Frequently Asked Questions

Here you will find answers to the most important questions about our services, support offerings, and technical details.

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General

What is the Fair Use Principle at ayedo?

At ayedo, we always strive to provide you with a meaningful and high-quality service. This includes helpful, comprehensive, and easily accessible personal support that goes beyond what is contractually agreed. We firmly believe that collaborative cooperation is more effective than rigid adherence to framework conditions. Our Fair Use Principle is a voluntary service that works as long as it is not exploited unilaterally. Should this be the case, we reserve the right to reduce or discontinue this service at our discretion and to provide our services only within the agreed framework.

Our Fair Use Principle covers all service and support activities that require the direct and personal involvement of our platform and support teams. Whenever possible, we try to meet your requirements within the agreed service and support fees without incurring additional costs. Please understand that this is not always possible.

Who takes care of outages or disruptions?

In case of outages or disruptions, ayedo is always your first point of contact. We triage the incident and involve you as a customer if necessary.

What if it happens at 3 AM?

Don’t worry, our monitoring alerts us around the clock about outages – even in the middle of the night. This allows us to react quickly and fix problems.

What if you miss something?

As a Priority Support customer, you can reach us 24/7 with guaranteed response times via our Enterprise Hotline in case of disruptions. This ensures that no concern goes unnoticed.

When doesn’t ayedo take care of things?

Generally, we always take care of your concerns. Exceptions are cases where disruptions were caused by deliberate customer actions. In such cases, we are of course still at your side but will charge for the resolution effort at our regular hourly rate.

Are there additional costs for incident resolution?

Generally not. Exceptions are resolutions of incidents caused by deliberate actions or omissions by the customer (e.g., unpinned dependencies in software leading to regressions in operations; untested updates to downstream dependencies causing regressions, etc.). Efforts for resolving deliberate outages are charged at our regular hourly rate of €149.95/hour.

Does it cost extra if ayedo answers the phone at night as part of Priority Support and fixes something?

No, this is included in our Priority Support – unless the customer deliberately caused the damage.

So if I accidentally crash my database, does the resolution cost extra?

Generally not. This is where our Fair Use Principle applies. A coordinated service interruption within our official business hours, coordinated with us, is always possible. This allows us to adequately prepare for the resolution.

Are changes to the configuration of provided Managed Services chargeable?

No, generally not. Many of our Managed Services are configurable by you in the Control Panel. Customer-specific adjustments that are not configurable in the Control Panel are also possible. If development costs arise for this, they will be charged based on effort. Our Fair Use Principle also applies here: If an adjustment is sensible for all customers and can be implemented with reasonable effort, we cover the development costs ourselves.

Locations and Data Centers

Where are ayedo’s data centers located?

Our data centers are located at the following locations:

  • Hetzner FSN: Am Datacenter-Park 1, 08223 Falkenstein/Vogtland, Germany
  • Hetzner NBG: Sigmundstraße 135, 90431 Nuremberg, Germany
  • Hetzner HEL: Huurrekuja 10, 04360 Tuusula, Finland
  • Net-Build SAAR1: Konrad-Zuse-Straße 1, 66793 Saarwellingen, Germany

Datacenter Architecture

What hardware and architecture does ayedo use?

We rely on a sustainable datacenter architecture based on refurbished enterprise hardware and value Green IT. Through our multi-POP strategy (Point of Presence), as opposed to the traditional availability zone strategy, we ensure high availability and fault tolerance in the greater European area.

Storage Architecture

What storage solutions does ayedo offer?

Where possible, we use cloud provider storage. Additionally, we rely on on-host block storage to provide flexible and high-performance storage solutions.

Cluster Architecture

What technologies does ayedo use in its cluster architecture?

We use Kubernetes version 1.30 and above and rely on the scale-out principle – horizontal instead of vertical scaling. Our production clusters consist of at least three control plane nodes (or managed control planes) and at least four workers to enable reliable rolling updates with three or more replicas of workloads. An average cluster has 32 cores, 128 GB RAM, and a 1G network.

