Comprehensive Cloud Migration for a Leading Enterprise

Background

A prominent enterprise was heavily reliant on a traditional data center to run its array of applications. Seeking modernization and efficiency, the enterprise partnered with App Maisters to transition their entire application suite to the AWS Cloud. The initiative was segmented into two distinct phases for optimal management and execution.

Phase One: Strategic Migration of Core Applications

In the initial phase, the App Maisters meticulously migrated five of the enterprise’s most vital applications to the AWS Cloud. This initial migration set the precedent for a structured and efficient transition process.

Phase Two: Completing the Migration Journey

The second phase focused on the remaining five applications, each critical to the enterprise’s operations. The applications were evaluated and categorized based on their interdependencies, leading to a comprehensive and tailored migration strategy.

  • Construction of all servers within private subnets distributed across multiple Availability Zones (AZs) for improved resilience.
  • Integration of Web Servers with API servers through a Network Load Balancer, all within private subnets to ensure security.
  • High availability setup for both Web and API layers with multiple servers running behind the load balancer.
  • Deployment of static servers at the Application and UI layers to handle predictable traffic patterns.
  • High Availability configurations for MySQL on EC2 instances spread across AZs, with custom automation for auto-failover.
  • MS SQL standard databases set up on EC2 instances in mirroring mode across AZs for high availability, with automated DB failover using Route53 and AWS Lambda for DNS updates.
  • High Availability setup for Microsoft Active Directory, synchronized with on-premises AD and hosted across two AZs.
  • Establishment of a site-to-site VPN for seamless log transfer to on-premises Splunk for log analysis.
  • Implementation of native backups for database setups with AWS S3 storage.

Solution Implementation

  • A granular migration roadmap was developed, taking into account the unique intricacies of each application.
  • The team adhered to best practices for network configuration and security enhancements.
  • A consolidated Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) was established to house all the applications.
  • A secure VPN connection bridged the AWS Cloud environment with the enterprise’s local networks.
  • Architectural design prioritized high availability across all operational layers.
  • The setup was reinforced with robust functional testing infrastructure.
  • A data lake was crafted for backups, utilizing AWS Glacier for cost-effective storage.
  • A Proof of Concept (PoC) for Application Performance Monitoring (APM) tools was executed to enhance code performance.
  • Centralized logging for critical applications was achieved using an ELK stack.
  • Auto-scaling groups were deployed with precision-configured listeners.
  • Amazon RDS with PostgreSQL was integrated where necessary.

Results

The meticulous planning and execution ensured a smooth transition with minimal downtime, spanning three months. Key outcomes included:

  • Enhanced application availability, even under high traffic conditions, thanks to AWS Autoscaling.
  • Cost optimizations realized through strategic use of spot and reserved instances, resulting in a 30% cost reduction compared to on-demand instance pricing.