Building Blocks | March 2023

In this edition

• Uber chooses cloud over on-prem

• State of Kubernetes in 2023

• Modernize software development with low-code/no-code and AI

• Containers and Serverless – Rivals or Cohorts?

• Scaling web applications with Nginx and Kubernetes

Welcome to the March edition of Building Blocks. Read on as we dissect the best of trends, news, and opportunities in the DevOps and Platform Engineering space.

IN FOCUS

Uber’s shift to the cloud: Are private data centers no longer viable?

Uber’s recent decision to shift from on-prem to cloud by partnering with Google and Oracle has sparked debate in the cloud world. While many companies are contesting the benefits of on-prem vs. cloud, Uber is set to benefit significantly from this move by shifting their focus to scalability and flexibility. 

Due to supply chain disruptions, many companies are opting for a hybrid architecture to manage costs, flexibility, and control over their data landscape.

Having spent over $221 million on data center expenses in 2019, Uber has chosen to shift their entire data infrastructure to the cloud. As a larger enterprise, they will benefit from lower costs while prioritizing technological growth. However, many other companies can’t and shouldn’t follow suit, according to co-founder of 37signals, David Heinemeier Hansson.

Hansson has most recently argued for mid-sized companies to reconsider their cloud computing strategies. Not only do companies take on high costs associated with the cloud but also forgo independence, personalized support, and control over their own business operations, he said. 

However, the truth is that companies continue to rely on the cloud for guidance especially when their loads are low or irregularly high. Private-equity firms see this reliance on the cloud and have further driven investor capital of roughly $92 billion in last two years to expand the market and keep up with the demand for the data centers. It remains to be seen but the tide in the favor of big public cloud providers might not turn just yet.

TOOLS

State of Kubernetes in 2023

Pepperdata published “The State of Kubernetes 2023,” the findings of a poll of 800 C-level executives, senior ITOps, and DevOps workers.

Key findings from the survey

IN ACTION

Is low-code/no-code and AI the future of software development?

Low-code/no-code has for long made it easier for companies to focus on what is truly important and create apps without getting bogged down by expert code. But with an increased mainstream interest in AI-based tools like ChatGPT, it begs the question: will low-code/no-code solutions continue to be desirable in the age of AI-powered software development? 

According to Johanna Pingel, AI Product Marketing Manager at MathWorks, low-code platforms speed up tedious tasks and make it easier for engineers to incorporate AI into their business systems. While some companies are able to join these dots and use AI to bolster their low-code/no-code models, others continue to navigate the waters.

"Now, teams can extend this answer-driven automation to nearly unlimited use cases from weather forecasts to energy consumption to supply chain delays and beyond.” - Bernd Greifeneder, CTO, Dynatrace

"By combining the technology of UbiOps and Mendix, we are able to offer our joint customers the ability to develop AI-enabled applications.” - Erno Rorive, Director of platform ecosystems, Mendix

AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, GitHub’s Copilot, and Amazon’s CodeGuru have become game-changers for a variety of different use cases. From writing, reviewing, and fixing code to reducing churn and employee attrition, new low-code/no-code AI tools are also leveraging machine learning to automate tedious operational processes.

In the future, working with no-code platforms will simply come down to finding the right project and platform. There’s no denying that it continues to usher in an era of accessibility and innovation for all.