diff --git a/cmd/plugins/balloons/policy/balloons-policy.go b/cmd/plugins/balloons/policy/balloons-policy.go
index 8a8068f62..490d43fe3 100644
--- a/cmd/plugins/balloons/policy/balloons-policy.go
+++ b/cmd/plugins/balloons/policy/balloons-policy.go
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ const (
 	// virtDevReservedCpus is the name of a virtual device close to
 	// CPUs that are configured as ReservedResources.
 	virtDevReservedCpus = "reserved CPUs"
+	// virtDevIsolatedCpus is the name of a virtual device close to
+	// host isolated CPUs.
+	virtDevIsolatedCpus = "isolated CPUs"
 )
 
 // balloons contains configuration and runtime attributes of the balloons policy
@@ -558,6 +561,7 @@ func (p *balloons) newBalloon(blnDef *BalloonDef, confCpus bool) (*Balloon, erro
 		preferFarFromDevices:        blnDef.PreferFarFromDevices,
 		virtDevCpusets: map[string][]cpuset.CPUSet{
 			virtDevReservedCpus: {p.reserved},
+			virtDevIsolatedCpus: {p.options.System.Isolated()},
 		},
 	}
 	if blnDef.AllocatorTopologyBalancing != nil {
@@ -994,6 +998,9 @@ func (p *balloons) validateConfig(bpoptions *BalloonsOptions) error {
 					blnDef.Name, blnDef.MaxBalloons)
 			}
 		}
+		if blnDef.PreferIsolCpus && blnDef.ShareIdleCpusInSame != "" {
+			log.Warn("WARNING: using PreferIsolCpus with ShareIdleCpusInSame is highly discouraged")
+		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -1030,6 +1037,7 @@ func (p *balloons) setConfig(bpoptions *BalloonsOptions) error {
 	if err = p.validateConfig(bpoptions); err != nil {
 		return balloonsError("invalid configuration: %w", err)
 	}
+	p.fillCloseToDevices(bpoptions.BalloonDefs)
 	p.fillFarFromDevices(bpoptions.BalloonDefs)
 
 	// Preparation and configuration validation is now done
@@ -1189,6 +1197,14 @@ func (p *balloons) fillBuiltinBalloonDefs(bpoptions *BalloonsOptions) (*BalloonD
 	return reservedBalloonDef, defaultBalloonDef, nil
 }
 
+func (p *balloons) fillCloseToDevices(blnDefs []*BalloonDef) {
+	for _, blnDef := range blnDefs {
+		if blnDef.PreferIsolCpus {
+			blnDef.PreferCloseToDevices = append(blnDef.PreferCloseToDevices, virtDevIsolatedCpus)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // fillFarFromDevices adds BalloonDefs implicit device anti-affinities
 // towards devices that other BalloonDefs prefer to be close to.
 func (p *balloons) fillFarFromDevices(blnDefs []*BalloonDef) {
@@ -1201,6 +1217,9 @@ func (p *balloons) fillFarFromDevices(blnDefs []*BalloonDef) {
 	// beginning of the list will be more effectively avoided than
 	// devices later in the list.
 	avoidDevs := []string{}
+	if p.options.System.Isolated().Size() != 0 {
+		avoidDevs = append(avoidDevs, virtDevIsolatedCpus)
+	}
 	for _, blnDef := range blnDefs {
 		for _, closeDev := range blnDef.PreferCloseToDevices {
 			if _, ok := devDefClose[closeDev]; !ok {
@@ -1361,6 +1380,7 @@ func (p *balloons) shareIdleCpus(addCpus, removeCpus cpuset.CPUSet) []*Balloon {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+	addCpus = addCpus.Difference(p.options.System.Isolated())
 	if addCpus.Size() > 0 {
 		for blnIdx, bln := range p.balloons {
 			topoLevel := bln.Def.ShareIdleCpusInSame
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml b/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
index f2a1d3d44..6babf6d1c 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
@@ -195,6 +195,10 @@ spec:
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
+                    preferIsolCpus:
+                      default: false
+                      description: 'preferIsolCpus: prefer kernel isolated cpus'
+                      type: boolean
                     preferNewBalloons:
                       description: |-
                         PreferNewBalloons: prefer creating new balloons over adding
diff --git a/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml b/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
index f2a1d3d44..6babf6d1c 100644
--- a/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
+++ b/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
@@ -195,6 +195,10 @@ spec:
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
+                    preferIsolCpus:
+                      default: false
+                      description: 'preferIsolCpus: prefer kernel isolated cpus'
+                      type: boolean
                     preferNewBalloons:
                       description: |-
                         PreferNewBalloons: prefer creating new balloons over adding
diff --git a/deployment/helm/balloons/values.yaml b/deployment/helm/balloons/values.yaml
index 922211ddd..a73691dbe 100644
--- a/deployment/helm/balloons/values.yaml
+++ b/deployment/helm/balloons/values.yaml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ config:
     minBalloons: 0
     allocatorPriority: normal
     shareIdleCPUsInSame: system
+    preferIsolCpus: false
   reservedPoolNamespaces:
     - kube-system
   log:
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ config:
   instrumentation:
     reportPeriod: 60s
     samplingRatePerMillion: 0
+    httpEndpoint: :8891
+    prometheusExport: true
 
 # configGroupLabel: config.nri/group
 
diff --git a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
index ed44769cc..f5b73c17e 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
@@ -216,6 +216,9 @@ type BalloonDef struct {
 	// TODO: PreferFarFromDevices is considered too untested for usage. Hence,
 	// for the time being we prevent its usage through CRDs.
 	PreferFarFromDevices []string `json:"-"`
+	// preferIsolCpus: prefer kernel isolated cpus
+	// +kubebuilder:default:=false
+	PreferIsolCpus bool `json:"preferIsolCpus,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // String stringifies a BalloonDef