Massive migrations are at all times fraught with potential risks. The group has constructed belief with prospects over years and years on a platform that the group selected a few years in the past. The group is aware of the platform inside and outside, together with all of its quirks and odd little behaviors. It feels a bit like a group member itself.
However when the platform is not appropriate for the following section of enterprise development or the brand new options and performance that may proceed to please the purchasers, it’s time to take a tough look and reevaluate its match for goal. Any know-how can develop into technical debt over time as necessities, assumptions, buyer behaviors and priorities change. Potential positive aspects start to outweigh the danger and sources essential to make the leap and rearchitect.
A major funding in sources is required for a significant platform migration, and the problems or struggles with an current answer really want to have a unfavorable impression on finish customers so as to justify change. Issues that create incidents, decrease reliability and have a unfavorable impact on person satisfaction compound as applied sciences age. Groups may even see the decay in actual time, like unhealthy deployments inflicting user-facing incidents. It’s one factor for the group to acknowledge declining efficiency, however it’s one other factor altogether when prospects begin to lose belief within the merchandise’ reliability.
Approaching a Main Migration
For a lot of bigger or long-established technical organizations, a platform migration must be fastidiously thought of. Buyer expectations and SLAs hamper migrations only for the sake of migrating. So what can an engineering group, obsessive about reliability and buyer satisfaction, do to facilitate a profitable migration from a legacy platform to Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is now the protected and boring factor that everybody makes use of, and it has established a fame as a studying neighborhood of different practitioners additionally centered on reliability. A migration goal with a vibrant neighborhood of skilled professionals who’re simply as obsessive about reliability is a large profit.
The technical migration is just a part of the story, just like the putting in of latest packages or shopping for of latest companies. Making ready utility engineering groups emigrate their apps to the brand new goal platform requires partaking with every group, amassing classes realized alongside the best way and making new info obtainable to everybody regularly.
Early adopters who give good suggestions are a godsend
Early adopters are an vital group to have interaction with throughout any change or migration, particularly those that have opted-in on their very own! Early adopters develop into champions and might even assist help other people with their later migrations. Groups may help trial parts, present suggestions on the proposed workflows and encourage later groups to embrace the brand new platform.
Have interaction your early adopters with a post-migration survey to gather their ideas on what went nicely and what challenged them in the course of the migration. Ask them what else they’re hoping to get out of the brand new platform, and in the event that they miss something concerning the previous platform that is perhaps helpful as the brand new platform matures.
Small Steps for a Lengthy Journey
With a big migration venture looming, it may be tempting to take care of all of the elements without delay: implement a service mesh, undertake new ingress patterns, implement id and entry administration roles for service accounts (IRSA) and every part else in your roadmap.
Resist the temptation!
Massive initiatives are composed of smaller, extra achievable targets to hit alongside the best way. Set the group up for achievement by deconstructing the bigger venture right into a collection of smaller benchmarks for groups to achieve. Give attention to migrating code off the previous platform earlier than including the entire wonderful options the brand new platform will present. That win will invigorate groups and encourage them to maneuver ahead.
Observe and Talk Progress
Communication is a core part of each change venture or migration, and transferring from a legacy platform to Kubernetes shall be no exception.
It’s most likely unattainable to over talk with a big venture. Executives and managers will need to know the way issues are going, however so will particular person contributors. Remember to hold everybody knowledgeable about how issues are going. Publish updates in public locations resembling Wikis or public channels in your chat utility. It makes everybody really feel good that the venture is profitable and is transferring ahead. Because the preliminary groups begin to present progress and expertise the advantages of utilizing Kubernetes vs. the previous platform, any groups which are reluctant emigrate will see what they’re lacking.
Documentation isn’t the one approach individuals study
Documentation is one other type of communication which you can’t have an excessive amount of of throughout a big migration effort. Doc within the locations your engineering group is already documenting processes and actions. Written documentation is simply the beginning.
Give your groups completely different choices for migration documentation. Some groups shall be fantastic with written guides and directions. Others would possibly need examples or pattern code and configurations to begin from. Others would possibly profit extra from some 1:1 time with the knowledgeable group, or some workplace hours the place they will ask particular questions and get solutions in actual time. Provide flexibility to groups when you possibly can.
Surprises alongside the best way
Becoming a member of the Kubernetes ecosystem is a bit like placing a ship right into a swiftly working river. The ecosystem is dynamic and consistently evolving.
The tempo of change within the Kubernetes atmosphere has been stunning total, in comparison with how far more conservative some legacy platforms will be. Maintaining with vital adjustments and enhancements might play a a lot bigger position in platform administration and engineering observe than it has up to now.
There may be additionally lots of alternative to supply extra options and companies as a part of the Kubernetes platform as soon as groups have migrated off the legacy platform. Rejoice the retirement of the previous system and examine what will be added to the brand new atmosphere to make the developer expertise higher and create extra options that prospects will love!
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2025 is coming to London from April 1-4, bringing collectively cloud-native professionals, builders, and business leaders for an thrilling week of innovation, collaboration, and studying. Don’t miss your likelihood to be a part of the premier convention for Kubernetes and cloud-native applied sciences. Safe your spot at this time by registering now! Study extra and register right here.
