CNCF Launches Golden Kubestronauts Into Cloud-Native Orbit
American astronaut Joseph Tanner waves to the camera during a space walk as part of the STS-115 ... More mission to the International Space Station, September 2006. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)Getty ImagesCertification is uncertain. Not every software engineer manages to achieve a sanctioned level of certification in any given technology in order to validate their skillsets and competencies, but almost all techies do hanker after these affirmations. Worn rather like a badge of honor, technology practitioners want to achieve certification to show their prowess among their peer groups, to appease any management level requests that might be in place encouraging staff to get certified and to learn more. Certification also generally enables software developers and other technical workers to earn more, but that consideration is usually secondary to them simply wanting to prove to themselves that they know their technical onions inside and out. Kubestronauts Ad Astra Now elevating its Kubestronaut certification program to a shiny new level, the Cloud Native Computing Foundation has launched the Golden Kubestronaut program. This certification is designed to act as distinguished recognition for technology professionals who have demonstrated the highest level of expertise in Kubernetes, cloud-native technologies and Linux administration. Kubernetes data protection and disaster recovery platform company Portworx suggests that more than three-quarters of organizations plan to build most of their new applications on cloud-native platforms within the next five years. Its Voice of Kubernetes Experts report 2024 offers an idea into how many organizations face challenges in Kubernetes adoption due to a shortage of skilled personnel. "As more companies utilize cloud native technologies for their most critical projects, continuous learning is essential," said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO, CNCF. “The Golden Kubestronaut program recognizes the most dedicated professionals who have achieved the broadest possible expertise across Kubernetes, Linux, cloud native security, observability, and platform engineering. By setting a new benchmark, this program strengthens both the CNCF community and the industry’s trust in certified cloud native professionals.” Going For Gold Aniszczyk and the CNCF team say that their new golden-level certification builds on the existing program. First launched last year, there are now some 1500 Kubestronauts who can qualify as gold members if they complete all 13 CNCF certifications available to date, as well as the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator certification to ensure strong foundational Linux skills. As certifications evolve and new ones are added, individuals will not lose their distinction, ensuring they are recognized for their dedication and expertise in cloud native technologies. The hope here is that this strengthens the CNCF certification ecosystem and supports the continued growth of the cloud-native space in general. By incentivizing professionals to pursue the full range of CNCF certifications, the certification is intended to expand the certified talent pool and increase engagement in CNCF’s training and events. All of which brings into question then, what technology trends are actually shaping the rise to cloud-native software and, crucially, are organizations really driving their IT departments to cloud in the first instance for any new technology deployment? In an age when virtual desktop services are on the rise, but (arguably) far from standarized de facto deployment options, just how always-on is our always-on-ness? Trends Shaping Cloud Native The CNCF says that its market analysis of last year provides it with some clear signs. A user survey conducted with Linux Foundation Research suggests that there may be a shift or two occurring. The foundations say that while security was once the top hurdle, cultural and operational shifts now take precedence. Although those cultural and operational changes are not fully defined here, we can safely assume that this comment refers to the rise of so-called platform engineering i.e the practice of running enterprise software with streamlined platforms, toolchains and capabilities that run at a higher-level to achieve reusable and composable developer self-service functions. We mentioned security and this is actually improving, with 60% of organizations now “vetting” open source projects for active communities and 57% using automated tools to detect vulnerabilities. Additionally says the CNCF, the popularity of continuous integration and continuous deployment has surged 31% year-over-year. We know that CI/CD (as it is known) is fundamental to the always-on world of cloud-native, so this is perhaps a solid trend showing that businesses are moving beyond simply adopting cloud-native tools and are now optimizing how teams collaborate, automate and scale their operations. “Organizations are facing cultural and operational hurdles as they scale adoption. Security remains vital, but the focus has shifted to automation and best practices that enable faster, more reliable software delivery. Companies prioritizing both technical and cultural transformation will gain a competitive edge,” said Aniszczyk, who also notes that Kubernetes adoption continues to grow, with 80% of organizations running it in production, up from 66% in 2023. AI, Always In The Frame Always in the frame for discussion, artificial intelligence and machine learning adoption on Kubernetes remains in its early stages. Just less than half of organizations are yet to deploy AI/ML workloads using a Kubernetes cloud container orchestration service as the backbone for the new world of automated intelligence. However, early adopters are using leveraging Kubernetes primarily for batch data processing jobs (ones that often happen overnight rather than in real-time environments, model experimentation, real-time model inference and data pre-processing (9%). Aniszczyk and team propose that these use cases suggest that while Kubernetes is beginning to play a role in AI/ML workloads, challenges remain in fully “operationalizing AI” in cloud-native environments. With a cultural transformation to embrace alongside a technology shift to cloud-native Kubernetes that must now validate its ability to deliver for AI, the CNCF and the Linux Foundation clearly have a lot of their collective plate. Given the rapidly changing technology ecosystem that is still growing here, the above-noted Kubestronaut program may help to cement not just skills…. but also future platform direction for technologies that are essentially always open source from first principles. This stuff could really take off, pun quite definitely intended.