Alternative cluster architectures are possible but are individually planned and priced.

Does ayedo support single-node Kubernetes clusters?

Yes, but without the option for an extended SLA or Priority Support.

Multi-Tenancy

How does ayedo separate different workloads?

We ensure both physical and virtual separation of workloads to optimize security and performance.

Your workloads run exclusively on infrastructure provisioned for you, completely isolated from other customers’ workloads.

Network Architecture

What network technologies are used?

Within the cluster, we use Cilium for network communication. For communication and encryption of traffic between nodes, we use WireGuard.

Hardware Architecture

What does ayedo’s Three-Vendor Concept mean?

We work with three different enterprise hardware vendors. This increases reliability and minimizes dependencies. For Kubernetes upgrades, we follow the “Replace” instead of “Upgrade” strategy to minimize downtime and respond more flexibly to security vulnerabilities across entire hardware series.

The same principle applies to cloud providers – we offer more than 3 independent cloud providers to which we can migrate your workloads.

Security Measures

How does ayedo protect against malware and viruses?

We rely on comprehensive system hardening and current security standards. This includes unprivileged user accounts, non-standard SSH ports, SSH key-only authentication, disabling root access via SSH, strict firewall rules, security default settings via sysctl, and continuous security monitoring of networks and machines.

We generally do not use traditional virus scanners on our nodes. The reason is the nature of the workloads we operate. Since all our workloads are fully sandboxed, the costly operation of virus scanners is unnecessary.

However, if it is essential for your compliance to involve dedicated virus and malware scanners, this is of course possible without any problems. We must, however, charge for this service based on effort.

Supported Operating Systems for Kubernetes

Which operating systems are supported for Kubernetes clusters?

We support the following operating systems:

  • Ubuntu LTS
  • Debian LTS
  • Flatcar LTS

Integration of additional operating systems is available based on effort.

Supported Tools for GitOps and CI/CD

Which external developer tools can I use with ayedo?

We support:

  • GitHub / GitHub Actions (also On-Premise)
  • GitLab / GitLab CI (also On-Premise)
  • Azure DevOps (also On-Premise)

Integration of additional tools is available based on effort.

Backup & Restore

How is responsibility for backups regulated?

Generally, you as the customer are responsible for the proper backup of your data. This also includes checking the content correctness and recoverability.

Does ayedo offer Managed Backups?

Yes, we offer paid Managed Backups on our archive servers. You can determine the frequency and retention period of backups yourself. Archive storage is charged at €0.11/GB/month, with 100 GB available to you free of charge. For Managed Backups, we take responsibility for the correctness and recoverability of the backups.

What storage backends does ayedo support for backups?

ayedo exclusively supports S3-compatible APIs as archive storage backends.

Can I use my own backup backend?

Absolutely! You can use your own S3-compatible storage backend as archive storage. However, full responsibility for backups and their recoverability then lies with you.

What backup strategies does ayedo support?

We support full and incremental backups. By default, services are backed up once daily within the agreed maintenance windows. You can set the frequency and retention period yourself.

How are backups protected?

All backups are stored encrypted with modern algorithms.

How long does ayedo retain Managed Backups?

Generally, backups are retained for 30 days. You can set the retention time for backups yourself.

What types of backups does ayedo offer?

Full Backups: ayedo exclusively creates complete backups of logically connected data sets and also exclusively supports the complete restoration of backups. In the case of databases, this means, for example, that the entire database server can be backed up and restored. If the customer requires partial backups or restorations, the customer bears responsibility for providing and testing necessary backup and restore mechanisms as well as the created backups.

Backups of Data Clusters/Shards: some applications (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB) support clustering or sharding of data sets. In the case of data clusters, a backup is created from one cluster participant (usually a replica). In the case of shards, a backup is created from each logically connected shard. Restorations of cluster or shard backups are always done by creating a new cluster based on the backup.

