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.
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