Configuration as code
Server setup, packages, users and services are described in version-controlled code, so a host can be reviewed and rebuilt instead of remembered.
Services / Linux, Servers & DevOps
Linux and DevOps, pragmatic and reversible.
We design, rebuild and look after Linux servers and delivery pipelines for teams without a dedicated platform group, so changes are predictable, backups are proven and any deployment can be rolled back.
Infrastructure that matches the team running it.
Many small and mid-sized businesses run important services on a handful of Linux servers configured by hand years ago. They work until a disk fills, a certificate expires, a patch breaks something, or the one person who knows the setup is unavailable. The fix is rarely a large platform migration. More often it is making what you already have reproducible, observable and safe to change.
We favour well-understood tools sized to your team: configuration as code, a straightforward CI/CD pipeline, backups with restore tests, and monitoring that alerts on symptoms users would notice. Container orchestration, multi-region designs and elaborate toolchains have their place, but we recommend them only when the workload and the people who will run them justify the overhead.
Every change aims to be reversible. If a deployment, migration or configuration change cannot be undone, we treat it as a gated step with a named approver and a tested recovery path.
Typical situations
Signs your servers need attention.
None of these is unusual, and none needs a dramatic fix. Each does need an owner.
- Hand-built serversCritical services run on hosts nobody can rebuild from scratch, because the configuration exists only on the machine itself.
- Untested backupsBackups run every night, but nobody has restored one recently, so recovery time and completeness are unknown.
- Risky manual deploymentsReleases mean copying files or running commands over SSH, often late in the day, with no record and no quick way back.
- Alerts nobody trustsMonitoring is either missing or so noisy that real problems are lost among warnings.
- Patching postponedSecurity updates are delayed because nobody is sure what a reboot or package upgrade might break.
- Access sprawlShared root passwords, old SSH keys and former contractors who may still have a way in.
How we work on infrastructure
Practical defaults for reliable operations.
Adjusted to your hosting, budget and team, and written down so they outlast the engagement.
Hardened baselines
Key-based SSH, least-privilege sudo, a host firewall, automatic security updates where appropriate, and a documented patching window for the rest.
Reversible deployments
Pipelines build once and promote the same artefact through environments. The previous release stays ready, so rollback is a routine step rather than an emergency.
Tested backups
Backups follow an agreed retention policy, are stored away from the systems they protect, and are restored on a schedule to prove they work and measure how long recovery takes.
Observability
Metrics, logs and health checks for what users feel: availability, latency and errors, plus disk, certificates and backup status. Alerts reach a named person with a runbook link.
Secrets handling
Credentials live in a secrets manager or encrypted store, not in repositories or shell history, and can be rotated without redeploying everything.
CI/CD pipelines with approval gates.
A delivery pipeline should make the safe path the easy path. Ours typically run tests and checks on every change, build a versioned artefact, deploy automatically to a staging environment and require an explicit approval before production.
Database migrations are planned so the previous release can still run against the new schema where possible, which keeps rollback realistic. We work with the CI system and deployment style your team already uses where it is sound, rather than replacing it for its own sake.
Scoped managed operations.
After a build or clean-up, some teams want ongoing help rather than an in-house hire. Managed operations cover agreed tasks such as monitoring, patching windows, backup checks, capacity reviews and a regular report, under written scope and response terms.
We do not offer open-ended or round-the-clock cover unless it has been explicitly agreed and staffed for, and we say so plainly when a requirement is outside what we can responsibly deliver.
Scope and limits
What an engagement covers, and what it does not.
Scope, timeline and price are agreed per engagement after a first conversation.
- Typical scope. An assessment of current servers and delivery, a prioritised remediation plan, then implementation in small reviewable steps with handover documentation.
- Environments. Linux on cloud virtual machines, dedicated servers or on-premise hardware, in your accounts, with access you grant and can revoke.
- Production changes are gated. Nothing changes in production without an agreed window, a rollback plan and your named approver.
- Not included by default. Round-the-clock on-call, compliance certification and hardware procurement.
- No uptime guarantees. We do not publish availability percentages. Response and support terms, if any, are agreed in writing per engagement.
FAQ
Questions buyers usually ask.
Do you work with a specific cloud provider?
No. We work with Linux on major cloud platforms, smaller hosting providers and on-premise hardware. The design follows your constraints on cost, data location and existing contracts.
Do we need Kubernetes?
Often not. For a small number of services, well-managed virtual machines or a simple container setup is usually easier to operate. We recommend an orchestration platform only when the workload and your team’s capacity justify it.
How do you make deployments reversible?
By building versioned artefacts once, keeping the previous release available, separating schema changes from code changes where possible, and rehearsing rollback in staging before relying on it in production.
How often should backups be tested?
Often enough that you would trust the result during an incident. We agree a restore-test schedule with you, record each test, and note how long the restore took so recovery expectations are realistic.
Can you take over servers someone else set up?
Yes. We start with an assessment of access, configuration, backups and monitoring using read-only access, then propose changes in priority order. Nothing is changed during the assessment.
What access do you need?
Only what each task requires, through individual accounts or keys you issue and can revoke. Never send passwords or private keys in an inquiry brief or by email.
Related
Where to go next.
- Linux, servers & DevOps services. Linux engineering and DevOps infrastructure management, side by side.
- API & CRM/ERP integration. Connectors and webhook handlers that need reliable hosting and monitoring.
- AI agents with human approval. Agent workloads need the same secrets handling, logging and rollback.
- Our approach. Map, design, build, gate, operate: the five stages behind every engagement.
- Prepare an inquiry brief. Organise your systems, constraints and goals before a first conversation. Preview only: the brief is built in your browser and nothing is sent.
Start with an honest inventory.
List your servers, how you deploy today and when you last restored a backup. The brief builder stays in your browser; nothing is sent.