Deploying Zantu with Docker Compose: When 5 Minutes Beats 2 Days
Context: Last week I showed you how to build a production Kubernetes cluster—3 control planes, 4 worker nodes, HA PostgreSQL, pod anti-affinity, chaos testing. That guide took 2 days and taught you how infrastructure actually works. This week: the same application running on docker-compose in 5 minutes. Here’s when you need which approach. What We’re
Building a Production-Grade RKE2 Kubernetes Cluster: A Practical Guide
What You’ll Learn: How to build a real Kubernetes cluster that can run production workloads, not just hello-world demos. Prerequisites: You’ll need 7-8 machines (VMs or physical servers). This guide assumes you can provision these yourself—whether that’s creating VMs in Proxmox/ESXi, spinning up cloud instances, or using physical hardware. See specs below. Why RKE2: It’s
The Pottery Class Paradox: Why Rapid Iteration + Reflection Beats Both Quantity and Quality
You know the story from Atomic Habits. A pottery teacher splits the class into two groups (well Atomic Habits uses photography, but the orginal story is about pottery). The “quantity” group gets graded on weight, make 50 pounds of pots, get an A. The “quality” group gets graded on perfection, make one perfect pot, get
What Happens When You Stop Fighting Your Own Wiring
It is oddly satisfying reaching this point of the year. I could set my clock by what reveals itself—not just Christmas and New Year’s, but something else entirely. For years, I did the standard ritual: reflect on what happened, plan what’s next, strategize how to steer it. Classic year-end leadership behavior. And it accomplished precisely
Welcome to Hocus Pocus Focus: Making Sense of It All
I published my first HPF newsletter recently and while it should have been the second, I wanted to share it immediately while the insights were fresh. So welcome to my second “First Edition” of HPF. This newsletter wasn’t planned. It started because I needed a place for posts that got too long and detailed for
The Fruit Level Framework: A Dual Identity Approach to Account Qualification
This month, I was qualifying my accounts for next year and hit the same wall every sales professional knows: “high, medium, low potential” tells you nothing about what to actually DO. So I created something different. Something that works in team meetings AND boardroom presentations. Something that’s already changing how I approach my entire territory.
"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Michael Jordan
Welcome to ScottHugh.com
I’m Scott Hugh, and this is where I write about the intersection of business, technology, and practical problem-solving.
What You’ll Find Here
HPF (Hocus Pocus Focus) Newsletter – My regular deep-dives shared on LinkedIn, exploring cloud-native infrastructure, Kubernetes, enterprise Linux, and open-source technologies. From architecture decisions to hands-on implementations, I focus on what actually works in production environments rather than vendor marketing.
Solutions Architecture & Technical Insights – Thoughts on enterprise infrastructure, hybrid cloud strategy, partner enablement, and technical approaches that deliver real customer value. I write about Linux systems, container orchestration, distributed teams, and the intersection of technical depth and business outcomes.
Frameworks & Practical Tools – Decision frameworks, technical approaches, and lessons learned from 30 years in technology – from building systems as a teenager to architecting solutions for global enterprises. Engineering mindset: build it, test it, see what works, iterate.
A Bit About Me
I’m a solutions architect and technical consultant with 30 years in technology – starting from building systems and databases as a teenager – with 25+ years designing, deploying, and managing enterprise infrastructure.
My approach: Build it, test it, see what works, iterate. I believe in open-source technologies, distributed team collaboration, and technical depth over buzzword bingo. Currently exploring new opportunities where I can combine technical expertise with partner enablement and customer success.
I’ve built Kubernetes clusters, migrated hundreds of customers across infrastructure platforms, presented to C-level executives, and trained partner technical teams. I code, I architect, I solve problems – and I share what I learn here.
My Interests
Beyond technical content, you might find posts about:
- Open source advocacy – Ubuntu, Linux, and the technologies shaping modern infrastructure
- Cloud-native architectures – Kubernetes, containers, and distributed systems
- Partner enablement – Technical workshops, reference architectures, and solution development
- Distributed team leadership – Remote work, cultural collaboration, and building cohesion across time zones
- Continuous learning – Books, courses, and insights that change how I approach technical and business challenges
- The Weekend SaaS Builder – YouTube channel documenting technical builds, infrastructure experiments, and hands-on learning
Connect With Me
This blog is where I work through ideas in detail. For shorter updates and discussions, find me on LinkedIn. I also document technical projects and infrastructure builds on YouTube (The Weekend SaaS Builder).
Thanks for visiting. Let’s figure out what actually works.
"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Michael Jordan