On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
Ledger
On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
Platform9 Managed Kubernetes: On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger
Platform9 now sells itself as a VMware alternative, with Kubernetes a secondary service and a stated plan to move PMK customers to Private Cloud Director.
Edition October 13, 20266 min read
Part of the On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger (edition 2026-10-13). How the scores work: methodology.
1. Snapshot
- Tier: Niche
- Owner: Platform9 Systems, Inc., venture-backed (last funding found $26M in 2022); Rackspace invested in 2021
- Licence model: Proprietary subscription, SaaS-managed or self-hosted; no public price list; free single-region Community Edition for Private Cloud Director
- Products scored: PMK 5.17 (SaaS), SMCP 5.14 (self-hosted air-gapped PMK) and Private Cloud Director Kubernetes (August 2026 release)
- Latest release: PMK 5.17.0, 2026-08-25 (Kubernetes 1.36); Private Cloud Director August 2026 release, 2026-08-15 (Kubernetes 1.34 and 1.35)
- Next signal: PMK 5.18 date TBD; stated long-term plan to migrate PMK customers to Private Cloud Director
- Archetype: VMware exit first
- Evidence grade: B. PMK and PCD release notes, docs and press read directly; pre-2022 history, SMCP releases after 5.14 and pricing were not found.
2. Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 64.4 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +17.4 points | higher is better |
| Credibility | 14.0 / 25 | higher is better |
| Commercial risk | 14.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 11.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Integrator fit | 12.0 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 4.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 56.1 / 100 | balanced weights |
3. Capability by domain
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2016 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install, upgrade and lifecycle (12) | n/a | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure (10) | n/a | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Multi-cluster and fleet management (10) | n/a | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Networking (10) | n/a | 2 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Storage and data protection (10) | n/a | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Security and compliance (12) | n/a | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Developer platform (8) | n/a | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Observability and day-2 operations (8) | n/a | 2 | 3 | 3.5 |
| VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) (10) | n/a | 0 | 1 | 3.5 |
| GPU and accelerator workloads (10) | n/a | 0 | 0 | 3.5 |
| Total / 100 | not released | 33.4 | 47.0 | 64.4 |
Year by year: 2019: 33.4 · 2020: 33.4 · 2021: 35.0 · 2022: 47.0 · 2023: 49.2 · 2024: 49.2 · 2025: 57.4 · 2026: 64.4
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Developer platform | 1 → 2 | +1.6 | 2021-10-21 SaaS GitOps engine and self-service namespaces |
| 2022 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 2.5 → 3.5 | +2.0 | 5.7: bare OS clusters, VMware, AWS, Azure; SMCP bare-metal layer with Ironic and Metal3 and air-gapped install |
| 2022 | Install, upgrade and lifecycle | 2 → 2.5 | +1.2 | PMK 5.7 (2022-12-23): SaaS control plane, UI upgrades for CAPI clusters; Kubernetes 1.24 arrived 234 days after upstream |
| 2022 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | Multi-tenancy, GitOps engine (2021-10-21) and Arlon (2022-09-21) |
| 2022 | Networking | 2 → 3 | +2.0 | 5.7/5.8: Calico, Flannel, MetalLB |
| 2022 | Observability and day-2 operations | 2 → 3 | +1.6 | 24x7 Always On Assurance monitoring and built-in monitoring |
| 2022 | Security and compliance | 2 → 2.5 | +1.2 | Kubernetes hardening guide, SOC 2 audit and PCI DSS compliance (undated press) |
| 2022 | Storage and data protection | 2 → 2.5 | +1.0 | 5.7/5.8: AWS GP3 and CSI drivers |
| 2022 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 0 → 1 | +2.0 | 5.7: KubeVirt packages in the release |
| 2023 | Developer platform | 2 → 1.5 | -0.8 | 5.9 removed Managed Argo CD and Arlon |
| 2023 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3.5 → 3 | -1.0 | 5.9 (2023-09-12): Managed Argo CD and Arlon removed |
| 2023 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 1 → 3 | +4.0 | 5.8 (2023-05-15): Platform9 Managed KubeVirt generally available |
| 2025 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 3.5 → 4 | +1.0 | PCD June 2025: Kubernetes on self-hosted deployments and physical nodes; August 2026 colocated control plane; no Proxmox or Nutanix |
| 2025 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 0 → 2.5 | +5.0 | PCD June 2025 (beta) and August 2025: passthrough, vGPU, MIG and time-slicing for Kubernetes |
| 2025 | Security and compliance | 2.5 → 3 | +1.2 | Platform9 OS CIS hardening, Vault KMS for volume encryption (2026-08); no FIPS, STIG or image signing found |
| 2025 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | PCD VM platform with HA, live migration, snapshots and vJailbreak migration beside Kubernetes (KVM based, not KubeVirt); half a step off for not being Kubernetes-native |
| 2026 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 2.5 → 3.5 | +2.0 | PCD 2026-01 automatic GPU Operator, 2026-08 vGPU live migration and multi-GPU-model passthrough; no DRA |
| 2026 | Install, upgrade and lifecycle | 2.5 → 3 | +1.2 | PCD public Cluster API (2026-04) and a documented end-of-support policy; median lag 181 days and no LTS keep it at 3 |
| 2026 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | Public Cluster API and tenants with quotas; SMCP profile engine for edge fleets |
| 2026 | Networking | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | 5.17 Cilium 1.18.4 on Ubuntu 24.04 only; SMCP edge networking with Multus, SR-IOV, DPDK and IPv6 |
| 2026 | Observability and day-2 operations | 3 → 3.5 | +0.8 | PCD 2026-08 etcd, management plane, cluster and node health alerts; cluster, host and VM metrics since 2025-06 |
