diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-build-test-push-workflow-AL2023.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-build-test-push-workflow-AL2023.yml
index 143111628..63b3cb82e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-build-test-push-workflow-AL2023.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-build-test-push-workflow-AL2023.yml
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - name: Set up cosign
       uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v4.0.0
@@ -118,11 +118,11 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=public.ecr.aws/amazonlinux/amazonlinux
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=2023
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
     - name: Sign Splunk Operator image with a key
       run: |
-        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
+        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
       env:
         COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY }}
         COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
@@ -156,7 +155,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY: ${{ secrets.EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
@@ -181,10 +179,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-int-test-workflow.yml
index 39986ebca..f22ea3a00 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-AL2023-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=public.ecr.aws/amazonlinux/amazonlinux
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=2023
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
   int-tests-arm-al2023:
     strategy:
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
@@ -90,7 +89,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       ARM64: "true"
@@ -120,10 +118,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-build-test-push-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-build-test-push-workflow.yml
index 07848683c..69b9e161f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-build-test-push-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-build-test-push-workflow.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=redhat/ubi9-minimal
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=9.5
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
   smoke-tests-arm-rhel:
     strategy:
@@ -79,9 +79,9 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing smoke keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^s]+|s(?:$|[^m]|m(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^k]|k(?:$|[^e])))))*$"
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       ARM64: "true"
@@ -122,10 +121,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-int-test-workflow.yml
index 83c7e8fb9..09bcd1752 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-RHEL-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=redhat/ubi9-minimal
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=9.5
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
   int-tests-arm-rhel:
     strategy:
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       ARM64: "true"
@@ -120,10 +119,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-build-test-push-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-build-test-push-workflow.yml
index 05aa9a1fc..4e7919d56 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-build-test-push-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-build-test-push-workflow.yml
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - name: Set up cosign
       uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v4.0.0
@@ -118,11 +118,11 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=ubuntu
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=24.04
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
     - name: Sign Splunk Operator image with a key
       run: |
-        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
+        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
       env:
         COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY }}
         COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing smoke keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^s]+|s(?:$|[^m]|m(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^k]|k(?:$|[^e])))))*$"
@@ -156,7 +156,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY: ${{ secrets.EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
@@ -181,10 +180,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-int-test-workflow.yml
index b3f133abe..cabd70631 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/arm-Ubuntu-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         export PLATFORMS=linux/arm64,linux/amd64
         export BASE_IMAGE=ubuntu
         export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=24.04
-        export IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        export IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
         make docker-buildx PLATFORMS=$PLATFORMS BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=$IMG
   int-tests-arm-ubuntu:
     strategy:
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
       SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_PREFIX }}/${{ github.event.inputs.splunk_image_repository_tag }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       ARM64: "true"
@@ -120,10 +119,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-test-push-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/build-test-push-workflow.yml
index e457272b8..85f018849 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-test-push-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-test-push-workflow.yml
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: [check-formating, unit-tests]
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - name: Set up cosign
       uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v4.0.0
@@ -127,10 +127,10 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Build and push Splunk Operator Image
       run: |
-        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
     - name: Sign Splunk Operator image with a key
       run: |
-        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
+        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
       env:
         COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY }}
         COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
@@ -143,11 +143,11 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: build-operator-image
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       IMAGE_NAME: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/splunk/splunk-operator:${{ github.sha }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - name: Set up cosign
       uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v4.0.0
@@ -206,10 +206,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing smoke keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^s]+|s(?:$|[^m]|m(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^k]|k(?:$|[^e])))))*$"
@@ -220,7 +220,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY: ${{ secrets.EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
@@ -242,10 +241,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
@@ -304,8 +299,8 @@ jobs:
         uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
            export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/distroless-build-test-push-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/distroless-build-test-push-workflow.yml
index 69a005c8d..63f657ff3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/distroless-build-test-push-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/distroless-build-test-push-workflow.yml
