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Linux Leading Containers Into the IoT Market

  • Robert Shapiro
The development of containers largely originated from Linux-based operating systems (OSs), making Linux the essential groundwork for the vast majority of modern container deployments, including Docker containers and those orchestrated through Kubernetes. Canonical’s LXD Containers exemplify this early development of containers for Linux OSs, initially released in 2016. The close relationship between Linux operating systems and containers in edge & IoT/embedded systems places IoT/embedded vendors of containers and Linux OSs in an advantageous position to capitalize on the burgeoning growth of containers in the IoT marketplace. This correlation between containers and Linux OSs will be particularly important going forward as engineers and developers using Linux OSs expect to use containers or other virtualization solutions significantly more on their future projects than those using other types of OSs, as shown by VDC’s most recent survey data below.

Expectation of Virtualization/Hypervisor/Containers in Embedded Software Stack on a Project Three Years From Now

Virtualization Hypervisor Containers in Embedded Software Stack

Red Hat is another supplier who benefits from providing a Linux-based OS, RHEL, in addition to containers. Its well-established OpenShift Container Platform will face growing competition as more Linux vendors enter the container marketplace, including Mentor Graphics and SUSE, who acquired Rancher Labs in 2020. Vendors who utilize this synergy between containers and Linux OSs will be key players to watch as containers spread across the IoT/embedded market.

VDC’s report on “Containers & Virtualization Solutions for Edge & Embedded Systems Report 2019 to 2024” provides more detail on which vertical markets lead Linux usage, which markets will grow the fastest for containers, and where these trends coincide for the best areas to target with container solutions. The report segments the marketplace for containers, as well as hypervisors, by vertical market, geographic region, and leading vendors. It also includes an analysis of VDC’s end user data, the influence of the pandemic on both markets, and the rise of Kubernetes.

To learn more, download the Containers & Virtualization Solutions for Edge & Embedded Systems Executive Brief.

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About Mitch

Mitch Solomon

President

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Mitch has spent years supporting senior leaders of operational and industrial technology companies as well as private equity investors that participate in the space.  He is an active member of the Technology and Innovation Council at Graham Partners, a leading industrial technology focused private equity firm, and serves on the advisory boards of OptConnect (a top IoT connectivity provider) and DecisionPoint (a rapidly growing operational technology systems integrator).  Mitch has worked closely with a wide range of industrial technology clients on a diverse array of growth opportunities and challenges including applications of AI, c-suite recruiting, strategic planning, new market identification and entry, product strategy, competitive positioning, revenue retention, value proposition identification and messaging, sales strategy and execution, and board presentations. Mitch holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.