We use it as a container platform to deploy edge applications in a manufacturing, air-gapped environment. OpenShift addresses business requirements where devices, datalake and operations on the edge need a consolidated platform. Creating expensive virtual machine clusters are archaic and this is where OpenShift helps by empowering our developers to deploy applications straight to the edge. Another crucial requirement was having a platform that was compatible with our chosen Identity management platform - CyberArk. With Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes, we can ensure that user authentication and management to pods and applications can be safely handled in conjunction with CyberArk.
Pros
Container Platform for developers to test, update, deploy and bring an application from development to production
Provides a single platform natively in cloud and in on-prem. It's a perfect fit for Hybrid organizations like ours. ARO is a great asset and so is deploying Red Hat OpenShift on-prem in virtual instances
Highly dependent platform built on Red Hat Linux OS which helps on saving costs
Cons
Collaboration with on-prem specialiszed vendors like VMware, MS Hyper-V perhaps?
Be more open to using other container registry platforms in demos like Container Registry in Azure
Documentation is hidden behind a Training Subscription.
Likelihood to Recommend
OpenShift is well suited to enterprise organizations that have a high availability requirement for their workloads whether it's on-prem or natively in the Cloud. The best part that is that a single container registry can be used or multiple depending on your specific use-cases. But it's very adaptable to multiple developer tools and platforms, from pipelines, to image handling.
Scalability of developer environments, quick container deployment
Pros
Working with developers is streamlined, there is little time to wait for deployments
Cons
Documentation - updates are quick but documentation is slow to update
Likelihood to Recommend
Specifically the sector you are in - for government, it makes complete sense. Private/Public have more leeway for technologies they can utilize, government specifically is a slog attempting to deploy open source software, RHEL branding helps get past that.