Gartner defines container management as offerings that support the deployment and operation of containerized workloads. It uses a combination of technologies (many open source) that enable agile application deployments and infrastructure modernization. Delivery methods include stand-alone software or as a service. Container management automates the provisioning, operation and life cycle management of containerized workloads at scale. Centralized governance and security policies are used to manage container workloads and associated resources. Container management supports the requirements of modern applications (also refactoring legacy applications), including platform engineering, cloud management and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Benefits include improved agility, elasticity and access to innovation.
Gartner defines DevOps platforms as those that provide fully integrated capabilities to enable continuous delivery of software using Agile and DevOps practices. The capabilities span the development and delivery life cycle built around the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline and include aspects such as versioning, testing, security, documentation and compliance. DevOps platforms support team collaboration, consistency, tool simplification and measurement of software delivery metrics. DevOps platforms simplify the creation, maintenance and management of the components required for the delivery of modern software applications. Platforms create common workflows and data models, simplify user access, and provide a consistent user experience (UX) to reduce cognitive load. They lead to improved visibility, auditability and traceability into the software development value stream. This end-to-end view encourages a systems-thinking mindset and accelerates feedback loops.