DEV Community: David

Linkerd Support: How to Find It and Get the Most from It

David — Thu, 25 May 2023 07:40:33 +0000

You're working on your Linkerd implementation, maybe configuring the settings, deploying new services, or updating the mesh, but something goes wrong. Now, you're stuck and need to fix it quickly.

What are your options for getting support for your Linkerd implementation?

Google search is the first answer.

But there is no way to know if the answer is up to date, correct, or compatible with your project. In this article, I will help you to find the best Linkerd support that helps you and answer your questions.

Identifying Your Support Needs

Asking for support could be challenging if you don't know what you want. First, you need to identify the specific issues you are facing with your service mesh. After knowing the issue, you have to look for the best way to get the help that you need.

Consider asking these questions to yourself:

Are you struggling with the Linkerd setup and wondering how to make it work? You need a service consultant who is proficient in Linkerd. They will do it for you.
Do you have a specific Linkerd question you need answering? A support forum or Linkerd Slack channel might be a good source of support.
Do you want to build an in-house team to support Linkerd's needs? You might need a tutorial or training course.
Do you want to learn about some specific Linkerd actions? Try the official documentation.
Do you need a question answered quickly or get an instant fix? You may need to take premium Linkerd support.
Is there a need to take the service mesh to the next level? You would need the experts to scale your Linkerd setup.

Your requirements depend on your project. Understanding what you need will help you identify the best source of support. So let's start with the official sources of support, which are the starting point for many new Linkerd users.

#1 Linkerd Support: Official Sources

The Linkerd.io website has a number of support sources that should be the first place to go when you are having a question about Linkerd.

#1.1 Documentation

The Documentation is aimed mainly at developers. It's the official guide to the code that underpins Linkerd. It includes advice on Linkerd coding standards, installations, and demos. Some sections entail all the features, and tasks and cover frequently asked questions. For any developer, searching the doc should be the first step when looking to solve a Linkerd issue.

#1.2 Blogs

Linkerd runs a highly active blog. These articles cover updates, best practices, tutorials, and advice related to Linkerd service mesh. If you are not looking for specific issues but only want to improve your Linkerd knowledge, check the blog regularly.

#1.3 Slack Channel

The Linkerd Slack channel is a great place to know updates and get your problems solved by experts. You can join the official Slack channel for the Linkerd project, which is open to anyone with a professional email account. Find out what's going on with Linkerd and join in the discussions about its development.

#1.4 Github Discussion

GitHub is where developers hang out; for Linkerd issues, you can visit the Linkerd GitHub page. On this page, people can open a discussion, check out old conversation, find a solution to their problems, and also offer helps to other Linkerd users. Opening the ticket allows the Linkerd development team and other contributors to review and address your issue.

#2 Linkerd Forums and Communities

As well as official sources of support, there are forums, groups, and channels you can use to get answers to your Linkerd question. These are aimed at everyone from beginners to experienced developers, and part of the challenge is finding one at the right level for you.

#2.1 StackOverflow

StackOverflow is a popular forum for web developers, not just Linkerd users. It could be quite daunting to beginner DevOps and developers. The members are highly experienced developers who can answer specific and complex questions. But it can also be difficult to identify which answer will work for you, as you'll often find multiple responses to a question. However, there is a voting system to find a better answer. Also, you will find it more helpful to use Google and add the 'stackoverflow' in your query to find the solution quickly.

#2.2 Reddit

There is a subreddit of Linkerd, which is also a great source of information. The subreddit is highly active, and users share various resources. You can leave your problems and questions there and someone will surely help you out.

#2.3 Udemy

If you want training, Udemy is the best platform for video courses on Linkerd. Udemy courses on Linkerd are created by expert instructors who have experience working with Linkerd and are knowledgeable about the platform. The training includes hands-on exercises and projects, allowing learners to practice what they have learned in a real-world context.

#2.4 Linkerd Forum

Linkerd discourse forum is an online discussion platform where developers and users can ask and answer questions, share knowledge, and discuss topics related to Linkerd. It is a great resource for anyone wanting to learn more about Linkerd, and get help with issues, or share their experiences.

How to Use Forums and Groups?

