Government-grade Kubernetes: Rancher Government Solutions comes to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
September 14, 2023 | 4 minute readIn today’s multicloud world, understanding how to manage Kubernetes containers and why the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) certified Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) products as the first container tools that meet the high standards for US government architectures.
RGS available in Oracle Cloud Marketplace
Oracle Cloud Marketplace is an online one-stop shop that sells hundreds of business apps and professional services that complement your existing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) implementation.
“We are pleased to have Rancher available in the Oracle Cloud Marketplace,” said Collin Poczatek, senior solutions architect at OCI. “They bring immense capabilities to OCI customers and complement the Oracle offerings.”
All apps and services available in the Oracle Cloud Marketplace are offered by approved, registered, and expert partners and developers. RGS also offers multiple support options for government customers. To purchase Rancher or explore the Marketplace offerings, see RKE2 and Rancher Multi Cluster Manager.
The history of Kubernetes
Often described as the operating system for the cloud, Kubernetes was invented in 2014 by Joe Beda, Brendan Burns, and Craig McLuckie and is one of the most adopted open source technologies today, next to Linux. Meaning “helmsman” or “pilot” in ancient Greek, Kubernetes is managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) an arm of the Linux Foundation. This advanced platform offers features such as autoscaling, load balancing, and simplified container management, ensuring portable scalability for mission-critical applications. In the multicloud environment, Kubernetes provides the necessary foundation for driving innovation and efficiency.
Rancher Government Solutions for Oracle’s customers globally
RGS runs in a Kubernetes cluster, typically in a full cluster using Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE2) for high availability or Kubernetes version K3S for lightweight single binary deployments where space is a limiting factor. RGS builds on the Rancher software stack with value added enhancements that are designed specifically for U.S. Government customers. Their solutions are constructed to overcome attacks on software supply chains, deliver vulnerability assessments, provide a software bill of materials, and ensure that Kubernetes infrastructure is secure because RKE2 is fully FIPS-compliant out of the box by using Rancher’s NIST-certified and NIST-validated FIPS crypto module. RGS also delivers the first and only Kubernetes management platform and distribution with Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) that are validated and published by DISA: Rancher MCM 2.6 & RKE2.
At its simplest, RKE2 is a single binary to be installed and configured on all nodes expected to participate in the Kubernetes cluster. When started, RKE2 can bootstrap and supervise role-appropriate agents per node while sourcing needed content from the network.
The advantages of Rancher Kubernetes
Running Rancher allows for secure provisioning and cluster orchestration with many users across numerous projects, clouds, bare metal hardware, and edge deployments. The user interface also provides simple dashboard oversight of multiple clusters, allowing users to look at specific nodes at any moment. Rancher also offers a multicluster manager (MCM) for running Kubernetes in any environment, which abstracts the complexity away from managing many Kubernetes clusters and provides enterprise capabilities, including policy enforcement, role-based authentication, and an application store to integrate ecosystem tools like Helm and Istio.
Rancher’s MCM is a perfect fit for Kubernetes customers using OCI, Dedicated Regions, or Roving Edge Infrastructure. MCM delivers all these environments to you with a single management plane, simplifying multiintracloud Kubernetes management.
According to Dan McGuan, director of cloud at RGS, “Our partnership with Oracle and OCI brings to bear the best of what RGS and Oracle have to offer for mission critical container infrastructure. With our STIG at the Kubernetes layer combined with our STIG at the management layer, running our government grade Kubernetes on OCI and further afield with Oracle Rover is a secure decision for mission critical applications.”
Want to know more?
Oracle Government Cloud has already met multiple global government compliance standards to make your cloud adoption easy. Oracle has dedicated government cloud teams and established resources ready to support your migration and help you achieve your accreditation.
To learn more, use the following resources:
Matt Miller
Sr. Manager, Government Cloud Marketplace
Matthew Miller is a Senior Manager of Government Cloud Marketplace at Oracle responsible for ISV recruitment, feature enhancements and growing the day-to-day government marketplace business.
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