InterSystems Enhances and Accelerates its Use of Kubernetes with Training from Mirantis

Embarking on the Kubernetes journey

InterSystems Corporation, a leading provider of database, interoperability, and analytics technology, chose to adopt Kubernetes to help speed delivery of cloud-native products to its customers, but the steep learning curve for Kubernetes was delaying this transition. Effectively running Kubernetes for any organization can be painful, especially with customer Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to meet, and it was no different for InterSystems. Just referring to Kubernetes online documentation and taking online courses wasn’t enough for InterSystems staff working to launch the company’s first containerized product; the company realized it needed to invest in training so its cross-functional teams could rapidly gain the skills and confidence to learn Kubernetes.

Effective Kubernetes training starts with people and understanding goals

InterSystems found a solution with Kubernetes training from Mirantis. Jim Breen, Director of Global Learning at InterSystems, was looking for a best of breed vendor for cloud-native training that had the same intense partnership and customer-first focus as InterSystems. “Similar to the way we work with our customers,” Breen explained, “Mirantis focused on building a good relationship with us, and gaining a deep understanding of our pain points, our cloud technology needs, and how we deliver value in the cloud.”

A flexible and seamless training experience

From the beginning, Mirantis ensured that everyone at InterSystems would have a seamless, positive, training experience. Multiple training modalities and flexible scheduling enabled InterSystems staff to fit in training around their needs. “We opted for a Mirantis subscription package for our Kubernetes bootcamp,” said Breen. “And having a designated Mirantis program manager was invaluable for scheduling and planning.” Based on input from InterSystems, Mirantis scheduled classes so employees could learn while staying on track with their work deadlines. This flexibility also enabled InterSystems to scale its teams quickly and efficiently.

Investing in people delivers real outcomes

The Mirantis Kubernetes training enabled InterSystems to fully optimize its software deployment process by reducing unnecessary cycles and eliminating reinventing the wheel on every deployment each time. The company went from pushing releases every few months to pushing them every few days, and with quality assurance. Customer support case loads dropped significantly, and customer satisfaction increased. As an added bonus, the training increased employee motivation and realized an overall improvement in culture. John Paladino, InterSystems Head of Client Services, said, “The training was so popular, it became the most talked about topic at the watercooler. People were randomly coming into my office to say ‘thank you’ because the training was so impactful for them.”