What to Look for with Scalable Data Storage for Kubernetes

1. Summary

Does Kubernetes require a special data storage and management system? Considering that traditional storage solutions are falling short, that may be the case. As enterprises try to force-fit Kubernetes with traditional storage solutions they may find themselves in a “square peg versus round hole” situation. Consider the existing enterprise investment in storage technology. Using the same storage technology currently running VM workloads with Kubernetes is considered the path of least resistance and least risk. But is it?

It turns out that running stateful services such as databases on Kubernetes requires specific container-native storage systems. Without this technology, certain issues will become commonplace: stuck volumes, downtime, overprovisioning, lost data, and manual backups and migrations. There is a clear case to be made for moving away from traditional storage and management systems. So, if container-native storage is the way to go, how do you select the right solution?

In this report, we will walk you through the steps to understanding your own organizational and technical requirements. Then we will explore available solutions, including the tradeoff between traditional storage and Kubernetes-native storage. We will look at performance, cost, resilience, and security in light of business continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) and operational use cases.