Hi everyone! I've been working with EKS for a while now, and something that keeps coming up is how tricky the initial cluster setup can be. A few friends and I started building a tool to help make this easier, but before we go further, we really want to understand everyone else's experience with it.

I'd love to hear your EKS setup stories (console or awscli) - whether you're working solo, part of a team, or just tinkering with it. Doesn't matter if you're a developer, DevOps engineer, or any other technical role. What was your experience like? What made you bang your head against the wall? What worked well?

If you're up for a casual chat about your EKS journey (the good, the bad, and the ugly), I'd be super grateful. Happy to share what we've learned so far and get you early access to what we're building in return. Thanks for reading!

Are you leveraging the full potential of your Microsoft Business Premium license?
🔒 Cybersecurity isn’t optional—especially for SMBs. With 1 in 3 SMBs experiencing cyberattacks and the average breach costing $254,000 or more, your organization’s security should be a top priority.

In this first installment of my new blog series, Securing Microsoft Business Premium, I walk you through step-by-step foundational configurations to help you protect your organization. This guide is designed for IT admins, consultants, and SMB owners who want to harness the full security potential of Microsoft Business Premium.

What You’ll Learn:

✅ Email Security: Configure DKIM and DMARC to protect your domain from phishing and spoofing.
✅ Identity Hardening: Restrict risky default permissions, enforce least privilege, and secure collaboration in Microsoft Entra.
✅ Device Security: Remove local admin privileges during setup to reduce attack surfaces.
✅ Zero Trust Architecture: Understand its six pillars and align them with Microsoft Business Premium.
✅ Admin Notifications: Enable service and health alerts to stay proactive.

Why Read This Blog?

💡 Build a secure environment aligned with modern cybersecurity principles.
💡 Protect your business from phishing, malware, and unauthorized access.
💡 Prepare for advanced configurations (covered in future posts).

👉 Read the full post here:
🔗 Securing Microsoft Business Premium Part 01: Laying the Foundation

Key Highlights:

• Step-by-step guidance for securing identities, devices, and collaboration tools.
• Insights into foundational configurations across Microsoft 365 Admin Center, Entra ID, and Defender.
• Introduction to Zero Trust principles and how they protect SMBs.

👉 Follow me for updates on the next parts of the series as we dive into advanced security configurations tailored for SMBs!

Context is:

• I acquired a company for (very) low 7 digits
• 5 digits MRR.
• Company is in a great industry: customer support. Of course loads of players here, but the co is more established, got escape velocity compared to the many small players, is starting to be up there with the big boys.
• Less than 7 year old

Of course, max $250,000 for AWS or max $350,000 for GCP is only if you’re funded

My question is… could I somehow SPIN the acquisition as if it was investment? We acquired via an asset purchase agreement (APA).

I get how the question sounds n that it may be a bit grey/black hat but… so many VC-funded companies crash and burn n they do get these credits. This company is profitable, will exist in 10y etc. I’m fine even with half of the max amounts..

Anyone has any idea how I can play this?

Hi,

Until 2023 I wa a ACloudGuru subscriber, but the only thing I really found useful was the sandboxes, as the training content was either too high level or outdated (and I ended up googling for other sources).

Fast forward to 2025: Are there any other options? I see that Pluralsight has a "Complete" package but I haven't checked the quality of their training.

Thoughts?

I don't know if this is the right community for this post, if not please let me know and I will move it. My apologies beforehand. I am in the process of learning AWS or Azure. But I would like to learn a webdev stack. Which stack goes with cloud computing, front-end development, back-end development or full stack development? Thank you in advance. Procommtech8128

I would like to hear what type of tools folks are using to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and hardening controls within M365, Azure, AWS, and/or GPC from an audit/compliance perspective.

I've recently written an article detailing the distinctions between policy -as-code and policy-as-data in authorization, comparing tools like OPA and Google Zanzibar and explaining how they cater to different needs like ABAC and ReBAC.