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: unit-tests
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
       - name: Set up cosign
         uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v4.0.0
@@ -123,10 +123,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           export BASE_IMAGE=gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12
           export BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=latest
-          make docker-buildx BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA-distroless
+          make docker-buildx BASE_IMAGE=$BASE_IMAGE BASE_IMAGE_VERSION=$BASE_IMAGE_VERSION IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA-distroless
       - name: Sign Splunk Operator image with a key
         run: |
-          cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}-distroless
+          cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}-distroless
         env:
           COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY }}
           COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
@@ -201,10 +201,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing smoke keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^s]+|s(?:$|[^m]|m(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^k]|k(?:$|[^e])))))*$"
@@ -215,7 +215,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY: ${{ secrets.EKS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
@@ -238,10 +237,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
@@ -300,8 +295,8 @@ jobs:
         uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/distroless-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/distroless-int-test-workflow.yml
index 01a024247..30734f2e0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/distroless-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/distroless-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ jobs:
   build-operator-image-distroless:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v2
       - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
@@ -122,10 +121,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/helm-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/helm-test-workflow.yml
index 7aceea88a..1933f0381 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/helm-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/helm-test-workflow.yml
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@ jobs:
   build-operator-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -54,16 +54,17 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Build and Push Splunk Operator Image
       run: |
-        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
   int-tests:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: build-operator-image
     timeout-minutes: 240
     env:
       TEST_TIMEOUT: 225m
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_CLUSTER_PLATFORM: eks
       EKS_VPC_PRIVATE_SUBNET_STRING: ${{ secrets.EKS_VPC_PRIVATE_SUBNET_STRING }}
       EKS_VPC_PUBLIC_SUBNET_STRING: ${{ secrets.EKS_VPC_PUBLIC_SUBNET_STRING }}
@@ -71,7 +72,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: "helm"
       HELM_REPO_PATH: "../../../../helm-chart"
@@ -109,7 +109,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
         if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
         run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HELM_REPO_PATH=splunk"  >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Set GITHUB SHA value
         run: |
@@ -168,18 +167,18 @@ jobs:
         uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
       - name: Pull Splunk Operator Image Locally and change name
         run: |
-          docker pull ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
-          docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          docker pull ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Pull Splunk Operator Image Locally
         run: |
-          docker pull ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          docker pull ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
       - name: Change Operator Image Tag to latest
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
+          docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
@@ -212,8 +211,8 @@ jobs:
           KUTTL_SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
           KUTTL_SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.HELM_GITHUB_SHA }}
           INSTALL_OPERATOR: true
-          S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
-          AWS_S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+          S3_REGION: ${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+          AWS_S3_REGION: ${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
           TEST_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_BUCKET }}
           TEST_VPC_ENDPOINT_URL: ${{ secrets.TEST_VPC_ENDPOINT_URL }}
           TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/int-test-azure-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/int-test-azure-workflow.yml
index 743bb5df6..2609ed127 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/int-test-azure-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/int-test-azure-workflow.yml
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ jobs:
   build-operator-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       CONTAINER_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CONTAINER_REGISTRY }}
+      AZURE_REGION: ${{ vars.AZURE_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ jobs:
       ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_LOCATION: ${{ secrets.ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_LOCATION }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.AZURE_ACR_LOGIN_SERVER }}
       AZURE_CONTAINER_REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER: ${{ secrets.AZURE_ACR_LOGIN_SERVER }}
-      AZURE_REGION: ${{ secrets.AZURE_REGION }}
+      AZURE_REGION: ${{ vars.AZURE_REGION }}
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
       uses: actions/checkout@v2
@@ -113,10 +113,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 2
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 5
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      AZURE_REGION: ${{ vars.AZURE_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: azure_sanity
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -132,7 +132,6 @@ jobs:
       ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_LOCATION: ${{ secrets.ENTERPRISE_LICENSE_LOCATION }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.AZURE_ACR_LOGIN_SERVER }}
       AZURE_CONTAINER_REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER: ${{ secrets.AZURE_ACR_LOGIN_SERVER }}
-      AZURE_REGION: ${{ secrets.AZURE_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       # AZURE_MANAGED_ID_ENABLED: "${{ matrix.auth_method_managed_id }}"
       AZURE_MANAGED_ID_ENABLED: "false"
@@ -146,10 +145,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: 'Login via Azure CLI'
         uses: azure/login@v1
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/int-test-gcp-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/int-test-gcp-workflow.yml
index c72c05579..a94979abf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/int-test-gcp-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/int-test-gcp-workflow.yml
@@ -58,14 +58,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Login to GCR
         uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
-          registry: ${{ secrets.GCP_ARTIFACT_REGISTRY }}
+          registry: ${{ env.ARTIFACT_REGISTRY }}
           username: _json_key
           password: ${{ secrets.GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY }}
 
