Last week I talked about how open-source software thrives on the pillars of transparency, trust and collaboration, creating a robust ecosystem that benefits developers, users and organizations alike.
OSS has come to play a critical role in the tech world over the past two decades with striking success. It runs more than half the world's websites and, in the form of Android, more than 80 percent of its smartphones in 2024, according to Worldmetrics.org, an independent data aggregator.
There are two obvious reasons for its ubiquity, the first being economic.
Cost is the main reason many firms turn to Linux and other open-source software.
OSS firms are flourishing amid the economic downturn. When budgets are tight, more traditional software firms seem prepared to embrace open source.
The second is geopolitical.
Some governments, such as in Brazil and Germany, embrace OSS as it reduces their security concerns and dependence on foreign companies.
OSS has gained immense popularity for reasons of cost-effectiveness, flexibility, security and community support.
A large community of developers and users provide support, share knowledge and contribute to its improvement. OSS is indeed a cornerstone for many IT professionals.
I want to examine the most popular and trendy open-source tools that can help secure and advance their careers.
First, newbies need to ensure they are up to speed on cloud and microservices technologies.
Linux and Kubernetes are the most popular programs, ideal for those starting out in their IT careers.
Learning them imparts fundamental IT skills, including basic system administration, cloud computing and security, because they form the backbone of virtually all public clouds.
Pretty much anyone working in technology needs to understand these core components.
Kubernetes is an open-source platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling and management of containerized applications. It is at the core of the cloud native movement, which is transforming how applications are built and deployed.
Learning Kubernetes on Linux provides a strong foundation for understanding and working with modern cloud-native technologies.
Demand for Kubernetes skills is high as it simplifies the management of containerized applications, which are increasingly used in modern software development.
Companies are looking for professionals who can manage Kubernetes clusters efficiently.
Linux is the preferred operating system for running Kubernetes due to its stability, performance and open-source nature.
Most Kubernetes clusters run on Linux, making it essential for professionals to understand both.
Organizations like the Linux Foundation offer comprehensive training and certification programs for Kubernetes, making it accessible for professionals to learn and validate their skills.
Next, mid-career folks need to be laser focused on equipping themselves with updated skills in order to remain attractive in the employment market. Mastering Kubernetes on Linux can significantly enhance career prospects in DevOps, cloud engineering and software development as these skills are highly valued in the industry.
A lot of the initial wave of adoption was for user-facing applications but there is a huge backlog of legacy technology that needs to be modernized into microservices architecture.
Companies that upskill their legacy system staff to refactor these systems will be best positioned.
The most critical need right now is to ensure that everyone who touches the technology stack is adequately trained on cybersecurity topics specific to their role.
Too many companies are relying heavily on cybersecurity teams to identify issues.
Security by design is a far better approach but it requires role specific training. The Linux Foundation will soon be unveiling a new initiative to address this need.
The key thing is to never stop learning. The pace and extent of innovation in technology means that there is no longer such a thing as a career doing one specific task.
Jolly Wong is a policy fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy,
University of Cambridge
Speaking at Open Source Summit China, which saw over 1,000 local and overseas software developers attend its and its associated KubeCon, CloudNativeCon and AI_dev China events from August 21 to 23 at Kerry Hotel in Hung Hom are, clockwise from above
