Containers are a game-changer in enterprise software development. Being able to move applications through operating environments saves time and money. Even so, simply running applications isn’t the whole story. At scale, the cost to operate that software grows. Most businesses also maintain legacy systems that can’t support containers. Upgrading those systems is an unwelcome expense. While containers show great potential, the technology is still evolving.

To learn more about the world of containers, John Furrier (@furrier), co-host of theCUBE*, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, visited the KubeCon 2016 conference in Seattle, WA. There, he met with Marco Ceppi, engineering manager at Canonical Ltd.

Development, consumption, operation

The conversation started with a look at how containers are changing the field of software development. Ceppi stated that containers have made it really easy for developers to package up and deliver their content, which has speed up the development cycle. What hasn’t changed is the cost of operations, both in money and time. Docker, a container system, has improved the consumption of software, but the industry is still in a vacuum with how to operate that software.

The topic then moved toward Canonical, itself. Ceppi explained that Canonical was born into containers. It went from being one of the first platforms to support Docker to the largest Linux system on top of any public cloud.

“We really understand the idea of clouds and, ultimately, how containers work on clouds,” Ceppi said.

Upgrade friction and solutions

Cappi mentioned a trend with Canonical’s customers and the community, where new applications are being built on Docker. Then, there’s the idea of legacy infrastructure, with customers asking how they can lift their legacy systems into machines that run Docker. He saw a lot of uptake in with Linux containers, similar to Docker, with these customers.

For companies interested in containers, experimentation is the best solution. Cappi felt that whatever comes out, the best practice was to evaluate those systems to see if they fit a company’s needs. There is no one overall solution that works for everyone, he said.

*Disclosure: The Linux Foundation and other companies sponsor some KubeCon 2016 segments on SiliconANGLE Media’s theCUBE. Neither The Linux Foundation nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of KubeCon 2016.

Photo by SiliconANGLE