       - name: Build Splunk Operator Image
         run: |
-          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.GCP_ARTIFACT_REGISTRY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
-
+          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ARTIFACT_REGISTRY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
   create-cluster-and-run-tests:
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -83,17 +82,15 @@ jobs:
       CLUSTER_PROVIDER: gcp
       ARTIFACT_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.GCP_ARTIFACT_REGISTRY }}
       GCP_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.GCP_PROJECT_ID }}
-      GCP_REGION: ${{ secrets.GCP_REGION }}
-      AWS_S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.GCP_REGION }}
-      GCP_ZONE: ${{ secrets.GCP_ZONE }}
       GCP_NETWORK: default  # Adjust if using a custom network
       GCP_SUBNETWORK: default  # Adjust if using a custom subnetwork
       TEST_FOCUS: ${{ matrix.test_focus.name }}
       CLUSTER_NODES: 2
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      GCP_REGION: ${{ vars.GCP_REGION }}
+      GCP_ZONE: ${{ vars.GZP_ZONE }}
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
       TEST_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_BUCKET }}
@@ -162,11 +159,6 @@ jobs:
           project_id: ${{ secrets.GCP_PROJECT_ID }}
           install_components: 'kubectl'
 
-      - name: Change Splunk Enterprise Image on Main Branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
       - name: Authenticate to GCP
         uses: google-github-actions/auth@v1
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/int-test-workflow.yml
index 001a34cee..e7f9ad17d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ jobs:
   build-operator-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Build and push Splunk Operator Image
       run: |
-        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
   int-tests:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -77,9 +77,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -90,7 +91,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       DEPLOYMENT_TYPE: ""
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
@@ -117,10 +117,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Dotenv Action
         id: dotenv
         uses: falti/dotenv-action@v1
-      - name: Change splunk enterprise to release image on main branches
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          echo "SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Install Kubectl
         uses: Azure/setup-kubectl@v3
         with:
@@ -175,8 +171,8 @@ jobs:
         uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
@@ -194,7 +190,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p ./bin
           cp /snap/bin/kustomize ./bin/kustomize
       - name: Run Integration test
-        timeout-minutes: 240
+        timeout-minutes: 300
         env:
           TEST_TIMEOUT: 225m
           TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/manual-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/manual-int-test-workflow.yml
index 96629316e..b9be11d2f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/manual-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/manual-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ on:
         description: 'Run Operator in Cluster Wide Mode. Type false to run cluster in namespace mode'
         required: false
         default: "true"
+  push:
+    paths:
+      - '.github/workflows/manual-int-test-workflow.yml'
 jobs:
   int-tests:
     strategy:
@@ -35,10 +38,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -49,8 +52,7 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
-      CLUSTER_WIDE: ${{ github.event.inputs.CLUSTER_WIDE }}
+      CLUSTER_WIDE: ${{ github.event.inputs.CLUSTER_WIDE || 'true' }}
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
     steps:
@@ -126,11 +128,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build and Push Splunk Operator Image
         run: |
           docker pull registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/ubi-minimal:latest
-          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
@@ -148,7 +150,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p ./bin
           cp /snap/bin/kustomize ./bin/kustomize
       - name: Run Integration test
-        timeout-minutes: 240
+        timeout-minutes: 300
         env:
           TEST_TIMEOUT: 225m
           TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ vars.TEST_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
@@ -214,10 +216,10 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Pull Splunk Operator Image Locally
       run: |
-        docker pull ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        docker pull ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
     - name: Change Operator Image Tag to edge
       run: |
-        docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.TAG }}
+        docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.TAG }}
     - name: Configure Docker Hub credentials
       uses: docker/login-action@v3
       with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/namespace-scope-int-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/namespace-scope-int-workflow.yml
index fc3d3554f..4f7b1266b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/namespace-scope-int-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/namespace-scope-int-workflow.yml
@@ -31,9 +31,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -44,7 +45,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "false"
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
@@ -123,11 +123,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build and Push Splunk Operator Image
         run: |
           docker pull registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/ubi-minimal:latest
-          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-int-test-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly-int-test-workflow.yml
index 3f886dd9a..a4d451dd7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-int-test-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-int-test-workflow.yml
@@ -8,14 +8,17 @@ permissions:
