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Case study · BNOW

BNOW

BNOW fixes production in minutes without a DevOps team

No one at BNOW works on infrastructure full time, so an AI agent now does its production work through Alpacon.

to diagnose and fix a production problem, down from three to four hours
In minutes
from the first session to every server on Alpacon
6days
now fix production themselves; outages used to need outside help
2people

With Alpacon: a scoped work session

An AI agent requests a work session through Alpacon for on-prem analysis jobs. Web and API servers and databases run on Linux and Windows, sensor data ingest on Linux, and analysis jobs on Windows. A person approves risky steps; Alpacon checks and records commands, and out-of-bounds database work is stopped and flagged.AI agentClaude Code, Codex,and others, on alaptop or in CI1The OK from someone at BNOWfor risky steps2Alpaconwork-session gateway3Command record5Your infrastructureWork sessionPermissions for one task · timelimitWindowsAnalysis jobs4Web and APILinux, WindowsDatabasesLinux, WindowsSensor data ingestLinuxOut of bounds: stopped and flaggedAn AI agent requests a work session through Alpacon for on-prem analysis jobs. Web and API servers and databases run on Linux and Windows, sensor data ingest on Linux, and analysis jobs on Windows. A person approves risky steps; Alpacon checks and records commands, and out-of-bounds database work is stopped and flagged.AI agentClaude Code, Codex, and others, on alaptop or in CI1Alpaconwork-session gateway3The OK fromsomeone at BNOWfor risky steps25Command record4Your infrastructureWork sessionPermissions for one task · time limitWindowsAnalysis jobsWeb and APILinux, WindowsDatabasesLinux, WindowsSensor data ingestLinuxOut of bounds: stopped and flagged
  1. Request a work session: servers, job, time limit
  2. A person approves
  3. Each command is checked against the session
  4. It runs on the in-scope servers
  5. Commands in the session are recorded
Simplified view of BNOW's setup: every production server on Alpacon within six days, Linux and Windows, across web and API, databases, sensor data ingest and analysis jobs.

“For a company like ours, Alpacon is the security team.”

Elon Choo, CEO, BNOW

Time to diagnose and fix a production problem

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Time to diagnose and fix a production problem: three to four hours before, with outside help; minutes now, with an AI agent through Alpacon.0 h1 h2 h3 h4 hBeforeoutside help, often on a day offthree to four hoursNowan AI agent through Alpaconminutes

The six-day rollout

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The six-day rollout: on day 1 the agent documented the database inside scoped sessions; during the first week Alpacon stopped and flagged an out-of-bounds command; by day 6 every server, Windows included, was on Alpacon.AGENTwhat it didALPACONwhat it enforcedDay 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6documents thedatabasethe team connects the rest of its servers, Windows includedone agent seesevery serverpermissions scoped to each task · commands recorded · no server credentials to the agentfirst week: an out-of-bounds command stopped and flaggedevery server on Alpacon
BNOW uses Claude Code. Any agent that can run a CLI uses the same path.

How it works now

  1. Each incident

    Scoped work session

    Only what the task needs

    The agent gets the permissions one task needs, nothing more.

  2. Out of bounds

    Stopped and flagged

    “Alpacon's blocking it”

    “At first, I loved that,” the CEO said.

  3. Risky steps

    Their own rule

    Backup first, then ask

    Their agent rule: back up the database and get the OK from someone at BNOW.

  4. After hours

    Commands recorded

    One record

    Cause, fix and deploy happen in one workflow, and the CEO handles it himself.

Our agents' work sessions since June 2026

We run our own infrastructure on Alpacon

work sessions our agents opened
457
commands recorded
4,675
commands refused before they ran
78
median session: access for one job, then it ends
2.3 min

FAQ

Do you need a DevOps team to use this?

No. BNOW has no dedicated DevOps engineer. Its CEO and its VP of Engineering now fix production themselves.

How long does rollout take?

BNOW went from the first session to every server on Alpacon in six days, with no separate rollout project.

Is the speedup from the agent or from Alpacon?

Both. The agent does the diagnosis and the fix; Alpacon is what made it safe to put the agent on production at all.

Playbook: incident response with an agent

See it on your servers

  1. A scoped session per incident
  2. The OK from someone at BNOW for anything risky
  3. A full record afterward
How BNOW fixes production without a DevOps team

BNOW name, numbers and quotes used with BNOW's consent.