To effectively use Linkerd support forums and groups, here are some tips to follow:

Find the appropriate forum or group: Various online communities are dedicated to Linkerd. Choose a group or forum that aligns with your interests or specific needs. For example, the Linkerd discourse forum is a great place to start, as it's an official community where users can ask and answer questions and share their experiences.
Search for existing threads: Before posting a question, search for existing threads with the needed information. The search function can save time and help you quickly find relevant information.
Review the community guidelines: Check if the group or forum has any specific rules or guidelines you should follow. This could include rules around self-promotion or posting frequency. Adhering to the guidelines can help you avoid getting kicked out of the community.
Be respectful and polite: Remember that other users in the community are volunteering their time and expertise to help others. Show your appreciation by being respectful and polite when asking for help. Avoid making demands or being rude if you don't receive a response.
Be specific with your questions: Be clear and specific to increase the chances of getting a helpful response. Provide relevant context, code snippets, and any error messages you might receive. This can help others understand your problem and provide better solutions.

Premium Linkerd Support

If you require access to dedicated support with quicker response times, consider paying for premium support services. Some companies offer paid support packages that provide faster response times 24/7 and the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with a dedicated support representative.

Linkerd recommends Buoyant and InfraCloud for commercial Linkerd support.

Buoyant: Buoyant is the creator and primary maintainer of Linkerd. They understand the project to the core. As the maintainers, they are the ones who write the code and fix the bugs of Linkerd. So you can be sure that they provide excellent Linkerd support.

InfraCloud: Another one is InfraCloud, which also provides enterprise-grade Linkerd support with 24/7 support SLA. InfraCloud also provides many IT services and has a wide range of experience in managing infrastructure besides Linkerd.

Before you opt for commercial Linkerd support, it's important to research the provider to ensure they meet your needs and budget.

Summary

It's common to feel overwhelmed by the numerous sources of Linkerd support available. However, if you clearly understand your support needs and objectives, you can choose the support resource that best fits your requirements.

Take the time to research and evaluate each resource to determine which one will help you most effectively address your questions or resolve issues. You can get the most out of your Linkerd experience by selecting the right support resource.

Top Argo CD Support Providers in 2023

David — Tue, 23 May 2023 07:35:47 +0000

Argo CD is a powerful and popular open source tool for automating continuous delivery workflows on Kubernetes. Launched in 2018, it quickly gained traction among developers and organizations due to its ease of use, robust feature set, and ability to simplify application deployment to Kubernetes clusters.

Today, Argo CD is used by thousands of organizations worldwide, including well-known names like Intel, Red Hat, WordPress, and Intuit. In 2020, Argo CD was recognized for its contributions to the cloud-native ecosystem and graduated as a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) tool, making its place as a leading solution for continuous delivery on Kubernetes.

However, like any complex tool, Argo CD has its challenges when it comes to setup, integration, and maintenance. This is where Argo CD support services come into play, providing expert guidance and assistance to help users get the most out of the tool.

In this article, we will explore the best Argo CD professional services and support providers available in the market to help you make an informed decision and maximize the benefits of Argo CD for your organization.

What is Argo CD Support?

Argo CD support (also known as managed Argo CD) is a CI/CD service where experts take responsibility to maintain your Argo CD setup. There are companies and technology firms with talented DevOps professionals who are dealing with the Argo CD since its release and have worked on a variety of projects involving it.

Argo CD Support companies provide a range of offerings, including consulting, implementation, training, troubleshooting, and customization, to help organizations maximize the benefits of Argo CD and address any issues they may encounter. With Argo CD professional support providers, you can sleep well knowing that your CD pipelines are running smoothly, efficiently, and securely – adding hours to your day so you can focus on delivering value to your end-users.

How to select Argo CD Support companies?

To select the correct Argo CD partner, you have to note down your requirements and expectations from the Argo CD partner. If you don’t know them yet, keep reading, as I am sharing the factors to consider while reviewing the Argo CD support partner.

#1 Support & response time

One major reason for taking the commercial Argo CD support or any tech support is to get an immediate response in case of an emergency. So take a good look at the response time matrix to check whether timely responses and solutions are present or not.

If the support is not present at the time it was needed, then it is not helpful to the business. Because given enough time, your team will also find a solution to complex problems. The reason for taking the support is to have an expert onboard 24/7 so the problem could be solved before it affects the business.

#2 Security practices used

Argo CD comes with security features like built-in integrations for SSO providers such as OIDC, Argo CDOAuth2, LDAP, and more for secure access. There is also a role-based access control (RBAC) to authorize the team members to specific services in clusters.