Thought it might be interesting to the folks here:

https://www.permit.io/blog/what-is-policy-as-code

Anyone having experience with fine-tuning a model like LLama 7B using cloud services?

Also, I've tried gcp and aws but not able to get through the quota request itself. Need some guidance and clarity 😕

I’ve been exploring Azure Service Fabric recently, and I’m amazed at how versatile it is for building and managing applications. It’s a platform that powers services like Azure SQL Database and Cortana, ensuring reliability, scalability, and performance.

Here are a few reasons I found it interesting:

• Reliability: Automatic backups and failover keep apps running smoothly.
• Scalability: It can grow with your application, handling traffic spikes effortlessly.
• Flexibility: Supports multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, containers) and languages like C#, Java, and Python.

The microservices architecture makes apps easier to manage, update, and scale. It’s even used for mission-critical applications in large enterprises.

I’ve written a more detailed breakdown of Azure Service Fabric and how it compares to Kubernetes, including its architecture and use cases. Feel free to check it out:
👉 What is Azure Service Fabric?

Would love to hear your thoughts! Have you used Service Fabric or a similar platform? How does it compare to Kubernetes in your experience?

Cloud platforms offer many features, but I'm curious which stands out as the most beneficial for organizations.

Auto-scaling for resources, disaster recovery and backups, easy deployment and CI/CD integration, cost efficiency, and pay-as-you-go?

Or is there another feature you rely on most? I'd love to hear your thoughts and why it's been a game-changer for your setup.

Always Free
Compute
AMD Compute Instance
AMD based Compute VMs with 1/8 OCPU and 1 GB memory each
Always Free
2 AMD based compute VMs

Is this really free? What does it mean by "1 GB memory?" Is that storage or RAM? I just need to run a Debian-based distro without a DE, requiring 512 MB RAM (maybe less) and 8GB HDD.

I go to Supabase and create a PostgreSQL server and by default it's open to the internet. Same for Neon. I haven't tried GCP or Amazon.

Is it becoming more common to open a DB up like this? Are there better security measures in place to make this more of a reality?

https://zenstack.dev/blog/database-to-the-public

I've seen my teammates struggle a lot while creating a terraform script for the cloud infrastructure, so are there any ways or tools someone know, that can help me optimize this usecase?

Hello everyone. I’m currently exploring AI infrastructure and platform for a new project and I’m trying to decide between Amazon Bedrock and Azure (AI Infrastructure & AI Studio). I’ve been considering both but would love to hear about your real-world experiences with them.

Has anyone used Amazon Bedrock or Azure AI Infrastructure and Azure AI Studio? How would you compare the two in terms of ease of use, performance, and overall flexibility? Are there specific features from either platform that stood out to you, or particular use cases where one was clearly better than the other?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm a software developer that prefers to work in Mac or Linux. I sometimes need to do some basic windows platform stuff (nothing that needs too much power), just to run visual studio code and make a build. It needs to be x86 based.

I'd love to be able to do this in the cloud. Is there an affordable solution (<$30 month) for this? Alternative is to just use a cheap low power consumption PC I can remote into, but I'd rather the cloud route.

I was looking at Azure Virtual Desktop, but my knowledge of cloud infrastructure is pretty basic, and I'm looking for a service that caters more to a personal account than an enterprise account. Also, the calculator told me it would cost $500/month!?

Hello, I conducted a benchmark comparing RDS PostgreSQL and RDS Aurora, and the latency results for RDS PostgreSQL were lower than those for Aurora. Has anyone else observed similar results?

Hey fellow IT pros and security enthusiasts!

I’ve recently revamped my Microsoft Entra Conditional Access blog series to kick off the new year, and I’m excited to share it with you all. 🎉

Why the Update?
Conditional Access is a critical part of any modern security framework, and with 2025 bringing new challenges and opportunities, it felt like the right time to revisit this series. I’ve incorporated:

• Detailed visual aids created using Merill Fernando’s amazing Conditional Access Documentation Tool (Check it out here).
• Updated guidance and examples to reflect the latest in best practices and evolving security challenges.
• Feedback from the community, which has been instrumental in shaping these updates.

