Key2XS Deployment Models: Secure, Flexible, and Built for Critical Infrastructure

Critical infrastructure organizations face a unique challenge when modernizing their security posture. While IT systems increasingly rely on cloud-native architectures, OT (Operational Technology) environments are often air-gapped, heavily regulated, and resistant to rapid change. This creates a tension: how can organizations adopt modern IAM-integrated key management without sacrificing the resilience and security of their OT landscape?

The answer lies in flexible deployment models and Key2XS, powered by KubeDNA, delivers exactly that.

Why Deployment Flexibility Matters

Physical key systems remain essential for securing critical assets such as substations, refineries, water facilities, and transport hubs. However, integrating these systems with IAM platforms requires a deployment strategy that fits both IT and OT realities:

• Air-gapped OT environments where external connectivity is tightly restricted.

• Cloud-first strategies driven by IT teams seeking scalability and cost efficiency.

• Hybrid environments where cloud and on-prem coexist, with specific workloads distributed according to security, compliance, or operational needs.

A “one size fits all” approach does not work in this context. That’s why Key2XS offers multiple deployment models, ensuring organisations can choose the architecture that best aligns with their resilience, compliance, and operational objectives.

Powered by KubeDNA: Kubernetes at the Core

At the heart of this flexibility is KubeDNA, a Kubernetes management platform that provides secure, automated, and standardized container orchestration. By building on Kubernetes, Key2XS ensures:

• Consistency across on-prem, hybrid, and multi-cloud deployments.

• Security by design, with hardened images and controlled access policies.

• Scalability, allowing organizations to expand their Key2XS footprint as new assets or geographies are added.

• Resilience, with self-healing clusters and disaster-recovery capabilities.

KubeDNA enables Key2XS to deliver the same functionality regardless of the deployment model, simplifying operations while maintaining compliance with strict OT and regulatory requirements.

Deployment Models for Every Environment

1. Cloud-Native Deployment

For organizations embracing cloud adoption, Key2XS can be fully deployed in a secure cloud environment. This model provides:

• Rapid provisioning and scaling.

• Cost-efficient infrastructure management.

• Seamless integration with cloud-hosted IAM solutions like Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, or SailPoint.

2. On-Premises Deployment

For air-gapped OT systems, Key2XS can be installed entirely on-premises. This model provides:

• Full control within the organization’s own data centers or industrial networks.

• Strict compliance with data sovereignty requirements.

• Operation without any dependency on external connectivity.

3. Hybrid Deployment

In reality, many organizations operate in hybrid mode. With Key2XS, workloads can be distributed flexibly:

• Cloud for IAM integration, analytics, and AI-driven key planning.

• On-premises for real-time key system operations in OT networks.

• A seamless bridge between IT and OT, without exposing sensitive environments.

Built for Critical Infrastructure

By leveraging KubeDNA’s Kubernetes management capabilities, Key2XS is not just a SaaS solution, it is a deployment-agnostic platform designed for the realities of critical infrastructure. Whether you are a DSO managing thousands of transformer houses, a refinery operator balancing IT and OT priorities, or a government entity bound by sovereignty rules, Key2XS can adapt to your architecture without compromise.

Conclusion

In a world where OT and IT must increasingly converge under frameworks like CER and NIS2, deployment flexibility is no longer optional, it is mission-critical. With Key2XS, powered by KubeDNA, organisations gain the confidence to deploy where they need, how they need, without sacrificing security, compliance, or performance.

Key2XS: Bridging the digital and physical access world, securely and flexibly.