As enterprises continue to adopt cloud-native technologies, Kubernetes has emerged as a leading platform for managing containerised workloads. Kubernetes provides a flexible and scalable infrastructure for deploying and managing applications, but it also requires expertise and resources to manage effectively. In response, many companies are turning to enterprise Kubernetes platforms that provide additional features, support, and services. In this article, we will explore the enterprise Kubernetes platforms available in the USA and their pricing.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications. It was developed by Google and released in 2014, and has since become one of the most popular tools for managing container workloads. Kubernetes provides a platform-agnostic infrastructure for deploying applications, which allows organisations to easily move their workloads between different cloud providers or on-premises data centers.
What is an Enterprise Kubernetes Platform?
An enterprise Kubernetes platform is a Kubernetes-based platform that provides additional features, support, and services for enterprises. These platforms often include additional security, monitoring, and management tools that are designed for large-scale deployments. They also provide enterprise-level support and training to help organisations manage their Kubernetes environments effectively.
Enterprise Kubernetes platforms typically offer a range of services, such as:
- Managed Kubernetes clusters: These platforms provide fully managed Kubernetes clusters, including provisioning, scaling, and upgrades.
- Security and compliance: Enterprise Kubernetes platforms offer advanced security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Monitoring and observability: These platforms provide advanced monitoring and observability tools that help enterprises gain insights into their Kubernetes environments.
- Multi-cloud support: Enterprise Kubernetes platforms are designed to work across multiple cloud providers, allowing organisations to deploy applications in a hybrid or multi-cloud environment.
- Training and support: These platforms offer training and support services to help enterprises manage their Kubernetes environments effectively.
Enterprise Kubernetes Platforms in the USA:
There are several enterprise Kubernetes platforms available in the USA. In this section, we will explore the features and pricing of some of the most popular platforms.
1: D2iQ
D2iQ is a Kubernetes management platform that provides a highly available and scalable platform for running containerized workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers. D2iQ provides many tools for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications, and it integrates with many cloud providers and services.
Features:
- Multi-cloud support: D2iQ can run Kubernetes workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.
- Automated lifecycle management: D2iQ provides automated lifecycle management for your Kubernetes clusters, which includes patching and upgrading.
- Security and compliance: D2iQ provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with other services: D2iQ integrates with many cloud providers and services, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Pricing:
D2iQ pricing is based on a subscription model, which includes support and maintenance. Contact D2iQ for pricing information.
2: Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)
Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service that makes it easy to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications using Kubernetes on AWS. EKS provides a highly available and secure platform for running Kubernetes workloads, and it integrates with other AWS services such as EC2, S3, and RDS.
Features:
- Managed Kubernetes control plane: Amazon EKS provides a fully managed Kubernetes control plane that scales automatically to meet the demands of your cluster.
- Multi-AZ availability: EKS provides multi-AZ availability, which means that your cluster is automatically replicated across multiple availability zones for high availability.
- Security and compliance: EKS provides several security and compliance features, such as VPC isolation, IAM integration, and audit logging.
- Integrated with AWS services: EKS integrates with other AWS services such as EC2, S3, and RDS, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
Amazon EKS pricing is based on the number of worker nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume. The pricing starts at $0.10 per hour for each Amazon EKS cluster.
3: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
GKE provides several security and compliance features, such as VPC isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Google Cloud Platform: GKE integrates with other Google Cloud Platform services such as Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Cloud Pub/Sub, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
GKE pricing is based on the number of nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume. The pricing starts at $0.10 per hour for each node in your cluster.
4: Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that makes it easy to deploy and manage containerised applications using Kubernetes on Azure. AKS provides a highly available and scalable platform for running Kubernetes workloads, and it integrates with other Azure services such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Monitor.
Features:
- Managed Kubernetes control plane: AKS provides a fully managed Kubernetes control plane that scales automatically to meet the demands of your cluster.
- Virtual machine scale sets: AKS uses virtual machine scale sets to provide scalable worker nodes that automatically adjust based on your workload demands.
- Security and compliance: AKS provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Azure services: AKS integrates with other Azure services such as Azure Active Directory and Azure Monitor, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
AKS pricing is based on the number of nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume. The pricing starts at $0.10 per hour for each node in your cluster.
5: Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat OpenShift is an enterprise Kubernetes platform that provides a scalable and secure platform for running containerised workloads. OpenShift provides a fully managed Kubernetes platform that is designed for enterprise workloads and it integrates with other Red Hat services such as Red Hat Ansible and Red Hat Quay.