What You’ll Find in the Series:
Each part dives into a specific aspect of Conditional Access, with actionable tips and visuals to make implementation easier:

1️⃣ Part 1: The Essentials

• An introductory guide to Microsoft Entra Conditional Access, focusing on implementing foundational policies that align with Zero Trust principles to secure your environment. This post includes recommended policies to establish a secure baseline, and step-by-step guidance for creating policies.

2️⃣ Part 2: Managing Privileged Identities

• Strategies for securing privileged identities using recommended Microsoft Entra P2 policies, emphasizing the importance of effective access management in cloud security. This post provides recommended policies for managing privileged access.

3️⃣ Part 3: Policies for Non-Human Identities

• An exploration of non-human identities, such as service accounts and managed identities, with guidance on protecting them through tailored Conditional Access policies. This post offers recommended policies for securing non-human identities.

4️⃣ Part 4: Mastering Risk-Based Policies

• An in-depth look at implementing risk-based Conditional Access policies to enhance security by dynamically responding to varying risk levels during sign-in attempts. This post includes recommended policies for risk-based access management.

5️⃣ Part 5: Application-Specific Protections

• Guidance on applying Conditional Access policies tailored to safeguard organizational data and applications, utilizing Microsoft solutions like Defender for Cloud Apps and Global Secure Access. This post provides example policies for first-party apps (Global Secure Access, SharePoint, and OneDrive) and third-party apps (Salesforce).

Why This Matters:
If you're managing identity security in a cloud-first world, Conditional Access is a tool you can’t ignore. It’s not just about adding restrictions—it’s about enabling secure, productive work environments.

Let’s Discuss!
I’d love to hear from you:

• Are there specific Conditional Access challenges you’ve faced?
• Any areas you’d like me to cover in future posts?
• How are you using tools like Conditional Access to improve your security posture?

Your feedback has been key to shaping this series, and I’m eager to keep learning from this amazing community.

Thanks for taking the time to check this out, and I hope the series proves valuable to you. Let’s make 2025 the year of stronger, smarter security!

I got a new laptop and I am completely overwhelmed in figuring out the best and most economical solution for storing my files in the cloud. I want to be completely mobile and so I can access the files easily with any device - in case my laptop gets broken or stolen or in the case that I finally get the design computer that I really want. I have multiple accounts and clients and profiles so it's stressing me out trying to get the simplest but safe and effective system moving forward.

I have an iDrive account that I use for backups and it offers 5T of cloud storage for $99.50 per year. I started to use that but realized the files are still being saved into the computer hard drives so it is still taking up that space. But I like how the folder access is just like the files are on your computer, because maybe they are, or they are mirrored. With that much space I could put everything in 1 system but since it is still taking up hard drive space it isn't helpful.

I use Google Drive for 2 different accounts and maybe I should just keep doing that then streaming the drive to each computer?

Then there is Microsoft OneDrive. I really hate MS lately but it is in the laptop and they really try to lock you into using it. So, should I just give in and manage my files that way and is that also doing the backup that I need?

What do you use and what do you suggest?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m working on replacing Jenkins for managing utility pipelines and batch processes at my workplace. The main requirements are:

1. Dynamic triggering of pipelines and batch jobs.
2. Support for long-running tasks (8–12 hours).
3. Cost-efficiency and low maintenance.
4. Scalability for future needs.

We’re considering the following options:

• Kubernetes Jobs & Cron Jobs
• AWS Lambda
• AWS EC2
• Jenkins (but it doesn’t meet non-CI/CD needs)
• ECR

From my analysis, Kubernetes seems like the best choice for scalability and flexibility, but it requires significant setup and expertise. AWS Lambda is cost-effective but limited to short-duration tasks, and AWS EC2 is reliable but has higher maintenance costs.

