Kubernetes Kase Files, Widening the vSphere of Influence

This is part of our ongoing Kubernetes Kase Files story. Catch up on Detective Dash’s story with chapter you might of missed here: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5.

Chapter 6: Widening the vSphere of Influence

By now, Detective Dash was more familiar with Legacy Bank’s offices than he was his own home. Most waking hours he spent wandering the hallways, speaking with different people, trying to get to the bottom of this case. Employees waved to him and said hello as if he had worked there for years.

But even with his conversations with Legacy employees, Dash was still left without real answers or even a strong lead.

There was someone he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to, though. An interesting fellow, other employees said, “vSphere” moved to the beat of his own drum.

“Given his name, that’s not surprising,” Dash mumbled to himself on his way to vSphere’s office.

vSphere was last on Dash’s list, but only because he had written down the names of so many people to interview.

“I’ve tried this before and I’ll try it again, even if I don’t expect new answers,” Dash said almost before he finished walking into the office.

“Shoot,” said vSphere, as he sat back in his chair and dropped his feet on the desk.

“So,” Dash began. “Do you have any advice for modernizing Legacy Bank’s online portal? It seems near impossible from what I hear. It also seems like some folks know what they need but just aren’t getting it.”

“What do they need?”

“The developers say they need a modern app platform based on Kubernetes and containers, but IT doesn’t think they have the expertise to build this kind of platform.”

“Of course!” vSphere replied.

Dash wasn’t quite sure what he had heard. “Excuse me?”

“Of course!” vSphere said again, loudly. “Modernizing is a lot easier with the right tools. In fact, from what I can tell, Legacy Bank already has what it needs.”

The detective nearly spit out his coffee. “Really?”

“Yes,” vSphere replied. It’s as you said. It’s just a matter of putting it all together.”

“I don’t get it. I was told that modernizing required Kubernetes. And that Kubernetes required a modern infrastructure to run. And that none of these things were possible until people had the right resources or tools. Are you telling me the answer was right here, all along?”

“More or less.”

“But, to build a Kubernetes platform, doesn’t the IT team need to be experts in Kubernetes?”

By now, Dash had learned about the various tools that his earlier suspects spoke of during their conversations. While he wasn’t an expert, he thought he had at least a grasp of what they all did.

“And what about dedicated hardware?” Dash continued.

vSphere grinned and tilted his head back. He appeared unbothered by Dash’s questions.

“Nope!” vSphere said, almost laughing. He held his hands up in front of him as if holding a comically long sandwich.

“Kubernetes and I have been working together for years. We eliminate silos, reduce costs, and operate within a larger, established ecosystem. We’re happy to help.”

vSphere went on to explain that, with his help, the IT team could run Kubernetes directly on their existing virtual machine infrastructure. In fact, Legacy’s team could even modernize parts of an existing application while leaving other parts alone. If the team wanted to update the customer portal’s user interface without disturbing the business logic, vSphere could help!

“So,” Dash asked, “people wouldn’t have to learn Kubernetes specifically to put it into use?”

“Nope. They can use their existing skills and processes to run Kubernetes. The best news might be that lots of other companies use Kubernetes, and their experiences can help us with Legacy’s app.”

“Ecosystem. Got it. Thank you, vSphere. I think we’re getting close.”

Dash practically sprinted home, opening his notebook as he fumbled with his keys in the door. He didn’t write much. He was so excited he could barely even control his pen. All he wrote were three words, nothing else.

“Breakthrough — vSphere & Kubernetes!”

The answer, as he had started to suspect, had been there all along. Dash wasn’t sure if he should be excited by the progress or frustrated with himself for not realizing it sooner. In any case, he had a long day of conversations ahead of him.