RelatedPosts
Massive migrations are at all times fraught with potential risks. The group has constructed belief with prospects over years and years on a platform that the group selected a few years in the past. The group is aware of the platform inside and outside, together with all of its quirks and odd little behaviors. It feels a bit like a group member itself.
However when the platform is not appropriate for the following section of enterprise development or the brand new options and performance that may proceed to please the purchasers, it’s time to take a tough look and reevaluate its match for goal. Any know-how can develop into technical debt over time as necessities, assumptions, buyer behaviors and priorities change. Potential positive aspects start to outweigh the danger and sources essential to make the leap and rearchitect.
A major funding in sources is required for a significant platform migration, and the problems or struggles with an current answer really want to have a unfavorable impression on finish customers so as to justify change. Issues that create incidents, decrease reliability and have a unfavorable impact on person satisfaction compound as applied sciences age. Groups may even see the decay in actual time, like unhealthy deployments inflicting user-facing incidents. It’s one factor for the group to acknowledge declining efficiency, however it’s one other factor altogether when prospects begin to lose belief within the merchandise’ reliability.
Approaching a Main Migration
For a lot of bigger or long-established technical organizations, a platform migration must be fastidiously thought of. Buyer expectations and SLAs hamper migrations only for the sake of migrating. So what can an engineering group, obsessive about reliability and buyer satisfaction, do to facilitate a profitable migration from a legacy platform to Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is now the protected and boring factor that everybody makes use of, and it has established a fame as a studying neighborhood of different practitioners additionally centered on reliability. A migration goal with a vibrant neighborhood of skilled professionals who’re simply as obsessive about reliability is a large profit.
The technical migration is just a part of the story, just like the putting in of latest packages or shopping for of latest companies. Making ready utility engineering groups emigrate their apps to the brand new goal platform requires partaking with every group, amassing classes realized alongside the best way and making new info obtainable to everybody regularly.
Early adopters who give good suggestions are a godsend
Early adopters are an vital group to have interaction with throughout any change or migration, particularly those that have opted-in on their very own! Early adopters develop into champions and might even assist help other people with their later migrations. Groups may help trial parts, present suggestions on the proposed workflows and encourage later groups to embrace the brand new platform.
Have interaction your early adopters with a post-migration survey to gather their ideas on what went nicely and what challenged them in the course of the migration. Ask them what else they’re hoping to get out of the brand new platform, and in the event that they miss something concerning the previous platform that is perhaps helpful as the brand new platform matures.
Small Steps for a Lengthy Journey
With a big migration venture looming, it may be tempting to take care of all of the elements without delay: implement a service mesh, undertake new ingress patterns, implement id and entry administration roles for service accounts (IRSA) and every part else in your roadmap.
Resist the temptation!
Massive initiatives are composed of smaller, extra achievable targets to hit alongside the best way. Set the group up for achievement by deconstructing the bigger venture right into a collection of smaller benchmarks for groups to achieve. Give attention to migrating code off the previous platform earlier than including the entire wonderful options the brand new platform will present. That win will invigorate groups and encourage them to maneuver ahead.
Observe and Talk Progress
Communication is a core part of each change venture or migration, and transferring from a legacy platform to Kubernetes shall be no exception.
It’s most likely unattainable to over talk with a big venture. Executives and managers will need to know the way issues are going, however so will particular person contributors. Remember to hold everybody knowledgeable about how issues are going. Publish updates in public locations resembling Wikis or public channels in your chat utility. It makes everybody really feel good that the venture is profitable and is transferring ahead. Because the preliminary groups begin to present progress and expertise the advantages of utilizing Kubernetes vs. the previous platform, any groups which are reluctant emigrate will see what they’re lacking.
Documentation isn’t the one approach individuals study
Documentation is one other type of communication which you can’t have an excessive amount of of throughout a big migration effort. Doc within the locations your engineering group is already documenting processes and actions. Written documentation is simply the beginning.
Give your groups completely different choices for migration documentation. Some groups shall be fantastic with written guides and directions. Others would possibly need examples or pattern code and configurations to begin from. Others would possibly profit extra from some 1:1 time with the knowledgeable group, or some workplace hours the place they will ask particular questions and get solutions in actual time. Provide flexibility to groups when you possibly can.
Surprises alongside the best way
Becoming a member of the Kubernetes ecosystem is a bit like placing a ship right into a swiftly working river. The ecosystem is dynamic and consistently evolving.
The tempo of change within the Kubernetes atmosphere has been stunning total, in comparison with how far more conservative some legacy platforms will be. Maintaining with vital adjustments and enhancements might play a a lot bigger position in platform administration and engineering observe than it has up to now.
There may be additionally lots of alternative to supply extra options and companies as a part of the Kubernetes platform as soon as groups have migrated off the legacy platform. Rejoice the retirement of the previous system and examine what will be added to the brand new atmosphere to make the developer expertise higher and create extra options that prospects will love!
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2025 is coming to London from April 1-4, bringing collectively cloud-native professionals, builders, and business leaders for an thrilling week of innovation, collaboration, and studying. Don’t miss your likelihood to be a part of the premier convention for Kubernetes and cloud-native applied sciences. Safe your spot at this time by registering now! Study extra and register right here.