All these features are helpful but only if they are implemented properly. If you are giving access to your Argo CD environment to the support team, you need to know the security policies that hold the support provider responsible to keep your Argo CD safe.

#3 GitOps support

If your team is using Git and Argo CD for continuous delivery then you need a support team that has experience in GitOps. They should be able to connect Git repository providers such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket with Argo CD to enable GitOps. Also, as multiple teams will be working on the project, you have to see the support team’s process to minimize the configuration drift.

#4 Project history

It is always a good measure to check the project the company has delivered in the recent past. You should do your due diligence on the team’s credentials and check the GitHub profiles to see if they have done work around Argo CD. You can also view the company's reviews, testimonials, and case studies. Online reputation in the open-source community and overall developer community also shows where the company stands in the Argo CD ecosystem.

Best Argo CD Support Providers

Once you know your requirements from the Argo CD partner and what type of enterprise support you are looking for, you can start your search. Here are the several companies that are offering professional services and enterprise Argo CD support and you can see if anyone of them fits your criteria.

1. ITOutposts

ITOutposts offers a wide range of IT consulting services including cloud optimization, Kubernetes consultation, managed IT support, and data migration services. Starting in 2020, during the Covid-era, when IT hiring was challenging due to remote norms, ITOutposts helped many companies by providing remote IT support.

The team has experience in various cloud technologies like Jenkins, TravisCI, AWS, Flex, and Argo CD. Though there is no dedicated page for Argo CD support, they provide CI/CD consultation service and Argo CD is a part of the service. You have to contact them using their website's contact page.

Despite being a new IT consulting company, they have delivered projects for global clients like Openware and Handy.ai. However, there isn't much activity on their social media channels or within the developer community.

2. InfraCloud

InfraCloud has been helping businesses of all sizes to adopt and implement cloud-native technologies since 2016. It's a big team consisting of engineers with decades of experience in deploying IT solutions in various niches.

The company offers managed Argo CD with unlimited incident reporting, SLA-backed 24/7 support, and Argo CD consulting. If you are looking to implement Continuous Delivery (CD) to improve development efficiency, the InfraCloud team can develop a comprehensive plan for the successful adoption of modern technologies. Delivering high-stakes projects for big clients like Hitachi, Mercedes Benz, Qualys, and Rancher, the team has demonstrated its expertise in cloud technology. The company has a team of CNCF-certified engineers with substantial experience in GitOps, Kubernetes, Progressive Delivery, and CI/CD implementations.

The team has developed and maintains various open source projects, including BotKube, Krius, and Fission. The developers regularly contribute to these projects and can frequently be seen at events and meetups promoting cloud-native technology. InfraCloud will be one of your best choices if you need 24/7 support and fast emergency response.

3. MeteorOps

MeteorOps is a small company delivering DevOps solutions since 2021. The team is small with 17-20 engineers, but they have years of experience in cloud-native technologies like Helm, Kubernetes, Terraform, and Argo CD.

Besides cloud adoption, they also help companies in tech hiring. So whether you need to build a dedicated team for Argo CD and related processes or to outsource the entire Argo CD, MeterOps could help you.

Similar to ITOutposts, MeteorOps is a new company – so they have worked with various clients of different backgrounds. The company is new but with a such diversified portfolio, they are a good option for smaller and simpler projects. At the time of writing this article, MeteorOps does not provide dedicated emergency 24*7 support. So if you have any small-scale projects, you can surely reach out to them – but for complex projects, it would be better to go with an experienced firm.

4. RxM

Started in 2012, RX-M is a well-known training company in the field of cloud-native technologies. They are charter members of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as well as authorized Kubernetes Training Partner (KTP).

RX-M specializes in providing education and training on a range of cloud technologies, such as Docker, Istio, Jenkin, Helm, Kubernetes, and Argo CD. Their website features various certification programs and courses that you can enroll in. Additionally, RX-M has experience in creating on-demand courses that they have delivered to a number of Fortune companies.

They also offer staffing and consultation services aimed at DevOps, CI/CD, Argo CD, and various other cloud technologies. If you're looking to train your team in Argo DB, RX-M has many years of producing curses for tech organizations.

5. Servanamanaged

Servana offers proactive support services from DevOps-certified subject matter experts. Be it pipeline complexities, auditing of the correct tools for the project, or filling the skill gap – Servana support covers it all. With expertise in Git, Helm, and Kubernetes, the team can configure and maintain your Argo CD.

