Kubernetes Readiness & Containerisation Assessment
We check which applications suit Kubernetes and what must change, so you adopt it where it pays off.
- Readiness report
- Containerisation plan
Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure
Kubernetes Consulting Services
We design, harden and run Kubernetes clusters on EKS, AKS, GKE or on-premise, with autoscaling, ingress, RBAC, Helm and GitOps so workloads stay available and upgrades stay routine.
- Cluster design
- RBAC & hardening
- GitOps with Helm
- Autoscaling
- Years of delivery
- 8+
- Years of delivery
- Projects shipped
- 350+
- Projects shipped
- Clients across US, UK, AU & SG
- 200+
- Clients across US, UK, AU & SG
What’s included
Everything You Need to Run Production-Grade Kubernetes
We assess, design, secure and operate Kubernetes clusters, on EKS, AKS, GKE or your own infrastructure.
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Cluster Architecture & Capacity Design
We design node pools, networking, storage and multi-zone layout for reliability and sensible cost on EKS, AKS or GKE.
- Cluster design
- Capacity model
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Cluster Build with Terraform & Helm
We provision clusters as code and package workloads with Helm charts, making environments repeatable and quick to recreate.
- Cluster IaC
- Helm charts
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Application Migration to Kubernetes
We containerise and move your services onto the cluster with tested manifests, health probes and rollout strategies.
- Dockerfiles
- Deployment manifests
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Kubernetes Security, RBAC & Network Policies
We apply least-privilege access, pod security and network policies, aligned to CIS benchmarks, to reduce cluster risk.
- RBAC model
- Network policies
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Argo CD GitOps Delivery Setup
We set up Git-driven deployments so every change is reviewed, traceable and easy to roll back.
- GitOps pipeline
- Rollback process
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Autoscaling & Resource Optimisation
We configure HPA, cluster autoscaler and resource limits so apps handle spikes while you avoid paying for idle capacity.
- Autoscaling config
- Sizing report
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Cluster Monitoring, Upgrades & Managed Support
We run Prometheus and Grafana monitoring, handle version upgrades and respond to incidents so your cluster stays healthy.
- Grafana dashboards
- Upgrade runbook
Need something specific?
Why Kramate
Why Business Owners Choose Kramate for Kubernetes Help
Kubernetes is powerful but tricky, so we say plainly when you need it and when you do not.
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Honest Advice on Whether You Need It
Instead of
being sold something too big for you
With Kramate
We tell you straight if a simpler option does the job for less money.
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No Paying for Machines Sitting Idle
Instead of: a bill that grows even when it is quiet
With Kramate: We set it to shrink on quiet days, so you pay for what you really use.
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Locked Down From Day One
Instead of: adding safety later after a scare
With Kramate: We set strict limits on who can do what from the very first day.
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Updates Handled for You
Instead of: old versions that become risky over time
With Kramate: We handle the regular updates, so your setup stays current and supported.
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Written Guides in Plain Language
Instead of: only one person knowing how it works
With Kramate: We leave clear notes, so your team can run it without calling us for everything.
Our approach
How We Run Your Kubernetes Consulting, Step by Step
We help you decide if Kubernetes fits, then set it up and run it with your team.
7 clear steps 7 deliverables you keep
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Readiness Check
We check if your applications can run in containers and whether Kubernetes is worth the effort.
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Cluster Sizing Plan
We plan the size, locations and safety rules of the group of servers that will run your applications.
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Cluster Setup
We build the cluster in your cloud account using saved instructions so it can be rebuilt any time.
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Move Applications
We package your applications into containers and move them over one at a time, testing as we go.
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Access and Safety Rules
We decide who can do what inside the cluster and which parts may talk to each other.
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Capacity and Cost Tuning
We let the cluster add and remove capacity as demand changes and trim wasted resources.
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Care and Upgrades
We watch the cluster, apply updates and train your team so they can run it with confidence.
Tools & technologies
Technologies We Use for Kubernetes
We run clusters on managed services and use open tools for deployment, security and scaling.
- Kubernetes: Runs and scales containerised software automatically.
- Red Hat OpenShift: Enterprise Kubernetes platform for on-premise and cloud.
- Rancher: Manages many Kubernetes clusters from one console.
- AWS: Amazon cloud hosting and services.
- Azure: Microsoft cloud hosting and services.
- Google Cloud: Google infrastructure for data, AI and applications.
- Helm: Packages Kubernetes apps so they install and upgrade consistently.
- Kustomize: Adjusts Kubernetes configs per environment without copying files.
- Argo CD: Keeps clusters in sync with what is approved in Git.
- Flux: Applies approved Git changes to Kubernetes automatically.
- Cilium: Secure networking and visibility for Kubernetes clusters.
- Istio: Secures and manages traffic between services in a cluster.
- Envoy Proxy: Routes and secures traffic between cloud services.
- NGINX: Web server and load balancer that routes traffic reliably.
- Trivy: Scans container images and configs for known vulnerabilities.
- Falco: Detects suspicious activity inside running containers.