 on:
   schedule:
     - cron: "0 06 * * 0"
+  push:
+    paths:
+      - '.github/workflows/nightly-int-test-workflow.yml'
 jobs:
   build-operator-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
       with:
@@ -49,7 +52,7 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Build and Push Splunk Operator Image
       run: |
-        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        make docker-buildx IMG=${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
   int-tests:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -73,9 +76,10 @@ jobs:
     env:
       CLUSTER_NODES: 1
       CLUSTER_WORKERS: 3
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_FILENAME: splunk-operator
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       TEST_FOCUS: "${{ matrix.test }}"
       # This regex matches any string not containing integration keyword
       TEST_TO_SKIP: "^(?:[^i]+|i(?:$|[^n]|n(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^e]|e(?:$|[^g]|g(?:$|[^r]|r(?:$|[^a]|a(?:$|[^t]|t(?:$|[^i]|i(?:$|[^o]|o(?:$|[^n])))))))))))*$"
@@ -86,7 +90,6 @@ jobs:
       TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET: ${{ secrets.TEST_INDEXES_S3_BUCKET }}
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       PRIVATE_REGISTRY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
       CLUSTER_WIDE: "true"
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
       AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_INDEX_INGEST_SEP_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
@@ -122,7 +125,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-python@v2
       - name: Install AWS CLI
         run: |
-          curl "${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.AWSCLI_URL}}" -o "awscliv2.zip"
+          curl "${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.AWSCLI_URL }}" -o "awscliv2.zip"
           unzip awscliv2.zip
           sudo ./aws/install --update
           aws --version
@@ -159,15 +162,15 @@ jobs:
         uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
       - name: Tag and Push Splunk Enterprise Image to ECR
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
-          docker push ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker tag ${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }} ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+          docker push ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       - name: Pull Splunk Operator Image Locally
         run: |
-          docker pull ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
-          docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          docker pull ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+          docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
       - name: Change Operator Image Tag to latest
         run: |
-          docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
+          docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
       - name: Create EKS cluster
         run: |
           export EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION=${{ steps.dotenv.outputs.EKS_CLUSTER_K8_VERSION }}
@@ -231,6 +234,7 @@ jobs:
     needs: int-tests
     env:
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
+      ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
       TAG: edge
     steps:
     - name: Set up cosign
@@ -254,10 +258,10 @@ jobs:
       uses: aws-actions/amazon-ecr-login@v2
     - name: Pull Splunk Operator Image Locally
       run: |
-        docker pull ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
+        docker pull ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA
     - name: Change Operator Image Tag to edge
       run: |
-        docker tag ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.TAG }}
+        docker tag ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:$GITHUB_SHA ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.TAG }}
     - name: Configure Docker Hub credentials
       uses: docker/login-action@v3
       with:
@@ -267,12 +271,12 @@ jobs:
       run: docker push ${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ env.TAG }}
     - name: Sign Splunk Operator image with a key
       run: |
-        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
+        cosign sign --yes --key env://COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
       env:
         COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PRIVATE_KEY }}
         COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
     - name: Verify Signed Splunk Operator image
       run: |
-        cosign verify --key env://COSIGN_PUBLIC_KEY  ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
+        cosign verify --key env://COSIGN_PUBLIC_KEY  ${{ env.ECR_REPOSITORY }}/${{ env.SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME }}:${{ github.sha }}
       env:
         COSIGN_PUBLIC_KEY: ${{ secrets.COSIGN_PUBLIC_KEY }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/prodsec-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/prodsec-workflow.yml
index ea0929f0a..532c2d7fe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/prodsec-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/prodsec-workflow.yml
@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@ jobs:
   FOSSA-scanner:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
-      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ secrets.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
       SPLUNK_OPERATOR_IMAGE_NAME: splunk/splunk-operator
       ECR_REPOSITORY: ${{ secrets.ECR_REPOSITORY }}
-      S3_REGION: ${{ secrets.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
+      SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE: ${{ vars.SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE }}
+      S3_REGION: ${{ vars.AWS_DEFAULT_REGION }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v2
     - name: Dotenv Action
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index e2ba5781f..e403d55ff 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ WATCH_NAMESPACE=""                                 # Watch all namespaces (clust
 ENVIRONMENT=default                                # Deployment environment
 