Servana has worked with global clients like Yazaki, Waitrose, and Glasswall and got decent reviews. They are also an official Cloudbees Summit Partner for EMEA. The team has worked on a variety of projects – e-commerce, chatbots, natural language processing, machine learning, and payment gateways. The wide range of work brings a larger perspective, which helps build a secure and compliance-friendly development pipeline.

However, Sarvana doesn't have much presence in the online developer community or contribution to open-source software. But Servana has a visible customer support platform which the majority of managed Argo CD partners are lacking.

6. OpsVerse

OpsVerse is a SaaS-based tool to deploy and manage a continuous deployment system. Deploying and configuring Argo CD is a time taking process, but with fully managed Argo from OpsVerse, you can deploy it in any cloud, region, or within your network and begin using it within minutes.

You get all the enterprise-grade Argo CD features such as RBAC and SSO support with OpsVerse. You also receive OpsVerse support from the DevOps experts.

OpsVerse product is built on open-source Argo CD and comes with key configurations, templates, and integrations that your engineers can work with right away. However, it is only a product that let you set up the Argo CD quickly. The OpsVerse team will help you if you are stuck with the managed Argo CD product, but they will not be able to provide support if the emergency is with your CI/CD pipeline.

So, which is the best Argo CD Support Provider for you?

Many cloud-tech companies offer CI/CD consulting and Argo CD support. However, which one is best for your project depends on the project’s requirements and product development strategy.

Small-scale Argo CD: ITOutposts and Servanamanaged.
Train your team in Argo CD: RX-M has experience and courses to deliver it.
Dedicated team: MeteorOps is a small team and can offer dedicated support.
For complex pipelines and 24/7 support: InfraCloud has the experience and staff to do this.
Quickly install Argo and get it running: OpsVerse SaaS-based managed Argo is a suitable solution.

For the Argo CD support, the most important requirement is 24/7 response – so you can sleep peacefully knowing that experts are on board to sort out all Argo CD issues – ensuring your project achieves maximum release speed and velocity gains. But the requirements depend on your project’s requirements.

I hope this article helps you to find the best Argo CD professional services and support partner for you – if not let me know by leaving a comment. I will recommend one according to your requirements.

Top Istio Professional Services Companies with 24/7 Support

David — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 08:02:36 +0000

More and more organizations are opting for commercial Istio support to help their DevOps team manage complex Istio setups.

Istio is a popular service mesh and helpful in managing the different microservices that make up a cloud-native application. It also supports how the microservices communicate and share the data. Istio made it easier to manage traffic, secure communication, and make the system observable.

But as the architecture grows and more microservices are added to the application, Istio could become more complex and harder to manage. You could have a small dedicated Istio team or let the expert manage it by taking professional Istio support. Let's explore why it makes sense to work with a partner and how to pick one that ticks all the boxes.

What is Istio Support?

Istio support is a service offered by organizations with cloud-native expertise where a team of engineers manages your Istio 24/7. They will be in charge of keeping the Istio updated, secure, and production ready. If the team encounters difficulties in any process or faces any issues with Istio, they can rely on receiving support to help them navigate and find solutions.

But how to pick the best Istio support?

Nearly all the companies who work in the Cloud Native space are offering Istio support. But you cannot go to anyone and choose it to manage your applications technology.

First of all, you need to know your requirements and budget before going out to search for the best Istio support. Here are several factors on which you can test your managed Istio partner:

1. Response Time

When you're seeking Istio support, the speed at which the support team springs into action during an emergency is critical. With experts on your side, you can rest easy knowing that if anything unexpected happens to your service mesh or there's a service failure, you'll have the best in the business to help you overcome the challenge

However, if the response time drags on for days, it's not just frustrating - it's bad for business. You need solutions fast, and a speedy response time is crucial to minimize the impact of any issues and keep things running smoothly.

2. Audit of the existing Istio setup

Another thing you should consider is whether the company would audit the existing Istio setup or not. Many companies prefer to implement it themselves as they have their way of doing it. But if your team has already set it up, you would wish to allocate resources somewhere else.

So check if the potential Istio partner can evaluate and maintain your existing Istio configuration.

3. Security practices used

Istio is an open source service mesh that is as secure as one can make it. When the Istio partner manages your Istio, you need to know what security practices they would be using. How will they distribute access to your application among the team members? What are the policies if they fail to keep your infrastructure safe?

