5 Reasons to Containerize Production Windows Apps on Docker Enterprise

We started working with Microsoft five years ago to containerize Windows Server applications. Today, many of our enterprise customers run Windows containers in production. We’ve seen customers containerize everything from 15 year old Windows .NET 1.1 applications to new ASP.NET applications.

If you haven’t started containerizing Windows applications and running them in production, here are five great reasons to get started:

1. It’s time to retire Windows Server 2008

Extended Support ends in January 2020. Rewriting hundreds of legacy applications to run on Windows Server 2016 or 2019 is a ridiculously expensive and time-consuming headache, so you’ll need to find a better way — and that’s Docker Enterprise.

2. It’s much easier than you think to containerize legacy Windows apps

You can containerize legacy Windows applications with Docker Enterprise without needing to rewrite them. Once containerized, these applications are easier to modernize and extend with new services.

3. Both Swarm and Kubernetes will support Windows nodes

The recently announced Kubernetes 1.14 includes support for Windows nodes. With Docker Enterprise, you will soon be able to use either orchestrator to run Windows nodes.

4. Your Windows apps become fully portable to the cloud

Once you containerize your Windows applications, it’s easy to migrate them to almost any cloud. With Docker Enterprise, applications are fully portable.

5. You’re in good company

Hundreds of enterprises now run Windows container nodes in production. Last fall, we talked about how GE Digital, Jabil and the largest bank in Italy have containerized Windows Server applications. Two of the world’s top ten bio-pharmaceutical companies and one of the largest manufacturers now run production Windows containers on Docker Enterprise.

At DockerCon Barcelona 2018 and DockerCon 2019, we heard from several other customers about how they use Docker Enterprise to containerize Windows applications:

• Quicken Loans, a $3 billion home mortgage lender, is rolling out the Docker Enterprise container platform to support hundreds of Windows applications. Docker Captain Tommy Hamilton, who works at Quicken Loans, shared his advice on how to successfully containerize Windows applications at DockerCon this year.
• Mitchell International, a software company in the auto insurance industry, is containerizing over 400 Windows .NET and IIS applications with Docker Enterprise. Marius Dornean, Director of R&D at Mitchell International, explains how they modernized .NET applications in his DockerCon session.
• Entergy, a large utility company headquartered in New Orleans, is modernizing its infrastructure and reducing security exposure by containerizing over 500 Windows 2000, 2003 and 2008 applications.
• Mizuho Financial Group, an international financial services firm with over $1.9 trillion in assets, modernized its JVM-based internal service bus by containerizing Windows Server applications on Docker Enterprise.
• Tele2, a Dutch telecom company, has containerized over 500 legacy applications, including .NET, Magento and Jenkins. Application updates that used to take 3+ days to deploy now take minutes, and the company saw a significant increase in customer satisfaction metrics within 6 months.

Announcing Docker Enterprise 3.0: Delivering High-Velocity Application Innovation

Today at DockerCon, we’re excited to announce Docker Enterprise 3.0 – the only desktop-to-cloud enterprise container platform enabling organizations to build and share any application and securely run them anywhere – from hybrid cloud to the edge.

With Docker Enterprise 3.0, developers can rapidly build multi-service container-based applications right from their desktop and package them in a standardized format that can be shared seamlessly and run anywhere. In addition, Docker Enterprise 3.0 expands its container platform leadership position with the introduction of new capabilities for automated lifecycle management and enhanced security.

Here are some of the highlights that you can look forward to in Docker Enterprise 3.0.

Accelerated application delivery

Enterprises are looking for ways to quickly adapt to new competitive challenges and changing customer requirements through the introduction of new applications. Docker Enterprise 3.0 introduces a number of capabilities that help organizations accelerate application delivery.

Docker Desktop Enterprise

Docker Desktop Enterprise is a new developer tool that extends the Docker Enterprise Platform to developers’ desktops, improving developer productivity while accelerating time-to-market for new applications.

• Application Designer interface: template-based workflows for creating containerized applications – no Docker CLI commands are required to get started
• Configurable version packs: instantly replicate production environment configurations on the local desktop to avoid “works on my machine” friction
• Centrally managed and secured: Packaged as a standard MSI (Win) and PKG (Mac) distribution files that work with existing endpoint management tools
• Automation and template-driven generation of IT-approved Dockerfiles, Docker Compose files, and CI pipelines boosts developer productivity

Docker Application

Docker Application is a new set of tooling that enables end-to-end application consistency and scalability from developers to operators. It allows users to manage complex applications as simply as individual containers, with tools to build, push, and deploy multi-container applications as self-contained objects.

• Based on open standard CNAB: Docker Application is based on CNAB – a joint collaboration of Docker, Microsoft, Bitnami, HashiCorp and CodeFresh
• Docker Application Template: Make sharing and standardization of applications simpler and more scalable by templatizing applications and their deployment parameters.
• Docker Assemble: Easily generate Dockerfiles and the associated files for common application frameworks without expert Docker knowledge. Get development up to speed faster by letting developers focus on their business logic.

Docker Kubernetes Service (DKS)

Docker Enterprise 3.0 introduces Docker Kubernetes Service –  the only offering that integrates Kubernetes from the developer desktop to production servers. This will make Kubernetes easier, more secure, and more accessible to the entire organization.

• Shipping with Kubernetes 1.14: DKS includes the latest release of Kubernetes, including full support for Container Storage Interface (CSI).
• Single platform for developers and operators: DKS is the only Kubernetes offering that provides consistency across the full development lifecycle. Through the use of version packs, Kubernetes developer environments stay in sync with production environments for a complete, seamless Kubernetes experience.

Automated deployment of containers on your choice of infrastructure

Docker Enterprise 3.0 includes new lifecycle automation tools for day 1 and day 2 operations, helping customers accelerate and expand the deployment of containers on their choice of infrastructure.

• Transparent cluster upgrades: Apply blue-green upgrades to your container infrastructure to reduce and eliminate application impact. Control your infra software lifecycle with more control and less risk.
• Docker Cluster: Automate and simplify cluster deployments no matter which environment. Whether AWS, Azure, or VMware, Docker Enterprise deploys in highly customizable ways that allow operators to scale the number of clusters and different environments that they support.

Enhanced security

Docker Enterprise 3.0 includes additional security enhancements that expand the set of applications that can be addressed with Docker Enterprise and the types of organizations that can deploy it.

• Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA) for Swarm: Support for gMSA brings Docker Enterprise to a wider set of Windows Server applications that require Active Directory authentication. Swarm allows the creation of credential specs with Docker Configs to bring ease of use and automation to gMSA.
• PKI Certificate-Based Authentication: In addition to LDAP/AD integration and SAML 2.0 support, highly regulated organizations can now use PKI authentication to control access to Docker Enterprise.