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GKE Consulting Services

We design and operate Google Kubernetes Engine clusters, Autopilot or Standard, with Workload Identity, Binary Authorization, Cloud Monitoring, and Terraform-managed infrastructure from day one.

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Problems we solve

  • GKE Autopilot chosen for simplicity but hitting node sizing and scheduling constraints
  • GKE Standard clusters without Workload Identity, pods using node service accounts with over-broad IAM
  • No Binary Authorization or Container Analysis, unvetted images running in production
  • Missing GKE-native observability: Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging partially configured
  • Network policy not enforced, all pods can reach the GCP metadata server

What's included

GKE cluster provisioned via Terraform (google provider) with Shared VPC or standalone VPC
Workload Identity configuration for all GCP-integrated services
GKE Autopilot vs Standard recommendation and implementation
Binary Authorization policy for image provenance enforcement
Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, and Prometheus/Grafana integration
VPC-native networking with private nodes and Cloud NAT
RBAC with Google Groups for Kubernetes RBAC bindings
GKE release channel selection and upgrade policy
Artifact Registry setup with Container Analysis (Vulnerability Scanning)

Our approach

  1. 01

    GCP account and project review

    We review your GCP project structure, IAM bindings, and existing GKE configuration. We identify Workload Identity gaps and networking issues.

  2. 02

    Architecture decision: Autopilot vs Standard

    Autopilot removes node management but constrains scheduling. Standard gives full control. We recommend based on your workload profiles, budget, and operational maturity.

  3. 03

    Terraform provisioning

    VPC, GKE cluster, node pools, Workload Identity, Artifact Registry, and Cloud KMS integration, all defined in Terraform with remote state in GCS.

  4. 04

    Security and observability

    Binary Authorization policy, GKE Dataplane V2 (eBPF-based NetworkPolicy), Cloud Monitoring dashboards, and alert policies integrated with PagerDuty or Cloud Alerting.

  5. 05

    Handover

    Terraform state, runbook, and live walkthrough. We document GKE-specific operational tasks: release channel upgrades, node pool resizes, and log querying in Cloud Logging.

Tech stack

Google GKETerraform (google provider)Workload IdentityBinary AuthorizationCloud MonitoringCloud LoggingArtifact RegistryHelmArgoCDGKE Dataplane V2

Results

We publish results only when a client has approved them. See how we publish case studies and a sample report.

FAQ

Should I use GKE Autopilot or Standard?
Autopilot abstracts node management and bills per-pod resource request, which can be economical for variable workloads. Standard gives more control over node configuration, for example custom machine types or privileged DaemonSets. Autopilot supports a growing set of these features, so we check current GKE documentation against your actual workloads.
What is GKE Workload Identity?
Workload Identity maps Kubernetes service accounts to Google service accounts, letting pods access GCP APIs (Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, Cloud SQL) without storing service account keys. It is the GCP equivalent of IRSA on AWS.
What is Binary Authorization?
Binary Authorization enforces that only container images that have been cryptographically signed by a trusted attestor (e.g. after passing your CI pipeline) can run in your GKE cluster. It prevents unreviewed or vulnerable images from reaching production.
How does GKE release channel work?
GKE offers Rapid, Regular, and Stable release channels. Regular is a common choice for production, as it gives more soak time than Rapid. Upgrades happen automatically within a maintenance window you define.
Can you help if we use multi-cloud with GKE and EKS?
Yes. We configure consistent tooling (ArgoCD, Terraform, Prometheus) across both platforms and document the operational differences between them.

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Written by Saddique Khan, AWS & Azure Certified · Last updated October 2025