4. Previous work and credibility

It would be best if you also looked for the previous work and clients of the organization. Take a closer look at the case studies, and verify the claim by contacting the referred customers. Marketing teams work hard to create a positive brand image, so you must ensure that the reviews and testimonials are genuine.

5. Team expertise and certifications

At the end of the day, it's the person that is going to work on your project. You can contact the Istio support company for the team's certifications. Consider checking the resume, GitHub profiles, and the projects the team members have worked on, and see if they have proper exposure to Istio management.

6. Expertise in connected technology

Infrastructure does not exist in isolation. It is an interconnection of various technologies – so the team should have an understanding of the associated tech stack.

One primary reason to go with Istio support is that these teams work with various clients, often have experience in many technologies, and have watched many use cases. They can see the bigger picture and notice the pattern that the in-house team might miss.

Best Istio Support Company

Once you understand what you are looking for and your priority, you can look for the Istio support company. Though there are many, these six are the best in the type of support they offer.

CloudZone
InfraCloud
Rx-m
Banzaicloud
DoneOps
CloudScaleInc

#1 CloudZone

Best for: Highly complex projects involving multi-cloud environments.

Cloudzone has been a multi-cloud solution provider and consultant since 2013. One of the cloud services they offer is Kubernetes-Istio support. Cloudzone also offers technical support services that provide your application with an additional layer of proactive management, 24/7 support, and infrastructure monitoring.

The company works with businesses of all sizes – startups, enterprises, and government organizations. CloudZone's expertise lies in managing cloud resources as they are partners with major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure.

In 2017, Cloudzone was acquired by Matrix Global Services – one of the largest technology companies in Israel. So it has the expertise and bandwidth needed to execute the highly complex project.

#2 InfraCloud

Best for: 24/7 Support and Emergency response.

InfraCloud has been a Kubernetes partner since 2017 and Kubernetes Certified Service Provider. They help startups and enterprises adopt cloud-native technology at every stage – adoption, implementation, development, maintenance, and support.

The company offers managed Istio with SLA-backed 24/7 support. In case you’re about to start your service mesh adoption journey and looking for Istio consulting & advisory, they’re into it as well. InfraCloud has managed cloud services for big brands, including Hitachi, Mercedes Benz, Qualys, Precisely, and Rancher. With a team of CNCF-certified engineers, the company has substantial experience in containerization, platform engineering, devsecops, and container orchestration.

The team has developed and maintains various open-source projects (BotKube, Krius, Fission). The developers contribute to the open source project regularly and can be seen frequently in events and meetups evangelizing cloud-native tech.

Istio.io also recommends them as one of the Istio professional services provider companies. InfraCloud will be one of your best choices if you need 24/7 support and fast emergency response.

#3 Rx-m

Best for: Training the team for Istio management.

RX-M is a famous cloud-native technology training firm that has been operating since 2012. They are charter members of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and authorized Kubernetes Training Providers (KTP).

The core services RX-M offers are education and training on various cloud technologies, including Docker, Argo, Jenkin, Helm, Kubernetes, and Istio. You can find multiple courses and certification programs on their website to enroll. RX-M has also developed and delivered custom courses to many Fortune companies.

Besides training, they offer staffing and consultation services for Kubernetes, Istio, and other cloud technologies. There is no visible page on the website for Istio support. You can request professional Istio support by contacting the company through the website's contact page.

RX-M has decades of experience teaching and training cloud technologies, so it could be a good solution if you're focused on preparing a dedicated Istio team.

#4 BanzaiCloud

Best for: Automating Istio service mesh.

BanzaiCloud offers the managed Istio Operator service in place of Istio support.

Istio Operator is a native open source product of BanzaiCloud. It automates the installation, upgrades, and operation of the Istio service mesh on Kubernetes. With it, you can automate the Istio configuration and scale up the Istio implementation.

Besides Istio Operator, BanzaiCloud has a portfolio of various applications, including a Logging Operator, a Kafka Operator, and Supertubes. These software tools solve critical real-world problems related to the cloud. The BanzaiCloud team is active in the open-source community as sponsors, contributors, and maintainers of several open-source projects.

If you are looking to speed up the configuration of your service mesh, you can use the Istio Operator. BanzaiCloud also provides enterprise support for Istio Operator if your team needs it.

#5 DoneOps

Best for: Small startups looking for value partners.

