Virtualization & Container Platforms
Virtualization and container platforms grow organically and become hard to operate, migrate, and secure — especially when NSX, K8s networking, and storage are never designed to work together.
Our Approach
Design the platform, network, and storage as one integrated architecture — then build operational patterns that make it manageable for the team running it day to day.
What This Service Covers
Platform architecture advisory for organizations running VMware at scale or building Kubernetes-based container platforms. Covers the compute, network, and storage layers together — not just the hypervisor or orchestrator in isolation.
Engagements include VMware vSphere/NSX design and review, vSAN and external storage integration, Kubernetes platform architecture (self-managed, Rancher, OpenShift, EKS/AKS/GKE), K8s networking (CNI design, service mesh, ingress strategy), and post-Broadcom VMware migration planning.
Scope areas
VMware vSphere and NSX design vSphere cluster design, host placement, HA/DRS configuration. NSX-T/NSX-4 logical network design — overlay topology, transport zones, segments, and T0/T1 gateway design. Distributed firewall policy design for micro-segmentation. vSAN design and storage policy configuration. VMware HCX design for live workload migration between on-prem vSphere and VMware Cloud on AWS or between datacenters. Design experience validated by VCAP-NV Design 2020 — the VMware advanced design-level certification for network virtualisation.
Nutanix AHV and Flow Nutanix AHV hypervisor design and cluster architecture. Nutanix Flow micro-segmentation — security policy design, application-tier isolation, and VM-level quarantine. AHV networking design for IPAM, VLAN, and overlay. Migration from VMware to Nutanix AHV planning and sequencing.
Post-Broadcom VMware migration planning License impact assessment. Platform alternatives evaluation (Nutanix AHV, Proxmox, OpenStack, cloud-native). Migration sequencing and risk planning. Hybrid period design — running VMware and alternative concurrently. Priority workload identification.
Kubernetes platform architecture Platform selection (self-managed kubeadm, Rancher, OpenShift, cloud-managed EKS/AKS/GKE). Multi-cluster strategy and federation. CNI design (Calico, Cilium, Flannel) — network policy, eBPF, BGP integration. Ingress architecture (NGINX, Traefik, gateway API). Service mesh evaluation (Istio, Linkerd).
K8s storage and data management Persistent storage design (Rook/Ceph, Longhorn, cloud-native PV). Storage class strategy. Backup and DR for stateful workloads (Velero, Kasten). Database-on-K8s patterns and trade-offs.
Container security Image supply chain (registry, signing, scanning). Pod security standards and admission control. Network policy enforcement. Runtime security (Falco, Tetragon). RBAC design and service account governance.
Delivery Models
Remote Consultation
Architecture decision support, design reviews, platform evaluation. Half-day or full-day blocks. Deliverable: written notes and recommendations.
Architecture Review (Fixed Scope)
Review of an existing VMware or K8s platform design. Findings report with risk ratings and improvement recommendations. Typically 1–2 weeks.
Engineer Basis (Project)
Full platform design engagement: current state review, target architecture, migration or upgrade plan, operational runbooks, and security baseline. Remote-led; your team executes. Typical scope: 4–8 weeks.
Typical Engagement Formats
| Format | Best for | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| VMware Architecture Review | Validate or harden existing vSphere/NSX design | 1–2 weeks |
| NSX Micro-segmentation Design | Design DFW policy for compliance or zero-trust | 2–4 weeks |
| K8s Platform Design | Greenfield or consolidation K8s architecture | 3–6 weeks |
| VMware Migration Planning | Post-Broadcom platform exit planning | 2–4 weeks |
| Retainer Advisory | Ongoing platform architecture support | Monthly |
Platforms and Tools
VMware (vSphere 8, NSX-T/NSX-4, vSAN, HCX, Aria), Nutanix (AHV, Flow, Prism), Proxmox, Kubernetes, Rancher, OpenShift, EKS, AKS, GKE, Calico, Cilium, Istio, Longhorn, Rook/Ceph, Velero, Falco, Terraform, Helm, ArgoCD. Certified: VCAP-NV Design 2020, VCP-DCV, VCP-NV, VMware Specialist vSAN, VMware Cloud on AWS Specialist, Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration.