DEVOPSdigest

Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) and Sequoia Holdings announced a strategic partnership to enhance software supply chain security, classified workload deployments, and Kubernetes management for the Department of Defense (DOD), Intelligence Community (IC), and federal civilian agencies.

This collaboration integrates Rancher Government Carbide, an end-to-end solution for zero-trust software supply chain security, with Sequoia’s Combine platform, a "digital twin" environment that enables secure and seamless software validation for high-side deployments. The partnership ensures that government agencies and ecosystem technology partners can develop, test, and optimize their applications in an unclassified environment before deploying into classified networks, reducing risk and enhancing mission readiness.

“Rancher Government Solutions is committed to providing government customers with secure, scalable Kubernetes environments that meet the highest security standards,” said Brandon Gulla, CTO of Rancher Government Solutions. “By combining our Kubernetes management and Carbide’s software supply chain security with Sequoia’s Combine platform, we’re enabling agencies to confidently deploy applications into classified environments while ensuring zero-trust protection from development to deployment.”

Sequoia’s Combine platform plays a critical role in overcoming the four major challenges of deploying workloads in classified environments including: Access Control and Identity Management, Service Parity and Endpoint Emulation, Air-Gapped Networking, and Secure Software Development.

- Access Control & Identity Management – Navigating unique authentication policies across different agencies.

- Service Parity & Endpoint Emulation – Ensuring that workloads built in unclassified environments function correctly in high-side environments.

- Air-Gapped Networking – Managing software dependencies in isolated, classified networks.

- Secure Software Deployment – Validating and testing mission-critical software before deployment to ensure operational readiness.

“Sequoia Combine is an essential capability for agencies and partners moving workloads into classified environments,” said John Schnelle, Principal Solutions Architect at Sequoia. “By integrating Combine with RGS’s Kubernetes management and Carbide supply chain security, we’re providing a trusted, end-to-end solution that enables government customers to accelerate secure DevSecOps without risk or delay.”

Key Benefits of the Partnership:

- End-to-End Software Supply Chain Security – Rancher Government Carbide provides zero-trust enforcement, ensuring that only validated and trusted code enters government environments.

- Seamless Classified Workload Deployments – Sequoia Combine enables real-world emulation of classified environments, reducing errors and mission risk.

- Optimized Air-Gapped Kubernetes Operations – Secure Kubernetes management for DOD and IC environments, ensuring compliance with STIG and cybersecurity mandates.

- Multi-Cloud and On-Prem Integration – Secure, scalable solutions across AWS, Azure, Oracle, and on-prem environments.

This strategic partnership empowers government agencies, intelligence organizations, and ecosystem partners to confidently navigate the unique security challenges of classified DevSecOps while eliminating the risks of unvalidated software deployment.