Study: Containers Are Great, But Skilled Admins Are Difficult to Find

Application containers are more popular than ever before, but many companies still struggle to find skilled workers capable of managing the technology.

Shippable released the findings of an online survey this week, which polled 300 software developers in the United States in March and April to gage trends and challenges surrounding container solutions. While a third of respondents said container solutions have enabled them to accelerate application release cycles, many others are still struggling to find the personnel capable of utilizing the new tech.

When asked why some companies don’t use containers, the majority of respondents said they lack skilled employees capable of running said solutions. The lack of skilled employees was a larger factor than perceived container immaturity, potential security risks and lack of a clear ROI, according to the study.

“Our research and personal experience shows that companies can experience exponential gains in software development productivity through the use of container technology and related tools,” said Avi Cavale, CEO at Shippable, in a statement. “That said, there are still hurdles to overcome. Companies can help themselves by training internal software teams and partnering with vendors and service providers that have worked with container technology extensively.”

Some other fast facts straight from the press release include:

But while there is a definite skills gap that needs to be addressed in order for container solutions to become more widely adopted, there is some hope for the future; Shippable found that 89 percent of respondents said they were either very likely or somewhat likely to increase their use of containers sometime within the next year.

Channel partners can help narrow this gap by providing more training opportunities surrounding container solutions. Partners can also work with prominent container solution providers like Docker if they want to increase employee education efforts and awareness as to the power of containerization, which will ultimately create new ways to drive recurring revenue.