DoneOps is a small team helping startups select the right tech stack for their projects since 2020. It is a relatively new company, but the team members have decades of experience in DevOps and cloud technologies.

Some tech firms usually suggest legacy technologies in which they are experts. The strategy locks the company with one partner as they can only move out by restructuring their entire infrastructure. The DoneOps' mission is to help startups build a tech stack that allows them to scale without depending on any single partner.

The team is fluent in Kubernetes, Helm, Istio, Terraform, and many other cloud services. As a small team, DoneOps only takes on a few projects at a time. With 24/7 support, this small team would be an extension of your in-house team and can give dedicated attention to your Istio service mesh.

#6 CloudScaleInc

Best for: Cost-optimized solution

CloudScaleInc is another small-scale startup giving a wide range of cloud solutions and consultation. The company specializes in cost optimization strategies.

ClousScaleInc audits your existing infrastructure to look for the resource-extensive areas and recommend the alternative to lower the development & production cost. They also develop strategies and guidelines for the efficient use of cloud resources. The team claims their clients save an average of 62% with automated cloud monitoring and optimization of cloud management costs.

If you want to lower your Istio management costs, you can check the CloudScaleInc services.

Wrap-Up: Best Istio Support

Many cloud companies are offering Istio support. But figuring out the most suitable depends on your project's requirements and dependencies.

If you want to scale the Istio, you can use the Istio Operator to automate the configuration. Want your team to learn Istio management? Go with RX-M, as they offer training for the Istio. Meanwhile, if your focus is round-the-clock support, monitoring, and security, then InfraCloud would be your best option. DoneOps and CloudScaleInc are small teams for small teams.

However, choose your partner wisely – as it will directly affect your business. And if you get stuck somewhere in finding the best solution, please let me know.

Top 5 Kubernetes Consulting Services Providers in 2023

David — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 07:04:47 +0000

Kubernetes has become the de facto choice to orchestrate container-based applications as more organizations are shifting their solutions to the cloud. Traditional monolith-based applications are being transformed into microservices-based architecture. The microservices architecture makes it easier to build, deploy, update, test, and scale each service independently without affecting other parts of the architecture. Such applications reside in containers that make them easy to deploy and scale.

The growing number of containers led to the adoption of Kubernetes. The orchestration tool helps manage containers at scale with ease. However, it introduces a lot of complexities as it has lots of moving parts like pods, replica sets, namespaces, services, etc. Hence onboarding Kubernetes might feel like solving a complex puzzle especially when the team doesn’t have the right expertise and exposure to deploy it to production.

This is exactly where Kubernetes consulting companies are helping organizations make their Kubernetes adoption journey smoother. These specialized consulting firms have the right mix of architects, consultants, and engineers to help you adopt Kubernetes. Right from the assessment of your current tech landscape, sharing an actional deployment plan, doing the actual deployment, and taking workshops and training sessions for the internal team, Kubernetes consulting companies help you with everything. At the end of the engagement, your team is confident of running and maintaining Kubernetes all by themselves.

You can take advantage of the power of Kubernetes without having to spend a lot of money by hiring the right Kubernetes consulting service. These skilled professionals provide you with expert guidance when it comes to on-boarding and managing containers, workloads, and more as your business grows. However, choosing the right Kubernetes consulting company is not a walk in the park.

This article discusses how you can make your decision easier by considering aspects like core expertise, client ratings, years of experience, and much more. Here are the companies that provide outstanding Kubernetes consulting services to various industry verticals:

RisingStack

RisingStack is a full-stack software development company specializing in building highly-scalable and resilient digital products. Since its inception, they have been using Kubernetes to orchestrate highly available distributed systems.

RisingStack’s Kubernetes consulting service is recommended for companies who plan the adoption of Kubernetes but lack the necessary experience to do so. Their team of engineers helps you tackle its steep learning curve, whether you run it on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure. Kubernetes Consulting Projects usually take one or two weeks of real-time collaboration, but you can book RisingStack’s consultants for a certain amount of hours/month as well and reach out to them when their expertise is needed.

Key Pointers:

Total years of Experience: 5+
Employees Strength: 11–50
Key Clients: Cisco, DHL, IBM, Trivago, Lufthansa Systems, Emarsys

What other services does it offer?
Node.js, React.js, Microservices, Javascript, DevOps, GraphQL, Enterprise IT solutions, and Kubernetes

InfraCloud Technologies

InfraCloud was one of the first Kubernetes partners and has been contributing to the open source community around cloud-native technologies. It has been growing almost 100% for the last few years consistently.