I’d love to hear from anyone with experience using these tools in similar scenarios. What would you recommend? Are there other solutions I should consider?

Thanks in advance!

I recently wanted to create a minecraft server/streaming server(virtual browser via webrtc) via google cloud free trial to test for a few months, then switch to locally. I didn't know I also had to pay for data transfer out from Taiwan to APAC. It costs me 3x more than the actual vm instance. Back in oracle,I had 10TB egress for free. This results in a sharp decline in my free trial credits, now I have to turn it on and off sparingly to save on credits.

edit: reading the free trial offers again, it's my bad to assume that it would also be free.

I'm brand new to Cloud Computing, but i need to use it in my school project. If anyone here could message me, I have a shit ton of questions to ask

Hi,

I have been perusing all over for a "explain it to me as if I am an idiot" guide to build my own cloud server. I want it to be a online "library" for my epubs , that I may access from anywhere. I want to make this for myself and my companion. So far best I have seen is Network Chuck's youtube video and he even gets a little too far ahead of a basic user like myself. Can anyone assist or point me in the right direction?

Based in the UK and the vast majority of our website users are based in the UK. Our C2 server is currently located in London. Currently being offered by our supplier for no additional cost to upgrade to C3D machine, only caveat is these are located in Netherlands, Belgium or Germany.

I know its best to have server located where your users are but considering how close the Netherlands is to the UK would it make sense to switch to the Netherlands C3D machine in terms of speed performance? Or would the increased distance of the C3D from users outweigh the performance increase of the superior machine and cancel out any benefits?

Who is the better provider?

One of the biggest concerns when migrating to the cloud is managing costs. For those who’ve gone through the process, what strategies did you use to keep costs under control? It’s common for businesses to face unexpected expenses, so I’ve seen companies focus on choosing the right mix of services, optimizing resource usage, and leveraging cost management tools during migration. How do you ensure your cloud migration stays within budget and doesn’t result in surprise costs later?

Has anyone here had experience with decentralized cloud platforms like nexqloud? I’d love to hear your thoughts on their performance and whether you think they’re worth considering for personal or small business use. Any advice or recommendations would be super helpful! Thanks!

Multi-cloud adoption has become a key strategy for many organizations to enhance flexibility, avoid vendor lock-in, and optimize workloads across different cloud providers. However, as multi-cloud environments grow more complex, questions arise about their long-term viability and management. I’d love to hear your thoughts, predictions, or experiences with multi-cloud strategies. What’s working, what’s not, and what do you think the future holds for this approach?

I feel like my situation should be common, but perhaps it is not--

I won't get into the details, but basically I just need to deploy some basic python code that could greatly benefit from parallel processing.

I just need the same script to run on many different instances (with only some minor differences between them)

The results that I need to save aren't particularly large, possibly a gigabyte per instance.

When I search around, I see all this stuff about Apps, blobs, cosmic DB, exotic pipelines with APIs, VMs, it all seems like overkill

I just basically want a big farm of CPUs I can rent to run my processes! Is this even a thing?

-> The Problem I'm having a persistent sign-in issue with Azure Document Intelligence Studio. When I attempt to log in, I receive this error: "Silent sign-in request was sent but no user is signed in. The cookies used to represent the user's session were not sent in the request to Azure AD. This can happen if the user is using Internet Explorer or Edge, and the web app sending the silent sign-in request is in different lE security zone than the Azure AD endpoint.”

-> Details • Azure Account: Active and showing resources • Browser: Firefox • Issue: Cannot log into Document Intelligence Studio • Error Type: Authentication/Sign-in problem

-> What I've Already Tried • Checked browser settings • Verified Azure account credentials • Confirmed I have an active subscription with resources

-> Seeking Help

1. Has anyone encountered a similar Azure AD authentication issue?
2. What specific steps resolved this for you?
3. Are there any known compatibility issues with Document Intelligence Studio?