Policy as Code: Kyverno and Securing Kubernetes at Scale with Jim Bugwadia

Policy as Code: Kyverno and Securing Kubernetes at Scale with Jim Bugwadia

From Platform Engineering Podcast by Cory O'Daniel, CEO of Massdriver

November 19, 2025 · 42 min · Episode 40

About this episode

Jim Bugwadia discusses the importance of policy as code in securing Kubernetes environments and automating compliance.

Most Kubernetes security breaches don't come from zero-day exploits - they come from misconfigurations. While your team runs scanners and reviews reports, containers are already running as root, network policies are missing, and compliance violations are piling up across dozens of repositories. Jim Bugwadia, co-founder and CEO of Nirmata and creator of Kyverno, joins Cory to talk about a different approach: policy as code. Instead of asking developers to remember security best practices across every repo, what if your cluster automatically enforced secure defaults and blocked non-compliant deployments before they ever reached production? You'll learn how to start using Kyverno today without breaking your production environment - from running your first audit scan (no installation required) to implementing enforcement mode with exceptions. Jim explains why micro-segmentation matters more than ever, how to automate network policies for every namespace, and why platform teams are using Kyverno for everything from security to cost optimization. Whether you're running one cluster or managing Kubernetes at scale, this conversation offers practical strategies for making security a…

People in this episode

Host: Cory O'Daniel

Guest: Jim Bugwadia

Topics covered

  • Kubernetes security
  • policy as code
  • misconfigurations
  • network policies
  • automation
  • cost optimization

Keywords

  • Kubernetes
  • security breaches
  • policy enforcement
  • network policies
  • micro-segmentation
  • cost optimization
  • shift-left security
  • audit scan

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nirmata

Products: Kyverno

Places: Kubernetes

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