Mastering Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Best Practices for Enterprise Deployments

Organizations now use Kubernetes to run containerized applications at scale. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) offers a managed platform to deploy and scale these applications with less work.

Setting up AKS for large companies brings challenges that need careful planning. This guide covers key strategies for successful AKS deployments in business settings.

Building a Strong Foundation

Use Infrastructure as Code

Start your AKS deployment with code-based infrastructure. Tools like Terraform or Azure Bicep help create consistent setups across all environments.

This approach lets you track changes, review code, and test before deployment. It helps prevent configuration drift and mistakes.

See this nice document that can help you deploy a base setup using terraform: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/learn/quick-kubernetes-deploy-terraform

Set Up Hub-Spoke Networks

For most companies, a hub-spoke network structure works best for AKS:

• Hub network: Contains shared services like firewalls and gateways

• Spoke networks: Houses AKS clusters with proper separation

• Network peering: Links hub to spokes with controlled routing

This setup gives you central security controls while keeping workloads separate.

Review the hub and spoke architecture here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/networking/architecture/hub-spoke

Use Private Clusters

Make your AKS clusters private to limit API server access to your network only. This cuts down exposure to the internet.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/private-clusters?tabs=default-basic-networking%2Cazure-portal

Plan for Multiple Regions

If you need high availability across regions, consider:

• Setting up AKS clusters in multiple regions

• Using Azure Front Door or Traffic Manager for global routing

• Using geo-replicated storage for data consistency

• Deploying with tools like Flux or ArgoCD across all clusters
  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-multi-region/aks-multi-cluster

Security in Layers

Connect to Entra ID

Link AKS with Entra ID for better identity management. This gives you:

• Single sign-on for cluster access

• Group-based access control

• Central identity management and audit logs

  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/azure-ad-integration-cli

Secure the Network

Add multiple layers of network protection:

• Network Security Groups to filter subnet traffic

• Azure Firewall for outbound traffic control

• Network Policy for pod-to-pod traffic rules

• Service mesh for encryption and traffic control

  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/concepts-security

Protect Containers

Make your container pipeline secure:

• Scan images with Azure Container Registry and Defender for Cloud

• Use Pod Security Standards to limit what pods can do

• Add OPA Gatekeeper for policy enforcement

• Store secrets in Azure Key Vault

Apply Policies

Use Azure Policy for AKS to enforce company standards https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/use-azure-policy

Running AKS Better

Plan Your Node Pools

Use a smart approach to node pools:

• System node pools: For system services with proper taints

• Workload-specific pools: Group by:

  • Resource needs (memory, compute, GPU)

  • Compliance needs (PCI-DSS, HIPAA)

  • Update frequency needs

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/manage-node-pools

Create an Upgrade Plan

Make a strong process for cluster upgrades:

• Set a monthly update schedule

• Test upgrades in test environments first

• Use blue/green deployment for critical workloads

• Use node surge settings to reduce downtime

Monitor Everything

Set up complete monitoring with:

• Azure Monitor for Containers for logs and metrics

• Prometheus and Grafana for detailed metrics

• Azure Log Analytics for central log storage

• Jaeger or Application Insights for tracing

Create dashboards for:

• Executives

• Operations teams

• Developers

• Security teams

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/containers/monitor-kubernetes

Plan for Disasters

Set up backup and recovery:

• Use Velero for cluster and app backup

• Store all settings in Git repos

• Spread workloads across regions

• Test disaster recovery quarterly

Cut Costs

Right-Size Resources

Use these tools to match resources to needs:

• Horizontal Pod Autoscaler to scale pods based on metrics

• Cluster Autoscaler to add or remove nodes

• KEDA for event-based scaling

Control Spending

Add cost controls:

• Resource Quotas for namespace limits

• Azure Cost Management with tags

• Spot Instances for non-critical workloads

• Reserved Instances for stable workloads

  https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/policy/resource-quotas/

Connect to DevOps Tools

Set Up CI/CD Pipelines

Connect AKS with build and deploy pipelines:

• Use Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions for automation

• Set up GitOps with Flux or ArgoCD

• Add canary or blue/green deployments

Add Service Mesh

For complex microservices, add a service mesh:

• Azure Service Mesh Interface for Azure integration

• Features include:

  • Canary deployments

  • Circuit breaking

  • TLS encryption

  • Traffic splitting

New Features to Try

Azure Arc

For hybrid setups, try Azure Arc for Kubernetes. This gives you the same policies and monitoring across on-premises and cloud. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-arc/kubernetes/overview

Event-Driven Design

Try event-driven patterns with:

• KEDA for event-based scaling

• Event Grid for events

• Dapr for microservice development

Success with AKS needs attention to architecture, security, operations, and cost control. These practices help you build secure, scalable Kubernetes environments that deliver business value.

AKS keeps changing. Set up a team to track new features and keep your approach current to get the most from your Kubernetes investment.