- Kyverno: Enforces security and policy rules inside Kubernetes.
- HashiCorp Vault: Stores passwords, keys and tokens securely for apps and teams.
- Karpenter: Adds and removes Kubernetes servers automatically to match demand.
- Kubecost: Shows what each Kubernetes team and app costs to run.
- Prometheus: Collects metrics to watch systems and model health.
- Grafana: Dashboards and alerts for live system metrics.
Expert guide
Kubernetes Consulting Services: A Complete Guide for Businesses
Kubernetes consulting services help organizations decide whether to run containers on Kubernetes, and then design, secure and operate the clusters if the answer is yes. Kubernetes is an open-source system that schedules containers across machines, restarts them when they fail and scales them with demand.
It is powerful, and it is also a platform that demands skills and ongoing care. A good consultant is willing to tell you when a simpler service would serve you better, and many teams are surprised by how much day-two work a cluster creates.
This guide covers the decision itself, cluster options, a production-readiness checklist, security, sustainability, regional points for the USA, UK, Australia and Singapore, what drives cost, and how to evaluate a partner.
Do you actually need Kubernetes?
Kubernetes pays off when you run many services, need automated scaling and self-healing, deploy often, or want one consistent platform across teams or clouds. It is a poor fit for a single small application, a team without operations capacity, or workloads that a managed platform-as-a-service handles with far less effort.
| Option | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Managed app platform | One or a few web apps, small teams | Less control and fewer customization options |
| Serverless functions | Event-driven or spiky workloads | Execution limits and provider-specific design |
| Virtual machines with automation | Stable, traditional applications | Manual scaling and slower recovery |
| Kubernetes | Many services, frequent releases, portability goals | Operational complexity and a learning curve |
The official Kubernetes documentation (opens in a new tab) describes the platform’s capabilities clearly, which makes it a useful reference when you weigh these options.
Managed, self-managed and hybrid clusters
Most businesses should begin with a managed control plane from a cloud provider, because patching and upgrading that layer yourself adds work without adding business value. Self-managed clusters make sense for strict data-location rules, edge sites or on-premises requirements.
If you span providers, the CNCF definition of cloud native (opens in a new tab) and the CNCF landscape (opens in a new tab) of related projects frame the portability goals and the tooling choices, and our multi-cloud and hybrid cloud services page explains the wider trade-offs.
A production-readiness checklist
Consulting engagements often start with an audit against a list like this one:
- Resource requests and limits set for every workload, so one noisy service cannot starve the rest.
- Health probes that tell the platform when an application is alive and ready.
- Multiple replicas spread across failure zones for anything customer-facing.
- Autoscaling configured and tested under load, not just enabled.
- Backups of cluster state and persistent data, with a restore actually rehearsed.
- Upgrade plan covering Kubernetes versions, node images and add-ons.
- Observability for logs, metrics and traces; see our cloud infrastructure monitoring services.
- Declarative configuration kept in version control and deployed through a pipeline.
Security and governance for clusters
Default Kubernetes settings favor convenience. Hardening means least-privilege role-based access, network policies that limit which services can talk to each other, restricted container privileges, scanned and signed images, and secrets stored outside plain configuration files.
The Cloud Security Alliance guidance (opens in a new tab) and CISA’s cloud security architecture (opens in a new tab) offer vendor-neutral baselines, and the Kubernetes documentation includes a security overview. Pair them with an upgrade routine, because unpatched clusters are a common weakness.
Efficiency and sustainability on clusters
Clusters often run mostly idle because teams over-request resources to feel safe. Right-sizing requests, scaling nodes down when demand drops, consolidating small workloads and choosing efficient processor types all reduce energy use and spend together.
Region choice also matters. The Principles of Green Software Engineering (opens in a new tab) encourage running work where and when the electricity is cleaner, which batch jobs can often do.
Industry use cases
- SaaS: a product with dozens of services uses namespaces and autoscaling to give each team independent deployments.
- Media streaming: a platform scales processing workers up for new releases and back down overnight, following the scaling patterns in the Azure Architecture Center (opens in a new tab).
- Healthcare analytics: a team runs data pipelines in an isolated cluster with strict network rules.
- Retail: an e-commerce site adds capacity automatically during sales events.
These are illustrative examples, not Kramate client results.
Regional considerations: USA, UK, Australia and Singapore
Cluster location decides where data physically sits, so the main regional question is residency. Confirm obligations with legal counsel.
- USA: pick regions near customers; HIPAA workloads need appropriate agreements with the provider and tight access controls.
- UK: UK GDPR governs transfers of personal data, so check where backups and logs travel as well as the primary cluster.
- Australia: the Privacy Act 1988 and sector rules affect offshore disclosure of personal information.
- Singapore: the Personal Data Protection Act includes transfer limitation obligations.
Support-hour overlap matters for cluster incidents, so kubernetes consulting services should state who answers at night in your time zone.
Cost factors for kubernetes consulting services
Cluster cost is a mix of cloud resources and people time. The main drivers are:
- Node count, size and how well workloads fill them.
