September 14, 2021
Software virtualization has been around in one form on another since the 1960s. However, container-based virtualization is growing exponentially by virtualizing devices at the smart device edge. More and more are deploying on this edge, and organizations are deploying compute devices where the physical and digital worlds meet in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Edge-computing uses cases are growing rapidly in the IIoT, but deploying and managing huge amounts of edge compute devices is a major challenge. That’s where container-based virtualization comes in.
A lighter-weight version of virtualization, containers share a common host operating system. Unlike virtual machines, each container includes a particular application as well as its dependencies and configurations. The result? Lightweight application packages that are easy to deploy and maintain, portable across hardware architectures, and capable of extending concepts of cloud-native architectures to the smart device edge. The ability to extend these architectures to the edge is key to speed of development, deployment, and scalability. In other words, all the things that matter.
Organizations can deploy applications unpaired from hardware and packaged with their library and configuration dependencies across a range of hardware platforms. And they can deploy them at any level of the stack, from the smart device edge to the on-premises data center to the centralized cloud-based data center. The advantage is that architects and engineers can scale applications quickly from proof of concept all the way to global scale without costly rip and replace cycles.
But that’s not all. Containers also unlock the value of open architecture edge compute hardware. Because each container can operate independently, there’s no worry about breaking an existing application due to installing a new application with conflicting dependencies. With containers, processing and memory capacity is the only thing constraining compute resources. No more contact resolution.
To enable an organization’s digital transformation investment to evolve and grow its needs, leveraging open architectures and virtualization is key. Container-based virtualization has the potential to transform and accelerate the world of open architecture edge computing, digital transformation, and the IIoT. Partner with SYNNEX Stellr to get your customers on track.
For help building container-based virtualization solutions, contact Kyle Kocourek, Product Manager, at KyleK@synnex.com.
