Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed Kubernetes service provided by Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that allows developers to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications efficiently. Built on Kubernetes, an open-source container orchestration platform, GKE simplifies the complexity of deploying containers at scale by automating many aspects of the management process.

Key Features:
1. Managed Kubernetes: GKE handles cluster creation, scaling, upgrades, and maintenance, allowing teams to focus on application development.
2. Scalability: GKE enables seamless scaling of workloads with horizontal pod autoscaling and cluster autoscaler to optimize resource utilization.
3. High Availability: Supports multi-zone clusters to ensure reliability and minimize downtime.
4. Security: Offers built-in security features like pod security policies, encryption, and Google Cloud IAM integration for fine-grained access control.
5. Integration with GCP: Easily integrates with other Google Cloud services, such as Cloud Storage,
BigQuery, and Stackdriver for monitoring and logging.

Use Cases:
- Microservices architectures for distributed systems.
- CI/CD pipelines for continuous integration and delivery.
- Applications requiring auto-scaling to handle fluctuating traffic.

Advantages:
- Simplifies Kubernetes operations with a user-friendly interface.
- Reduces operational overhead with Google-managed control planes.
- Cost-effective with pay-as-you-go pricing models.

GKE is a robust solution for organizations looking to leverage Kubernetes without the operational complexity, enabling faster deployment cycles and efficient resource management.