- Number of clusters: separate production, staging and team clusters multiply fixed overhead.
- Network traffic between zones and out to the internet.
- Storage and backup volumes.
- Add-ons such as service meshes, which add capacity and complexity.
- Staff time for upgrades, on-call duty and platform support.
Run a short assessment first, migrate one low-risk service, then widen. Pair with cloud cost optimization once workloads are stable.
How to choose among kubernetes consulting services
- Willingness to say no. They should test whether you need Kubernetes.
- Experience with your cloud’s managed service and with your workload type.
- Day-two thinking: upgrades, backups, on-call and cost, not just installation.
- Infrastructure as code for every cluster, so nothing depends on manual commands.
- Training for your engineers, with written runbooks.
- Clear scope boundaries between their work and your team’s.
How Kramate delivers Kubernetes consulting
Our kubernetes consulting services are led by a dedicated project manager, with daily Slack or Teams updates and a demo of progress after each two-week round. We sign an NDA before going into detail, and all configuration and documentation we produce is transferred to you. Fixed-price, dedicated-team and hourly options are available, and we can lead or embed with your platform engineers. See our step-by-step approach.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Kubernetes?
Probably not if you run one or two applications with a small team. It becomes worthwhile with many services, frequent releases, a need for automated scaling and recovery, or a goal of a consistent platform across teams. A consultant should assess this honestly.
Is Kubernetes overkill for small teams?
Often, yes. Managed application platforms or serverless options can deliver most benefits with far less operating effort. Revisit the decision if the number of services, teams or compliance demands grows.
What is the difference between managed and self-managed Kubernetes?
In a managed service the cloud provider operates the control plane, including its availability and upgrades. In a self-managed cluster your team does all of it. Managed is the sensible default unless data-location or edge requirements rule it out.
How do I secure a Kubernetes cluster?
Apply least-privilege access, network policies, restricted container privileges, image scanning, encrypted secrets and a regular upgrade routine. Review configuration against vendor-neutral guidance and test it, rather than trusting defaults, so gaps are found before an attacker finds them.
How can we reduce Kubernetes costs?
Set practical resource requests, use autoscaling for pods and nodes, remove idle environments, consolidate clusters where isolation allows, and monitor cross-zone traffic. Measure by team or service so owners can see their own usage.
How long does a Kubernetes migration take?
It varies with the number of services, how container-ready they already are and the state of your pipelines. Migrating one low-risk service first gives a practical timeline for the rest.
Sources and further reading
- Kubernetes Documentation (opens in a new tab)Kubernetes
- CNCF About (opens in a new tab)Cloud Native Computing Foundation
- CNCF Cloud Native Landscape (opens in a new tab)Cloud Native Computing Foundation
- CSA Security Guidance for Cloud Computing (opens in a new tab)Cloud Security Alliance
- CISA Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture (opens in a new tab)CISA
- Principles of Green Software Engineering (opens in a new tab)Green Software Foundation
- Azure Architecture Center (opens in a new tab)Microsoft
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Price depends on the number of clusters and workloads, whether you use managed services like EKS, AKS or GKE, and the depth of work such as networking, security and autoscaling. Migration of existing apps and training add effort. Send us your Kubernetes scope and a no-obligation estimate follows within 24 hours.
We assess your applications, design the cluster layout, build a secure baseline, deploy a pilot workload, then migrate others and set up monitoring and runbooks. Duration depends on application readiness, number of clusters and team experience. Containerising old apps often takes the most time.
You do. Before detailed Kubernetes talks, Kramate signs an NDA and transfers IP and deliverables to you. Cluster definitions, Helm charts, manifests, policies and runbooks live in your repositories, and clusters run in your cloud accounts under your control.
Yes. We can review your existing clusters for security, cost and reliability, then fix gaps with your engineers. We follow your GitOps or deployment tools and add improvements gradually, avoiding disruptive rewrites of what already works.
Not always. Kubernetes suits many services, frequent releases and a team that can operate it. For a few simple apps, managed platforms or serverless can be cheaper and simpler. We assess your workloads honestly and tell you if a lighter option fits better.
With managed Kubernetes such as EKS, AKS or GKE, the provider runs the control plane while you manage nodes and workloads. Self-managed means you operate everything. Managed options reduce operational burden for most businesses. Self-managed suits special requirements such as on-premise or strict control.
Use role-based access with least privilege, network policies, image scanning, secrets management, pod security rules and regular upgrades. Audit logging helps detect misuse. We apply these baselines and document them, though security needs continuing attention as workloads change.
Taking new projects
Let’s talk about your Kubernetes Consulting Services needs
Tell us about your project and get a free consultation and estimate within 24 hours.
- We reply within 4 business hours A real consultant reads your brief — no bot, no queue.
- 30-minute discovery call We dig into goals, constraints and budget. NDA signed on request.
- Proposal in 24 hours Scope, timeline, team and price — clear enough to decide on.
NDA on request You own the IP No obligation Free estimate