KUBERNETES
Managed Kubernetes: Do You Need It?
Running containers in production but not sure whether to manage Kubernetes yourself or hand it off? Here’s how to decide.
WHAT IT IS
What is managed Kubernetes?
Managed Kubernetes means an external team runs and maintains your Kubernetes cluster for you, including upgrades, scaling, monitoring and security patching, instead of your own developers operating it themselves.
It’s usually offered as part of a broader arrangement like DevOps as a Service, where cluster management sits alongside CI/CD pipelines, monitoring and infrastructure work, rather than as a standalone product. The alternative, self-managed Kubernetes, means your own team owns every part of the cluster, from provisioning nodes to handling version upgrades and outages.
THE COMPARISON
Self-managed or managed Kubernetes?
Self-managed Kubernetes
✅ Full control over every configuration detail
✅ No recurring management fee
❌ Requires in-house Kubernetes expertise
❌ Your team owns upgrades, scaling and incident response
Managed Kubernetes
✅ No in-house Kubernetes expertise required
✅ Upgrades, scaling and monitoring handled for you
✅ Frees developers to focus on product, not cluster operations
✅ Faster to recover from incidents with dedicated support
WHEN TO USE IT
When do you need managed Kubernetes?
A few clear signals managed Kubernetes is worth it for your team.
01
No in-house expertise
Nobody on the team has hands-on experience running Kubernetes in production, and hiring for it isn’t in the budget.
02
Growing container footprint
You’re running more services and more containers, and the operational load is starting to outpace what your team can manage.
03
Uptime matters
Downtime has a real cost, and you need faster incident response than your current setup can provide.
04
Developers stuck on infra
Your developers are spending time on cluster operations instead of building product.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Everything about managed Kubernetes
What does managed Kubernetes cost?
Cost depends on cluster size and complexity. At Wise Minds it’s typically part of a broader DevOps as a Service plan rather than priced separately, starting from €699 per month for a small application.
Do I need Kubernetes at all, or is Docker enough?
If you’re running a single application or a small number of services, plain Docker without an orchestrator is often enough. Kubernetes starts to pay off once you’re managing multiple services that need to scale, restart and communicate with each other automatically.
Can you migrate our existing cluster?
Yes. We assess your current setup during an intake call and plan the migration so it doesn’t disrupt what’s already running in production.
What's the difference between managed Kubernetes and DevOps as a Service?
Managed Kubernetes covers cluster operations specifically. DevOps as a Service is the broader package: CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure, monitoring and backups alongside cluster management. See DevOps as a Service vs. DevOps Consulting for how the different DevOps models compare.
Not sure if you need managed Kubernetes?
Wise Minds runs Kubernetes clusters for startups and scale-ups as part of DevOps as a Service. Talk to our team about your setup.
