Containers allow businesses to deploy applications consistently across environments. But managing these containerized applications – especially when it comes to cost and license compliance – can be a significant challenge. Flexera steps in to offer both ITAM and FinOps capabilities for managing containers in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
But first, let’s take a look back.
A brief history: From chroot to Kubernetes
In the late 1970s, a few members of the Unix V7 development team introduced the chroot command, which enabled the root directory of a process and its children to reside in a new location within the Linux filesystem. Little did they know at the time the power and functionality that this command would spawn in the decades to come. Fast forward to the late 2000s, and we see how Linux Containers (LXC) laid the groundwork for modern container technologies like Docker, Docker Swarm, Mesosphere —and if none of those ring a bell— Kubernetes. Today, Kubernetes has become the de facto standard, the 800-pound gorilla, in the world of container management and orchestration. Organizations rely on Kubernetes to manage their containerized applications at scale.
But with great power comes great responsibility. Many organizations now face challenges in managing the licensing and costs associated with containerized software.
ITAM for containers: What’s running and where?
With the advances in containers and the associated management technologies, the capabilities and use cases for containers have expanded as well. Many organizations are running containers in both their on-premises and cloud environments, and some of those containers are running licensed software. You may be asking yourself:
- What containers are running where?
- What software is running inside these containers?
- What license is associated with the software running in this container?
- Do I have a license that entitles me to run the software in this container?
- Am I out of compliance?!
In addition to these questions about licensing, customers want to have cost visibility into those containers from a resource perspective (how many CPUs, how much memory, etc.). This starts stacking a pretty serious deck of questions to be answered.
Luckily, Flexera addresses these challenges head-on. Since version 15.0.0, released back in 2020, the FlexNet Inventory Agent has been equipped to track containers managed by both Kubernetes and Docker Engine. For containers managed by Kubernetes, Flexera provides container inventory functionality (what containers are running where), as well as software inventory (what applications and associated software are running in those containers). For Kubernetes, we offer two methods of tracking.
Standard Kubernetes Inventory Agent
Our standard Kubernetes Inventory Agent uses the Kubernetes API to collect a complete inventory of the Kubernetes cluster infrastructure (providing the details of which containers are running where). The software discovery is accomplished via interrogation of the container images used to instantiate containers within the cluster. As containers are instantiated (or terminated), the inventory of actively running software packages is updated in real time.
Lightweight Kubernetes Inventory Agent
Alternatively, for environments with more stringent security requirements, our Lightweight Kubernetes Inventory Agent can collect this same information. The cluster information is collected via the Kubernetes API as with the standard method, but the software discovery is performed via an image inspection process that typically meets the requirements of more secure environments.
Docker containers
For Docker containers, the inventory agent discovers all the containers running in customers’ on-premises and cloud environments, as well as the software running within those containers, whether these software packages are open-source software, or commercial software requiring licensing entitlements.
Ultimately, Flexera provides a comprehensive inventory of both containerized environments and the software running within them, allowing ITAM teams to ensure compliance and reduce unnecessary costs.
FinOps for containers: What’s the cost?
Now that the ITAM aspects of containers have been sorted, the next priority is understanding the cost of running those containers. Whether your containers are deployed on-premises or in cloud services like Amazon EKS, Azure Kubernetes Service, or Google Kubernetes Engine, it’s crucial to track costs.
To accommodate this need, Flexera provides support within our Cloud Cost Optimization (CCO) solution for the importation of costs associated with your Kubernetes environment. OpenCost is an open-source project providing visibility into, and allocation of, container costs. CCO provides a transfer mechanism for OpenCost data via our Kubecost Flexera Exporter Tool, enabling the analysis of the container cost data within the same Flexera One CCO solution that our customers use for their other cost management initiatives. This ability allows you to assess the total cost of ownership (TCO) for containerized applications, giving your FinOps and ITAM teams the data they need for strategic decisions.
Full visibility into containers: The key to success
By combining our ITAM and FinOps capabilities, Flexera gives you a complete picture of your containerized environments. This holistic visibility is essential for managing software licensing, ensuring compliance, supporting security requirements and tracking costs. It enables organizations to achieve full transparency across on-premises, cloud and container infrastructures. Simply put, container management doesn’t have to slow you down. Unlock new efficiencies in your containerized environments with Flexera.
