Mühlbauer Slashes Tech Debt and Hits 87% Fix Rate With Automation
Manufacturing
Enterprise
Mühlbauer ID Services GmbH develops sophisticated hardware and software solutions that power identity systems for governments worldwide. As a leader in an industry where security failures can compromise national infrastructure and citizen data, the company operates under intense regulatory scrutiny and high customer expectations.
The manual verification of thousands of software components was becoming impossible to scale and the company's existing technical debt was creating a dangerous spiral. Vulnerabilities were accumulating faster than teams could address them and risked compromising the organization’s ability to innovate securely and efficiently.
THE PROBLEM:
Excessive Manual Workload
Reactive Security Culture
Extensive Vulnerability Backlog
Low Developer Security Awareness
A Strategic Approach to Debt Elimination
Mühlbauer's transformation centered on achieving zero vulnerabilities across its software supply chain. This wasn't just an aspirational goal, it became a policy that would fundamentally change how the company approached development. The company integrated Sonatype Nexus Repository, Sonatype Lifecycle, and Sonatype Repository Firewall throughout their development toolchain, implementing a zero-vulnerability policy with build-breaking enforcement and dramatically scaling their component scanning capabilities from 1,000 to more than 3,800 evaluations per month.
Mühlbauer achieved an exceptional 87% average fix rate with a Mean Time to Remediate of just 6.8 days, enabling their successful transformation from legacy monoliths to containerized microservices.
Key Results
Securing Critical Government Infrastructure
The technical implementation leveraged Sonatype Lifecycle's deep integration capabilities. The platform was embedded into their core development workflows, including Jenkins build pipelines, GitLab source control, and their existing Sonatype Nexus Repository and Redmine infrastructure. The setup process was streamlined, with expert guidance available to resolve integration challenges quickly.
Sonatype Repository Firewall served as the first line of defense, preventing developers from downloading insecure libraries before they could enter the artifact repository. Combined with IDE plugins, this created an environment where security intelligence was available at every stage of development, from initial coding through final deployment. The most significant strategic decision was implementing build-breaking policies. Rather than allowing vulnerable components to proceed with warnings, the system would halt builds entirely when security thresholds were exceeded. This enforcement mechanism transformed security from a suggestion into a mandatory requirement.
“Sonatype Repository Firewall is the first line of defense in our toolchain. It prevents our developers from downloading insecure libraries, which saves time and reduces frustration. They now have more time for productive work and spend less time on repetitive routine tasks”
Tilo Riemer
Deputy Head of Informations Systems
From Reactive to Proactive Security Culture
Beyond the technical metrics, Mühlbauer's transformation represents a fundamental cultural shift. The organization moved from a reactive security posture — where vulnerabilities were discovered and addressed after the fact — to a proactive model where security intelligence guides development decisions from the outset.
Developers now benefit from immediate feedback on security issues, with IDE integration providing real-time guidance on component selection. Sonatype Repository Firewall's prevention of insecure downloads has eliminated a significant source of frustration and rework, allowing engineers to focus on innovation rather than remediation.
Regulatory Compliance Through Automation
The transformation proved particularly valuable for regulatory compliance. Government customers increasingly require comprehensive SBOMs, and regulations like the Cyber Resilience Act demand detailed supply chain security documentation. Automated SBOM generation and vulnerability tracking are the only ways to provide documentation and audit trails at scale.
This automation doesn't just satisfy regulatory requirements; it demonstrates measurable, systematic security practices that provide a competitive advantage in government procurement processes.
Sustainable Innovation Through Intelligent Automation
Mühlbauer's success illustrates a critical principle: technical debt elimination and innovation acceleration are not competing priorities — they're complementary strategies. By automating security governance and vulnerability management, the company freed engineering resources for architectural modernization and feature development.
The clean microservices architecture they've built — completely free of security vulnerabilities and license issues — provides a foundation for continued innovation. Rather than spending cycles maintaining legacy debt, teams can focus on developing the advanced identity solutions that governments depend on.
The journey from overwhelming technical debt to proactive security leadership demonstrates how the right combination of technology and process can transform organizational capability. Mühlbauer didn't just eliminate vulnerabilities — they built a systematic approach to secure innovation that scales with their business growth.
Products Used