 # Splunk configuration
-SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=(See SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_RELEASE_IMAGE in .env)   # Splunk Enterprise image
+SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE=(See SPLUNK_ENTERPRISE_IMAGE in .env)   # Splunk Enterprise image
 SPLUNK_GENERAL_TERMS=""                           # SGT acceptance (required)
 
 # Testing
diff --git a/test/appframework_aws/m4/appframework_aws_suite_test.go b/test/appframework_aws/m4/appframework_aws_suite_test.go
index aa21c7084..f2c7205b2 100644
--- a/test/appframework_aws/m4/appframework_aws_suite_test.go
+++ b/test/appframework_aws/m4/appframework_aws_suite_test.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func TestBasic(t *testing.T) {
 	RegisterFailHandler(Fail)
 
 	sc, _ := GinkgoConfiguration()
-	sc.Timeout = 240 * time.Minute
+	sc.Timeout = 300 * time.Minute
 
 	RunSpecs(t, "Running "+testSuiteName, sc)
 }
diff --git a/test/appframework_az/m4/appframework_azure_suite_test.go b/test/appframework_az/m4/appframework_azure_suite_test.go
index 6184e543b..5b1459a67 100644
--- a/test/appframework_az/m4/appframework_azure_suite_test.go
+++ b/test/appframework_az/m4/appframework_azure_suite_test.go
@@ -56,7 +56,10 @@ func TestBasic(t *testing.T) {
 
 	RegisterFailHandler(Fail)
 
-	RunSpecs(t, "Running "+testSuiteName)
+	sc, _ := GinkgoConfiguration()
+	sc.Timeout = 300 * time.Minute
+
+	RunSpecs(t, "Running "+testSuiteName, sc)
 }
 
 var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
diff --git a/test/testenv/testcaseenv.go b/test/testenv/testcaseenv.go
index cb3c8a107..c7c05ac8a 100644
--- a/test/testenv/testcaseenv.go
+++ b/test/testenv/testcaseenv.go
@@ -347,45 +347,56 @@ func (testenv *TestCaseEnv) createRoleBinding() error {
 }
 
 func (testenv *TestCaseEnv) attachPVCToOperator(name string) error {
-	var err error
-
 	// volume name which refers to PVC to be attached
 	volumeName := "app-staging"
-
 	namespacedName := client.ObjectKey{Name: testenv.operatorName, Namespace: testenv.namespace}
-	operator := &appsv1.Deployment{}
-	err = testenv.GetKubeClient().Get(context.TODO(), namespacedName, operator)
-	if err != nil {
-		testenv.Log.Error(err, "Unable to get operator", "operator name", testenv.operatorName)
-		return err
+
+	retryBackoff := wait.Backoff{
+		Duration: 100 * time.Millisecond,
+		Factor:   2.0,
+		Jitter:   0.1,
+		Steps:    5,
 	}
 
-	volume := corev1.Volume{
-		Name: volumeName,
-		VolumeSource: corev1.VolumeSource{
-			PersistentVolumeClaim: &corev1.PersistentVolumeClaimVolumeSource{
-				ClaimName: name,
+	return wait.ExponentialBackoff(retryBackoff, func() (bool, error) {
+		operator := &appsv1.Deployment{}
+		err := testenv.GetKubeClient().Get(context.TODO(), namespacedName, operator)
+		if err != nil {
+			testenv.Log.Error(err, "Unable to get operator", "operator name", testenv.operatorName)
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		volume := corev1.Volume{
+			Name: volumeName,
+			VolumeSource: corev1.VolumeSource{
+				PersistentVolumeClaim: &corev1.PersistentVolumeClaimVolumeSource{
+					ClaimName: name,
+				},
 			},
-		},
-	}
+		}
 
-	operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Volumes = append(operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Volumes, volume)
+		operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Volumes = append(operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Volumes, volume)
 
-	volumeMount := corev1.VolumeMount{
-		Name:      volumeName,
-		MountPath: splcommon.AppDownloadVolume,
-	}
+		volumeMount := corev1.VolumeMount{
+			Name:      volumeName,
+			MountPath: splcommon.AppDownloadVolume,
+		}
 
-	operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].VolumeMounts = append(operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].VolumeMounts, volumeMount)
+		operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].VolumeMounts = append(operator.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].VolumeMounts, volumeMount)
 
-	// update the operator deployment now
-	err = testenv.GetKubeClient().Update(context.TODO(), operator)
-	if err != nil {
-		testenv.Log.Error(err, "Unable to update operator", "operator name", testenv.operatorName)
-		return err
-	}
+		// update the operator deployment now
+		err = testenv.GetKubeClient().Update(context.TODO(), operator)
+		if err != nil {
+			if errors.IsConflict(err) {
+				testenv.Log.Info("Conflict updating operator, retrying", "operator name", testenv.operatorName)
+				return false, nil
+			}
+			testenv.Log.Error(err, "Unable to update operator", "operator name", testenv.operatorName)
+			return false, err
+		}
 
-	return err
+		return true, nil
+	})
 }
 
 func (testenv *TestCaseEnv) createOperator() error {