Features:
- Managed Kubernetes control plane: OpenShift provides a fully managed Kubernetes control plane that scales automatically to meet the demands of your cluster.
- Integrated CI/CD pipeline: OpenShift provides an integrated CI/CD pipeline that automates the deployment of your applications.
- Security and compliance: OpenShift provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Red Hat services: OpenShift integrates with other Red Hat services such as Red Hat Ansible and Red Hat Quay, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
Red Hat OpenShift pricing is based on the number of nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume. The pricing starts at $0.10 per hour for each node in your cluster.
6: Rancher
Rancher is an open-source Kubernetes management platform that provides a scalable and secure platform for running containerised workloads. Rancher provides a fully managed Kubernetes platform that is designed for enterprise workloads and it integrates with other Rancher services such as Rancher Continuous Delivery.
Features:
- Managed Kubernetes control plane: Rancher provides a fully managed Kubernetes control plane that scales automatically to meet the demands of your cluster.
- Integrated CI/CD pipeline: Rancher provides an integrated CI/CD pipeline that automates the deployment of your applications.
- Security and compliance: Rancher provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Rancher services: Rancher integrates with other Rancher services such as Rancher Continuous Delivery, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
Rancher pricing is based on the number of nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume.
7: VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG)
VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG) is a Kubernetes runtime that is designed for enterprise workloads. TKG provides a highly available and scalable platform for running Kubernetes workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers.
Features:
- Multi-cloud support: TKG can run Kubernetes workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.
- Automated lifecycle management: TKG provides automated lifecycle management for your Kubernetes clusters, which includes patching and upgrading.
- Security and compliance: TKG provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with VMware services: TKG integrates with other VMware services such as VMware vSphere and VMware NSX, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid pricing is based on a subscription model, which includes support and maintenance. Contact VMware for pricing information.
8: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service
IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service is a managed Kubernetes service that provides a highly available and scalable platform for running containerised workloads on IBM Cloud. IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service integrates with other IBM Cloud services such as IBM Cloud Object Storage and IBM Cloud Databases.
Features:
- Managed Kubernetes control plane: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service provides a fully managed Kubernetes control plane that scales automatically to meet the demands of your cluster.
- Virtual machine scale sets: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service uses virtual machine scale sets to provide scalable worker nodes that automatically adjust based on your workload demands.
- Security and compliance: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with IBM Cloud services: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service integrates with other IBM Cloud services such as IBM Cloud Object Storage and IBM Cloud Databases, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service pricing is based on the number of nodes in your cluster and the amount of resources they consume. The pricing starts at $0.10 per hour for each node in your cluster.
9: Platform9 Managed Kubernetes
Platform9 Managed Kubernetes is a managed Kubernetes service that provides a highly available and scalable platform for running containerised workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers. Platform9 Managed Kubernetes integrates with other Platform9 services such as Platform9 Managed OpenStack.
Features:
- Multi-cloud support: Platform9 Managed Kubernetes can run Kubernetes workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.
- Automated lifecycle management: Platform9 Managed Kubernetes provides automated lifecycle management for your Kubernetes clusters, which includes patching and upgrading.
- Security and compliance: Platform9 Managed Kubernetes provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Platform9 services: Platform9 Managed Kubernetes integrates with other Platform9 services such as Platform9 Managed OpenStack, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
Platform9 Managed Kubernetes pricing is based on a subscription model, which includes support and maintenance. Contact Platform9 for pricing information.
10: OpenShift Container Platform
OpenShift Container Platform is a Kubernetes-based container platform that provides a highly available and scalable platform for running containerized workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers. OpenShift Container Platform provides many tools for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications, and it integrates with many cloud providers and services.
Features:
- Multi-cloud support: OpenShift Container Platform can run Kubernetes workloads on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers and public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure.
- Automated lifecycle management: OpenShift Container Platform provides automated lifecycle management for your Kubernetes clusters, which includes patching and upgrading.
- Security and compliance: OpenShift Container Platform provides several security and compliance features, such as network isolation, RBAC, and audit logging.
- Integrated with Red Hat services: OpenShift Container Platform integrates with other Red Hat services such as Red Hat Ansible Automation and Red Hat Quay, which makes it easy to deploy and manage your Kubernetes workloads.
Pricing:
OpenShift Container Platform pricing is based on a subscription model, which includes support and maintenance. Contact Red Hat for pricing information.