Running containers in production is not easy

It is not enough to simply have a Kubernetes cluster running when you need reliable and resilient container infrastructure in production. A production-ready Kubernetes environment requires observability, security, secret management, automated upgrades, GitOps tooling, backup and certified engineers to keep it all running.

Our Kubernetes platform – available on our own Swiss infrastructure (NKE) or on Google Cloud Platform (GKE) – enhances your container experience with a curated, best-in-class open-source toolset. We use these tools ourselves, so they have been selected and tested in production, not just on a checklist.

On top of that, We offer service level agreements and support packages staffed by CKA-certified engineers to accelerate your journey with Kubernetes, not slow it down.

Your advantages at a glance

1. Peace of mind

Swiss data residency as default on NKE, no CLOUD Act exposure
GDPR and nDSG (Swiss FADP) compliant
99.5%+ uptime SLA on our infrastructure¹
24/7 cluster health monitoring by our engineering team
All platform engineers hold CKA and/or Google Professional Cloud Architect certifications
Optional SLA and support packages

2. Focus on your application

Automated cluster upgrades: we handle the Kubernetes release cycle for you
Automated backup and restore included as standard
Custom backup schedules fully configurable
Certificate management via cert-manager (automated TLS)
Private container registry included
Secret management via External Secrets Operator
GitOps-ready with ArgoCD pre-configured

3. Full observability stack

Prometheus for metrics and alerting rules
Grafana for dashboards and visualisation
Loki for centralised log aggregation
Alertmanager for alert routing
All pre-configured and ready on day one

4. Swiss infrastructure and ecosystem

Our own data centers in Switzerland
Direct access to our managed services (databases, object storage, caches)
GCP option: deploy in Zurich region (europe-west6) or any other GCP location
Cloudflare CDN and WAF available via our Cloudflare partnership

NKE: Full Feature Overview

Feature	Managed NKE (Nine Infrastructure)	Managed GKE (Google Cloud)	Paid Add-on²
Cluster UI	✓	✓
Cluster monitoring dashboard (Grafana)	✓	✓
Identity and access management (IAM)	✓	✓
Node autoscaling	✓	✓
Deletion protection	✓	✓
Automated cluster upgrades	✓	✓
Automated backup and restore	✓	✓
Custom backup schedules	✓	✓
Persistent data storage	✓	✓	✓
Prometheus / Grafana / Loki / Alertmanager	✓	✓	✓
Log collection and management (Loki)	✓	✓	✓
Certificate management (cert-manager)	✓	✓	✓
GitOps / ArgoCD	✓	✓	✓
Ingress controller	✓	✓	✓
Private container registry	✓	✓	✓
Secret management (External Secrets Operator)	✓	✓	✓
Direct access to our managed services	✓		✓
Direct access to GCP services		✓	✓
Swiss data residency guaranteed	✓	Zurich region available

¹ NKE on our infrastructure: 99.5%+ SLA. On GCP: service availability depends on Google's stated availability figures for the selected region.
² Paid add-ons are charged at a fixed, service-dependent rate plus resource consumption if the service runs outside your cluster.

Why Swiss data sovereignty matters

For organisations in banking, insurance, healthcare, and the public sector – as well as any company processing personal data of Swiss residents – data residency is not a preference. It is a legal and regulatory requirement.

The NKE advantage for regulated industries

No CLOUD Act exposure: Data stored in our Swiss data centers is subject exclusively to Swiss law. US providers, including hyperscalers operating Swiss regions, remain subject to the US CLOUD Act.
nDSG / Swiss FADP compliance: NKE is designed to support compliance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nDSG, in force since September 2023).
GDPR alignment: The observability and access control stack supports GDPR requirements for EU-domiciled customers.
ISO 27001 certified: We have been ISO 27001 certified since 2013, with annual audits.
Audit logging and IAM: Full audit logging and identity management are included, not optional add-ons.

Customer journey to Kubernetes

Years of experience serving customers with container platforms and operating infrastructure on their behalf have given us a clear picture of the "Road to Kubernetes". Our service offering brings together consulting, training, and operating Kubernetes clusters to provide value in every phase of your cloud adoption journey.

Contact with our certified engineering team to discuss your situation and system architecture
Optimisation of your architecture and workflow: we strive to meet your requirements using best-in-class open source solutions and preventing vendor lock-in
Nine Kubernetes Academy: full-day remote workshop, CHF 800 / CHF 600 for NKE customers
Free Kubernetes webinars: fundamentals and NKE in practice, upcoming dates on the registration page
Collaboration to accelerate your journey to the cloud

Starting from CHF 305.30/month for a base NKE cluster with one worker node (pricing valid from 1 May 2026; previously CHF 287/month). Pricing scales with resource consumption. Full pricing details at nine.ch.

Nine Kubernetes Engine (NKE)