As a CNCF trusted Kubernetes Certified Service Provider (KCSP), InfraCloud is helping their customers with Kubernetes consulting services, Kubernetes application development & migration, Kubernetes deployment, DevSecOps — enabling security & compliance, Kubernetes professional support, and Kubernetes training. They also have a really active cloud-native blog (posting ~3 blogs a month).

Key Pointers

Total years of Experience: 6+
Employees Strength: 51–200
Key Clients: VMware, Hitachi, Qualys, Intellect, 1mg, Taos, Demandbase, Mercedes-Benz, YugabyteDB, Upbound, Portworx, Packet.
Countries served: Globally
Awards & Recognition: CNCF Silver Member & Official Kubernetes Partner

What other services does it offer?
CI/CD & dev productivity, observability adoption, DevSecOps consulting, cloud-native networking, service mesh consulting, cloud-native FaaS, Istio consulting services, Grafana consulting services, Terraform consulting services, Jenkins enterprise support, progressive delivery Consulting, CI/CD adoption, monolith to microservices, disaster recovery & backup, DevOps toolchain automation, SRE, ArgoCD, platform engineering, cloud-native product development, etc.

Foghorn Consulting

Foghorn’s Kubernetes consultants help remove speed bumps on your road to automation to start your Kubernetes journey or optimize your existing Kubernetes operations. Their deep library of QA-vetted, prebuilt Infrastructure as Code can accelerate production timelines and help maximize the value of Kubernetes for enterprises. Their cloud engineering experts stand ready to ensure your containerization project is a success today and in the future.

They deliver expert cloud consulting for clients utilizing their deep DevOps, CI/CD, Container, SRE, and Infrastructure as Code expertise. Their Award-winning cloud and DevOps Engineers design, build and deploy digital transformations that accelerate innovation on the world’s `leading cloud platforms.

Key Pointers

Total years of Experience: 14+
Employees Strength: 11–50
Trusted firms: Fortune 500 firms
Awards & Recognition: Gold Partner on Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) Premier Consulting Partner

What other services does it offer?
Professional Services, Cloud Consulting, Amazon Web Services, Cloud Service Provider, Google Cloud Platform, Cloud Infrastructure, Infrastructure as Code, IT Transformation, Well-Architected Framework, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Adoption, Terraform, Configuration Management, Continuous Integration, Cloud Migration, and Cloud Center of Excellence.

Cazton

Cazton helps Fortune 500, large and mid-size companies with Kubernetes deployment, consulting, recruiting services, and hands-on training services. With team members that are Azure Advisors, ASP.NET Insiders, Web API Advisors, Cosmos DB Advisors, and MVPs for Development Technologies, they have unique insight into new releases on technologies used by millions of developers. Cazton also specializes in Internationally acclaimed experts in Web and Mobile Development, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and significant cloud transformations for the Enterprise.

Key Pointers:

Total years of Experience: 9+
Employees Strength: 51–200
Countries served: United States, Canada, Norway, Sweden, England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Australia, and India
Key Clients: Thomson Reuters, AT&T, Dell, Bank of America, Thomson Reuters, NBC Universal, American Express, LinkedIn, VMware, Credit Suisse
Awards & Recognition: The CEO of Cazton, is an awarded Microsoft MVP and Google Developer, Expert.

What other services does it offer?
Training, Web, Windows, Angular, React, Big Data, AI, Machine Learning, Node.js, Apache Spark, Hadoop, Ignite, Scala, Kafka, Docker, Kubernetes, Microservices, Software Architecture, Java, TensorFlow, Python, and Keras.

Kubexpert

Kubexpert is helping organizations across the New York metropolitan area build, optimize and support their container orchestration solutions. Their Kubernetes Consulting services allow businesses to focus on developing applications quickly and more efficiently.

All Kubernetes clusters managed by their team are monitored 24/7 and proactively updated to keep up with new releases and security patches. Kubexpert helps its clients drive revenue by optimizing and automating their IT infrastructures, adopting innovation, and increasing agility.

Key Pointers:

Total years of Experience: 5+
Employees Strength: 2–9

What other services does it offer?
Application Containerization, Cloud Migration, DevOps and CI/CD Consulting, Cloud Services Support, Managed Infrastructure Services.