AKS Operationalise: Fortify, Secure & Activate AKS Platform - 10Wk Implementation

Make your Azure Kubernetes clusters and containerised applications running on those clusters fully operational, efficient, and manageable in a production environment. Kubernetes is a powerful container orchestration platform that helps automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications, but operationalising Kubernetes involves various tasks and considerations to ensure its smooth and reliable operation. Here is what you get from this package offer:

Deliverables:

• Design & build an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Security model
• Design & build a consumption model for AKS services for self-service config-as-code pipelines
• Setup monitoring & observability for the AKS cluster
• Provide knowledge transfer and training to operations team on Kubernetes best practices

Activities: Week 1:

• Project Initiation: Project Kickoff: Begin with a project kickoff meeting to define objectives, scope, stakeholders, and timelines. Requirements Gathering: Identify the specific requirements of the operationalisation project, including the applications to be deployed, their resource needs, security considerations, and scalability requirements.

Week 2-3:

• Planning: Architectural Design: Develop a Kubernetes architecture plan, including cluster topology, node sizing, and networking. Resource Allocation: Determine the hardware or cloud resources required for the Kubernetes clusters. Security Strategy: Define security policies, authentication mechanisms, and access control strategies. Monitoring and Logging: Plan for monitoring, alerting, and centralised logging. Backup and Recovery: Develop a backup and disaster recovery strategy. Scaling Strategy: Determine how the clusters will scale based on application demands. Compliance and Governance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and establish governance practices.

Week 4:

• Infrastructure Setup: Cluster Deployment: Create Kubernetes clusters using infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or cloud-native services. Networking Configuration: Set up network policies, ingress controllers, and configure load balancers using infrastructure as code (IaC). Storage Provisioning: Configure persistent storage solutions for applications using infrastructure as code (IaC).

Week 5:

• Kubernetes Configuration: Kubernetes Installation: Deploy Kubernetes components like the control plane and worker nodes. Cluster Configuration: Set up cluster-level configurations such as RBAC, namespaces, and policies. Secrets Management: Securely manage sensitive information using Kubernetes Secrets.

Week 6:

• Monitoring and Logging: Monitoring Tools: Implement monitoring solutions like Azure Monitor and App Insights. Logging Solutions: Set up centralised logging with tools like Azure Log Analytics.

Week 7:

• Security and Access Control: Authentication: Configure authentication mechanisms such as OIDC or LDAP. Authorisation: Define RBAC rules and permissions. Security Scanning: Implement vulnerability scanning for container images. Compliance and Governance: Enforce oragnisation policies using Azure Policy.

Week 8:

• Backup and Recovery: Backup Solutions: Establish backup procedures for cluster data and configuration. Disaster Recovery: Develop a disaster recovery plan and perform drills.
• Scaling and Optimisation: Auto-scaling: Implement autoscaling based on resource usage or custom metrics. Performance Optimisation: Continuously monitor and optimise resource utilisation.

Week 9:

• Testing and Validation: Testing: Conduct thorough testing of the Kubernetes clusters and applications. Validation: Ensure that the clusters meet performance, security, and scalability requirements.

Week 10:

• Documentation and Training: Documentation: Create comprehensive documentation for cluster setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Training: Train the operations team on Kubernetes management best practices.
• Handover and Knowledge Transfer: Handover: Hand over the operationalised Kubernetes clusters to the operations team. Knowledge Transfer: Transfer knowledge and documentation to the operations team.