| 2026 | Storage and data protection | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | PCD 2026-04 backup and restore for air-gapped Kubernetes; no bundled storage product |
4. Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-05 | PMK 5.8: Platform9 Managed KubeVirt generally available | D10 VMs on Kubernetes | V |
| 2023-09 | PMK 5.9: Managed Argo CD and Arlon removed | D6 Developer platform | P |
| 2024-10 | Private Cloud Director launched as a VMware alternative | D10 VMs on Kubernetes | M |
| 2025-03 | Community Edition of Private Cloud Director free for one region | D12 Packaging and licensing | M |
| 2025-06 | PCD: Kubernetes on self-hosted deployments, physical nodes and GPU beta | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | C |
| 2025-12 | SMCP 5.14: continuous etcd backups for the self-hosted platform | D5 Storage and data protection | C |
| 2026-04 | PCD: on-premises Kubernetes management plane and public Cluster API | D1 Install and lifecycle | U |
| 2026-05 | Platform9 OS on Rocky Linux for KVM hosts | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | P |
| 2026-08 | PCD August 2026: colocated control plane, bare-metal nodes, vGPU live migration | D13 Accelerators | C |
| 2026-08 | PMK 5.17: Kubernetes 1.36; 1.33 and lower end of life | D1 Install and lifecycle | U |
- Centre of gravity: VMs on Kubernetes (2), Bare metal, edge and infrastructure (2), Install and lifecycle (2)
- Driver mix: Vision 10%, Customer need 30%, Market window 20%, Upstream 20%, Portfolio 20%
5. Credibility: 14.0 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 3.5 | PMK minors every three to seven months and monthly PCD releases; no published schedule |
| Roadmap transparency | 2.5 | Public release notes and a futures page whose dates are TBD; no roadmap |
| Say-do | 2.5 | No dated promises; Arlon dropped after a year, CAPI GA not found, Kubernetes 6 months behind |
| Velocity | 3 | Two Kubernetes minors a year plus PCD features; Kubernetes work is secondary to the VM platform |
| Lifecycle stability | 2.5 | PMK is to be migrated to PCD; releases four versions behind need a new control plane; Argo CD and Arlon removed |
Say-do record, 2023 to 2026: 8 items 2023-2026: 3 shipped (Kubernetes 1.35 and 1.36 in PMK, Kubernetes on self-hosted PCD in 10 months), 3 pending (SMCP 1.34/1.35, PMK-to-PCD migration, granular RBAC), 1 dropped (Arlon and Managed Argo CD, 12 months after launch), 1 unknown (CAPI GA); no vendor dates exist.
6. Commercial risk: 14.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence volatility | 2.5 | Strategy shifted to a VMware-alternative platform in 2024; PMK slated to move to PCD; no price list to compare |
| Purchase constraints | 2.5 | Sales-led; no public prices; free single-region Community Edition for PCD |
| Channel and access | 2 | Docs and release notes open; channel programme 2025 and cloud solution provider programme 2026 |
| Owner stability | 3.5 | Venture-backed; CEO change in 2021, last funding found in 2022, strategy reversal toward VMware migration in 2024 |
| Cost of staying supported | 3.5 | End of support at two versions behind, end of life at four with forced control plane migration; Kubernetes minors dropped at each release |
Security record of the product itself: No KEV entry, no NVD hit for 'platform9' and no published advisory page; PMK 5.17.0 fixed third-party CVEs in Go crypto/tls, gRPC-Go and PyYAML (the security record).
7. Technical lock-in: 11.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 1.5 | CNCF-conformant Kubernetes; Platform9 nodelet and Qbert agents manage the nodes |
| Export path | 3 | End-of-life releases cannot upgrade or renew without moving to a new Platform9 control plane; no exit guide found |
| Stack coupling | 2.5 | New PMK clusters only on Ubuntu 24.04 with Cilium 1.18.4; PCD brings its own KVM and OpenStack-derived layers |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 2 | SaaS-managed by default; self-hosted and air-gapped options exist |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 2.5 | Platform9 console, airctl and pf9 tooling |
8. Integrator fit: 12 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Partner programme openness | 3 | Channel programme (2025-03) and cloud solution provider programme (2026-06) |
| Multi-tenancy and self-service | 4 | Tenants, quotas and hosted (Managed) control planes |
| API and infrastructure-as-code | 3 | REST and Cluster API; Terraform provider with 15.8K downloads, new PCD provider in 2026 |
| Skills and certification | 2 | Hands-on labs and knowledge base; no certification found |
9. AI leverage: 4.5 / 20
| Strand | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|
| AI workload support | 3 | 2026: 2026-01 automatic GPU Operator and 2026-08 vGPU live migration |
| AI platform stack | 0 | none |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | none |
| Agent openness | 1.5 | 2019: Documented REST API |
AI say-do: 4 GPU items found (3 GA, 1 beta), no AI platform, assistant or MCP server, 0 dropped; the AI work is GPU virtualization for the VM platform.
10. Reading
Platform9 now sells itself as a VMware alternative, with Kubernetes a secondary service and a stated plan to move PMK customers to Private Cloud Director. The record is two Kubernetes minors a year landing about six months after upstream, steady GPU and bare-metal additions to PCD, and one dropped GitOps product. A buyer gets a self-hosted or SaaS plane with hosted control planes and a VM platform alongside, but should expect slow Kubernetes uptake and a product line in transition.
11. Open questions and evidence caveats
- Kubernetes is secondary to the VM platform; scores cover the PMK and PCD Kubernetes layer a customer can buy today.
- PCD release notes carry month-only dates; PCD Kubernetes lag is approximate.
- SMCP releases after 5.14 and the status of PMK on a self-hosted plane were not found.
- No public pricing, FIPS or STIG evidence; commercial scores rest on absence of changes.
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