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Discover our latest articles about cloud-native technologies, Kubernetes, DevOps, and modern software development. From practical tutorials to in-depth analyses.
Latest Blog Posts
Stay up to date with our latest articles about cloud-native technologies, Kubernetes, and DevOps.
1219 posts
When discussing the shift to Cloud-Native and Kubernetes, we often focus on architecture, providers, and costs. However, the most critical variable in this equation is not the tech stack—it's your team.
For critical applications, "down-time" is no longer just a technical issue for medium-sized businesses, but a direct business risk. However, the traditional response to high availability (HA) has been: Double infrastructure = double costs. A model that breaks many budgets.
We don't need to explain that FinOps is the answer to uncontrolled cloud spending. The challenge for IT decision-makers in medium-sized businesses today lies elsewhere: How can cost responsibility and technical scalability be intertwined so that the cloud doesn't become a bottomless pit?
Kubernetes has long been the standard when it comes to scalable and highly available software platforms. Anyone wanting to operate Kubernetes in the cloud sooner or later ends up at **AWS EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service)** – one of the best-known managed Kubernetes offerings worldwide.
The decision by the state government of Schleswig-Holstein to consistently switch its administration to open source software is more than a political signal. It is a real, technically demanding transformation of a complex IT landscape – under full load, with around 60,000 employees, ongoing judicial and administrative operations, and clear strategic goals. This is precisely why this step is exemplary.
Digital sovereignty has long been part of every public sector digital strategy. However, the Sovereignty Barometer of public IT by next:public shows how large the gap between aspiration and reality is. The study provides resilient figures – and they paint a clear picture of structural dependency.
Current reports of massive data leakage from self-hosted Owncloud, Nextcloud, and ShareFile instances are technically unspectacular – and that is exactly what makes them so problematic. There was no zero-day, no compromised encryption, no architectural flaw in the software. Access was gained using valid user accounts. In some cases, with credentials that were years old.
Almost every modern company is working on an AI strategy today. Whether it's Large Language Models (LLMs), image recognition in quality control, or predictive analytics, the demand for computing power is enormous. However, while algorithms are becoming increasingly precise, IT departments face a new, physical challenge: GPUs (graphics processing units) are expensive, hard to come by, and their management differs fundamentally from traditional IT infrastructure.
"The cloud grows with your needs." This promise is both a blessing and a curse. For growing businesses, cloud scalability is essential to keep up with increasing user numbers and data volumes. However, in practice, rapid growth is often followed by shock: the monthly bills from hyperscalers rise faster than revenue.
For decades, the security strategy in industry was clearly defined: A strong "moat" (the perimeter firewall) protects the internal machine network from the outside world. But in the connected Industry 4.0, this model is crumbling. Once malware—such as through an infected technician's laptop or a compromised remote maintenance interface—enters the internal network, it often has free rein. This is where the Zero Trust model comes in. The principle: "Trust no one, verify everyone." Learn how micro-segmentation within Kubernetes clusters prevents a small incident from becoming a fatal production halt. The problem: The risk of lateral movement In traditional, "flat" networks, compromised systems can communicate freely with other devices in the same segment. Hackers exploit this for so-called lateral movement: They jump from a less critical system (e.g., a display panel) to the central controls of the production line. **The dangers of flat network structures:**
Polycrate API 0.11.0 introduces Downtime Detection with SLA tracking and a Multi-Provider Notification System for Mattermost, Slack, and Email.
Polycrate CLI 0.29.2 addresses critical bugs in the Operator (log level, metrics ID), self-reference block panics, and missing workspace flags in pull/push.
The grace period for cybersecurity in the industry is coming to an end. With the new EU directive NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive), significantly more companies are now classified as "essential" or "important" entities. This means that the responsibility for the security of Operational Technology (OT) is directly in the focus of management – with the threat of severe fines. However, NIS2 should not only be seen as a regulatory burden. It is an opportunity to replace outdated, insecure structures in production with modern, resilient standards.
In the world of Operational Technology (OT), equipment availability is the most crucial metric. An unplanned downtime in the production line often costs several thousand euros per minute. Previously, a software error or the crash of an edge gateway meant waiting for a technician, manual troubleshooting, and a lengthy restart. Modern Cloud-Native technologies bring a concept to the factory floor that radically minimizes this risk: Self-Healing. Learn how an intelligent infrastructure detects and resolves software errors before the worker on the line even notices. The problem: The "silent" failure in production.
In modern software development, "always online" is the standard paradigm. However, in industrial manufacturing (OT), healthcare, or critical infrastructure, the reality is often different: systems are operated in air-gapped environments. This means these networks are physically or logically completely isolated from the public internet—a proven method for protection against cyberattacks and industrial espionage. This isolation was long considered an obstacle to modern IT methods. But today, it is clear: Cloud-Native technologies like Kubernetes can be successfully deployed in isolated networks if the architecture is fundamentally adapted.
**A portal for more security – on an insecure foundation?**\nWith the launch of the central BSI portal for NIS2 reports, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is pursuing an important goal: more overview, faster reactions, and a clear point of contact for operators of critical infrastructure. A "one-stop shop" for cybersecurity is to be created – and that is fundamentally to be welcomed.
Polycrate CLI 0.29.1 brings Ansible 13.2.0 with kubernetes.core 6.1.0 support and correct merging of registry credentials from secrets.poly.
While European governments emphasize the importance of digital sovereignty in Sunday speeches, the reality of public IT infrastructure tells a different story: authorities at all levels continue to systematically rely on Microsoft – and thus on a US corporation that has factually become the digital backbone of entire administrative units. Not out of necessity, but out of convenience. Not for lack of alternatives, but despite better options.
Shortly before the end of 2025, what had long been practice became known: Over 11,500 MongoDB instances in Germany are freely accessible via the internet and vulnerable to a critical security flaw known as *MongoBleed*. Globally, Germany thus occupies a sad third place – right behind China and the USA. Particularly piquant: No hoster worldwide counts more vulnerable instances than Hetzner, a German provider.
The announcement by Kubernetes SIG Network to retire Ingress-NGINX was not an operational accident. It was the result of years of structural overload – and it was right. Not convenient, not popular, but necessary. The fact that this retirement is now being cushioned by Chainguard does not change the diagnosis. But it prevents an overdue decision from becoming an operational disaster.
In the software world, "Continuous Delivery" is standard. However, in the industrial sector, the reality is often different: Updates for machine controls or edge gateways are frequently still applied manually via USB stick or through insecure VPN connections – site by site. With 100 plants worldwide, this is not only inefficient but also a massive security risk. The solution to this scaling problem is GitOps. Learn how we at ayedo use tools like ArgoCD to make software rollouts in the factory as secure and simple as they are on the web.
In many German factories, the backbone of our industry stands strong: reliable machines that have been operating efficiently for 10, 15, or even 20 years. Mechanically, these systems are often in top shape, but technically isolated. They don't speak Cloud-Native, don't understand JSON, and are invisible to modern data analysis. However, replacing a million-dollar investment is often uneconomical. The solution is Industrial Retrofitting using Container Gateways. Learn how to integrate your PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) into a modern Kubernetes infrastructure without touching the hardware. The problem: When the PLC doesn't speak to the cloud.
In theory, the cloud sounds like the perfect solution for everything. In the practice of industrial manufacturing, however, it often reaches its limits—and those are the limits of physics. When milliseconds determine the quality of a component, the path to a remote data center is too far. The solution: Edge Computing. And the tool of choice to manage this efficiently? Kubernetes. Why the cloud alone is not enough in the factory
When discussing modern IT infrastructure today, it's impossible to overlook the big names like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure. They offer convenience, speed, and an almost endless list of features. However, this convenience often comes at a high price: **Vendor Lock-in**.