Point In Time Recovery: some applications (e.g., PostgreSQL) support Point-in-Time Recovery. The earliest possible time for a recovery can be positively influenced by the customer by adjusting the frequency and retention period of backups. NOTE: a Point-in-Time restore is not covered by the flat rate for Managed Backups but is charged based on effort.

Who is responsible for restoring backups?

Managed Backups: The responsibility for the correct restoration of the backed-up data lies with ayedo. A correct restoration of data is successful when the backed-up data has been moved error-free to its original location and the application that created this data can work with it error-free. The content correctness of the backup (i.e., whether the backed-up data represents a consistent state in terms of the application) is outside the scope of Managed Backups. The necessary efforts are covered by the flat rate for Managed Backups.

Own Backup Backend: Generally, the customer bears responsibility for the correct restoration of their data in case of error. Any support services that arise during a restoration are charged based on effort.

Key Metrics

  • RPO: up to 20 minutes
  • RTO: up to 1 hour
  • MTTR: depending on the size of the backup

Responsibility for Outages and Disruptions

Who is responsible for outages?

For outages of Managed Services, ayedo is generally responsible for restoration. An outage or disruption is a measurable unavailability of the service by ayedo of more than 5 minutes. These downtimes are considered within the scope of the booked SLA.

Monitoring

How does ayedo monitor its systems?

We use a combination of:

  • CheckMK
  • In-Cluster VictoriaMetrics Stack
  • ayedo Cloud VictoriaMetrics Stack (central collection point)
  • 3rd-Party Vendor Monitoring
  • Endpoint Monitoring

This ensures that all systems are monitored around the clock.

System Updates & Upgrades

How are updates handled?

You are entitled to regular updates of the booked Managed Services. These efforts are covered by the service fee. You can trigger updates independently in the Control Panel or commission us via our official communication channels. Please note that updates may lead to outages or reduced service quality that do not count toward your SLA.

Maintenance Windows

When does ayedo perform maintenance?

Updates and maintenance are always performed after prior consultation with you. Due to technical reasons, there may be brief unavailability of the service.

Our regular maintenance windows are:

  • Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 CET/CEST

Individual maintenance windows can be set via our official communication channels.

Support and Business Hours

When is support available?

  • Basic Support: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00
  • Priority Support: Around the clock, seven days a week

Fees

What costs are incurred?

  • Managed Kubernetes: According to our current Cost Calculator
  • Managed Apps: According to our current App Catalog
  • Consulting & Support: €149.95/hour

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

What Service Level Objectives (SLO) does ayedo offer?

  • Standard: 99% availability
  • With SLA: 99.9% availability

What does ayedo’s SLA include?

Our SLA regulates the guaranteed availability of our systems as well as response times for inquiries and disruptions. For Kubernetes clusters, we offer an extended SLA (best suited for production clusters) with a guaranteed availability of 99.9% on an annual average for the respective calendar year.

Are there guaranteed response times?

Yes, within our Priority Support we guarantee the following response times:

  • Disruptions: Response within 2 hours, around the clock (24/7)
  • Consulting & Support: Response on the next business day (Next Business Day)

In Basic Support, there are no guaranteed response times.

What happens if ayedo does not meet the SLA?

In case of non-compliance with the SLA regarding availability and response times, the following regulations apply:

  • Response Times: If a response time is exceeded, we refund 10% of the calculated daily rent of the respective contract. The maximum amount of individual refunds is limited to the monthly rent within a calendar month.
  • Availability: For each 1% less availability than the guaranteed availability, we refund 5% of the monthly rent of the respective contract. The maximum amount is limited to one monthly rent.

Please note that a maximum upper limit of 25% of the annual rent of a contract applies per calendar year for refunds.

Priority Support

What does ayedo’s Priority Support offer?

