Item: IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our container infrastructure runs on IBM IKS which is a complete application layer with a tech stack of ruby on rails, javascript, GraphQL, and node applications, and hosts an in-memory Redis cluster for caching layer use. IBM provides pure Kubernetes(no touch-ups), which allows us to use the system easily with compatibilites.

Pros and Cons

automatic load balancer service
out of the box compatibilities
easy to provision clusters via terraform and UI

namespace container registry compatibilites
IKS version upgrade with terraform with zero down time - no documentation
Interactive IKS documentation help while deploying using UI - steps

Return on Investment

Cost wise and brand values its best suited for all types of companies
IBM should enforce migration from classic to VPC to compare with other providers
Documentation is not up to the mark for exploring options

IBM Kubernetes Simplified Cluster Management

Our company has an opensource friendly mindset and always integrates products that are compatible with opensource for better to be on industry standards. We use tools that benefit our customers, at this time we are not using any IBM tools for continuous integration. We are open to trying new tools if it benefit the company.

IBM Kubernetes Service Pre-built Services

We did try log services from IBM which didn't fit our use case, so we moved to custom solutions. The plug-and-play services management is very user-friendly but faces a few stability issues. It all depends on the use case and requirements, but I like the Idea of third-party integrations.

Alternatives Considered

Red Hat OpenShift and Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)

IBM Cloud is simple to use and has no custom requirements to start, Other products are not cost-efficient compared to IBM IKS.

IBM Cloud Portfolio

IBM Cloud Virtual Servers
IBM Cloud Bare Metal Servers
IBM Cloud Container Registry
IBM Cloud Object Storage

We use IBM IKS for app layer and IBM virtual servers for different use cases(ex: global caching of our applications using redis clusters). IBM bare metal servers and object storage for databases and backup solutions.

Key Insights

Do you think IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service's feature set?

Yes

Did IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are an IBM customer or prospective, starting with IKS is relatively easy. Node Autoscaling feature is a click of a button and helps with config map value to set the values, IBM cloud is a little underrated, but it has very good products like IKS in classic and vpc. If you are starting your cloud journey, you should evaluate the IBM cloud specially IKS for cost efficiently.

Cost effective and easy to provision and manage

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service