical aspect of software development and companies are continuously searching for the best DevOps platform to suit their needs. In response, companies like Red Hat are continuously developing innovative solutions like OpenShift to provide advanced features for enterprise-level DevOps. However, with the growing demand for DevOps, the competition has also become more intense.
In this article, we will examine how enterprise purchasing decisions for DevOps platforms have evolved and what this means for Red Hat’s OpenShift product development. We will also discuss the competitive pressure on Red Hat as public cloud providers add developer-friendly features to managed Kubernetes services. Additionally, we will explore ExxonMobil’s use of OpenShift, the expanding battlefield of the DevOps platform, Red Hat’s new OpenShift features, and the challenges it still faces.
Enterprise purchasing decisions for DevOps platforms
The demand for DevOps platforms has significantly grown since their inception, and enterprise purchasing decisions have evolved to meet the changing demands of the market. Today, companies seek platforms that emphasize layers of infrastructure beyond Kubernetes. This new trend means that companies like Red Hat must continually adapt their solutions to meet these challenges.
Emphasis on layers of infrastructure beyond Kubernetes
Traditionally, Kubernetes was the go-to choice for managing containerized workloads. However, today, organizations require a more robust management solution capable of managing the infrastructure underlying Kubernetes. This has created opportunities for companies like Red Hat to expand its OpenShift platform to cater to these needs.
Expanding Opportunities for Red Hat OpenShift Product Development
With this new trend, Red Hat has been hard at work developing new solutions and improving its OpenShift platform to meet customer demands. By providing advanced features for enterprise-level DevOps, Red Hat has expanded opportunities for product development in the DevOps market.
Competitive Pressure on Red Hat
As Red Hat continues to improve its OpenShift platform, the competition within the DevOps market has become increasingly intense. Companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google now offer managed Kubernetes services with developer-friendly features that appeal to enterprise customers.
Public cloud providers are adding developer-friendly features to their managed Kubernetes services
Public cloud providers are now offering managed Kubernetes services that provide enterprise-level features such as security, scalability, and ease of use. This poses a significant challenge for Red Hat, which must continuously innovate and improve its OpenShift solution to meet customer demands.
ExxonMobil’s use of OpenShift
Despite increasing competition, ExxonMobil has chosen to stick with Red Hat’s OpenShift platform. In recent years, ExxonMobil has deployed OpenShift alongside public cloud providers’ managed Kubernetes services.
Advanced security features
One of the critical factors behind ExxonMobil’s decision was OpenShift’s advanced security features, which align with ExxonMobil’s security protocols. OpenShift’s enhanced security and compliance features provide the necessary peace of mind needed for ExxonMobil to deploy applications in a public cloud environment.
Access to Red Hat Professional Services for refactoring legacy applications
Another critical factor was ExxonMobil’s access to Red Hat’s Professional Services team, which offered assistance in refactoring ExxonMobil’s legacy applications. Red Hat and Microsoft Azure professional services teams also helped to convert some ExxonMobil’s monolithic on-premises apps into microservices as the company expanded into the public cloud in 2021.
The Expanded Battlefield of the DevOps Platform
As the demand for DevOps platforms has grown, the battlefield has expanded to cover many fronts beyond software development. Today, the DevOps platform includes software supply chain security, cloud-native networking and observability, alongside multi-cluster and multi-cloud Kubernetes management.
Software supply chain security
With the rise of supply chain attacks, organizations are now seeking DevOps platforms that can provide software supply chain security. Red Hat has recognized this need and is continuously improving its OpenShift platform to provide enhanced security features for customers.
Cloud-native networking and observability
As organizations deploy applications in public cloud environments, the need for cloud-native networking and observability becomes more critical. Red Hat’s OpenShift platform offers advanced container networking and metrics monitoring, providing a comprehensive solution for these needs.
Multi-cluster and multi-cloud Kubernetes management
Organizations today deploy applications across multiple clusters and cloud platforms. This has created a need for DevOps platforms that can provide multi-cluster and multi-cloud Kubernetes management features. Red Hat’s OpenShift platform offers these features, making it an attractive choice for companies with complex deployment needs.
New OpenShift Features from Red Hat
In response to the expanding needs of the DevOps platform, Red Hat has continued to innovate and improve its OpenShift platform. Recently, Red Hat added new features to OpenShift that cater to the speed- and security-focused audience.
Trusted software supply chain
Trusted Software Supply Chain is a new feature that consists of two cloud services, Trusted Application Pipeline and Red Hat Trusted Content, alongside the existing Quay container registry and Advanced Cluster Security (ACS) cloud services. These new features provide enhanced security and compliance for customers.
Despite these improvements, Red Hat still faces challenges in clarifying, from a platform engineering perspective, how Service Interconnect will fit with the other cloud-native networking projects already integrated with OpenShift. This challenge is an opportunity for Red Hat to continue innovating and improving its platform.
Service Interconnect and other cloud-native networking projects
Red Hat officials acknowledge that the company needs to better clarify how Service Interconnect will fit with other cloud-native networking projects already integrated with OpenShift. This clarification process will be critical for the broader adoption of Red Hat’s OpenShift platform.
As the DevOps platform battlefield expands, service mesh vendors – including Isovalent, Kong, and Buoyant – now market tools to manage multi-cluster and multi-cloud environments, as well as non-container resources. These vendors offer the next level of platform development needed to manage complex environments.
Red Hat’s Confidence in Its Engineering Talent
Red Hat’s chief product officer, Ashesh Badani, remains confident in its engineering talent, including observability. Red Hat’s ongoing investment in its team and the continued development of its OpenShift platform will enable the company to remain competitive in the DevOps market.
Red Hat’s Continued Innovation in Kubernetes Technology
Red Hat’s continued innovation in Kubernetes technology ensures that it will remain a leader in the DevOps market. By providing advanced features for enterprise-level DevOps, Red Hat remains confident that it is continuing to push the envelope as far as being Kubernetes innovators.
The DevOps platform has grown in importance, and with it, the need for more advanced solutions that can manage complex environments. Red Hat’s OpenShift platform has continued to innovate and improve to meet customers’ demands continuously. However, with the rise of public cloud providers and the expanding battlefield of the DevOps platform, Red Hat must continue to invest in its team and platform to remain competitive. Red Hat’s focus on innovation and development makes it an excellent choice for companies looking for robust DevOps solutions.