Priority Support extends our Basic Support with shortened and guaranteed response times as well as extended availability windows:

  • Support Window: 24x7 Support (Mon-Sun, 00:00 - 24:00) for disruptions
  • Guaranteed Response Times:
    • Disruptions: 2 hours
    • Consulting & Support: Next Business Day
  • Support Channels: Email, Phone (incl. Emergency Hotline), and Chat
  • SLA: 99.9% availability for production Kubernetes clusters
  • Included Clusters: 5 clusters included, additional clusters at €495.95/month each
  • Standard Hourly Rate for Consulting & Training: €149.95/hour

What does Priority Support cost?

Priority Support costs €2,495.95/month and includes 5 clusters. Additional clusters are charged at €495.95/month.

DDoS Protection

Does ayedo offer protection against DDoS attacks?

Yes, DDoS protection is included at no extra charge in all our data centers. We rely on a combination of various security measures to protect our users’ data. This includes encryption of data at rest and in transit (SSL/TLS), firewalls to protect against unauthorized access, and DDoS protection measures to ensure system availability.

Certifications & Memberships

What certifications does ayedo have?

Our current certifications can be found on our Public Relations page.

  • Company:
    • ISO 27001
    • ISO 9001
  • Data Centers:
    • Our data centers are certified according to international standards. We are happy to provide details upon request.
  • Other
    • RIPE NCC Accredited

Contract Duration

How long is my contract with ayedo?

By default, our products have a minimum contract duration of 12 months.

Contacts

How can I reach ayedo?

Communication Channels

What communication channels does ayedo offer?

  • Email: For general support and inquiries
  • Chat and Phone: Available as part of our Priority Support

How does chat communication work?

We support various chat systems such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Stackfield. For successful collaboration, we need the following conditions:

  1. A shared channel for our platform team and all customer stakeholders
  2. The ability to interact with the channel via API or bot interfaces (this ensures we don’t miss anything, even when our client apps are unavailable)

Important Note on Private Messages:

ayedo employees generally do not respond to private messages in customer chats. Occasionally, private messages are used as a medium to get a quick response.

We understand this but point out that as a team, we rely on participating in important communication, otherwise we make mistakes. Additionally, in the case of a private message to an unavailable colleague, we cannot respond at all, which can be fatal especially in urgent cases.

Please do not use private messages. The chat systems we support all offer a feature to mention room members via @USER – if you want to address an employee directly for any reason, simply mention them in the shared channel.

If you send private messages, you are not entitled to the contractually agreed response time.

How are customers informed in case of emergency or outages?

We proactively inform you via your preferred communication channels. Details can be individually agreed upon.

Data Protection and GDPR

Does ayedo offer a Data Processing Agreement (DPA)?

Yes, we provide a DPA to meet GDPR requirements.

NDA and Security Checks

Are your employees security cleared?

Some of our employees have undergone security clearances (e.g., SÜ2). This ensures that sensitive information is in trustworthy hands.

Does ayedo offer an NDA?

Yes, in addition to the NDA anchored in the Terms and Conditions, we are happy to provide you with a more comprehensive, individual NDA.

Zero Trust

Does ayedo use the Zero Trust model?

Yes, security is our top priority. The Zero Trust model is an integral part of our security strategy.

Number of Employees

How big is the ayedo team?

We are a dedicated team of experienced experts. The exact number of our employees varies and is constantly growing to meet our customers’ requirements. Currently, more than 10 great colleagues work with us.

Available Languages for Service

In what languages does ayedo offer its service?

We offer our service in German and English.

Key Account Management

Does ayedo offer Key Account Management?

Yes, we offer personal Key Account Management for our customers to ensure individual support and optimized solutions.

Hidden Costs

Are there hidden costs at ayedo?

No, transparency is important to us. All costs are clearly communicated. Additional costs only arise in special cases, for example, when faulty configurations by the customer lead to increased support effort.

For more information, please feel free to contact us at any time via our contact form or via our Discord channel!