Survey Finds Enterprise IT Users Doubled Down on Kubernetes

Portworx by Pure Storage released findings from its annual Kubernetes Adoption Survey⁽¹⁾.

The survey assesses the mass adoption and evolution of Kubernetes usage among enterprise users in the last 12 months, in addition to the impact of the pandemic on IT users’ attitudes towards their jobs.

Supported by an overwhelming response from IT users, the findings suggest that despite budget cuts, enterprises are rapidly turning to Kubernetes to drive faster business results and, overall, reported happier, well-paid IT employees.

For over a year, the pandemic has challenged businesses everywhere to experiment and innovate their offerings to cater to evolving customer demands for convenience and simplicity, as well as supporting employees in the new world of remote work. In the midst of it all, Kubernetes has played a critical role. The latest annual survey commissioned by Portworx found that 68% of IT professionals said they increased their usage of Kubernetes as a result of the pandemic, primarily to accelerate their deployment of new applications and increase their use of automation – both of which are critical to meeting customers and employees where they are today. What’s more, despite added working pressures, most IT professionals (52%) enjoyed their jobs more than they did before, with those most familiar with Kubernetes tending to earn higher salaries.

Key highlights from the survey include:

• Role of Kubernetes Expanding: Enterprises are increasingly leveraging Kubernetes to develop and test AI models, and to manage and automate storage, network, and compute infrastructure. Nearly 90% of IT professionals expect Kubernetes to play a larger role in the management of their infrastructure over the next 2-3 years.
• Speed of Deployment King: Amid the pandemic, businesses had to quickly adapt to a fast-changing world by rolling out new apps to better serve customers, building algorithms to reorganize disrupted supply chains, and more. Almost 75% of IT professionals confirmed the top benefit of adopting Kubernetes is the ability to deploy new apps more quickly, followed by supporting program areas that need to evolve (48%), supporting changes in business strategy (45%), and helping increase revenue or profits (44%).
• Kubernetes is Cost-Saver: 2020 created financial uncertainty for many businesses, and minimizing wasted expenditure became a priority. Almost half (46%) of respondents said they increased their use of Kubernetes last year to help reduce IT costs. Of those, 27% expected to reduce IT costs by 31% or more.
• Kubernetes Knowledge Impacts Salary: IT staff who are the most familiar with Kubernetes tend to earn higher salaries than those who are less familiar. 64% who were “very knowledgeable” about their company’s Kubernetes use reported their annual gross income at between $100,000 and $250,000, vs. 59% who said they were “knowledgeable” and 50% who were “somewhat knowledgeable.“

“Kubernetes adoption is continuing to grow as an essential strategy to capitalize on modern data and applications. With its easy scalability, portability, and fast iteration cycle, the technology is the most effective way to enable rapid developments and innovation,” said Murli Thirumale, VP, GM cloud native business unit, Pure.

For more insights on the current state of Kubernetes and what the future holds for the technology, download the full Portworx by Pure Storage 2021 Kubernetes Adoption Survey Report.

⁽¹⁾ Conducted online by Market Cube, LLC on behalf of Portworx by Pure Storage, this survey was fielded among 500 respondents with significant knowledge of their company’s Kubernetes usage, working full-time in IT roles at companies with at least 500 employees.