A global company based in London has started a digital transformation to improve its operational efficiency and security by leveraging cloud computing. Initially operating in a hybrid cloud environment, they decided to fully migrate to AWS Cloud. This decision was driven by the need for cost reduction, improved automation, easier management of multiple accounts, and more robust network security protocols.
The company has developed its applications using a cloud-native approach. With existing SaaS applications already hosted on AWS, CDT assisted them in deploying more efficiently and establishing security standards for future operations.
Challenges in Cloud Implementation
One of the main challenges was developing code and establishing infrastructure as code (IaC) to simplify and automate deployments. CDT utilized AWS CloudFormation to manage this code effectively. This approach allowed the company to easily replicate configurations for new accounts and scale operations efficiently.
Another challenge was managing multiple AWS accounts, centralizing account management and logging, and monitoring and controlling application traffic, inspecting logs, and identifying vulnerabilities. To address this, CDT implemented AWS Control Tower and Landing Zone, which provided a unified platform for managing accounts, along with guardrails—policies that guide or restrict actions within AWS accounts and ensure adherence to security and compliance standards.
To monitor and control application traffic, detect malicious activity, inspect logs, and identify vulnerabilities, CDT implemented AWS WAF, Amazon GuardDuty, and Amazon Inspector throughout the entire cloud environment. CDT also designed a scalable network security solution to support both current and future growth.
AWS Security and Compliance Solutions
The company used various AWS security tools to protect its environment. Initially, they only used AWS WAF, but later added GuardDuty and Inspector. AWS WAF helps protect applications by filtering out malicious traffic.
Their operating system is Windows, and they update Windows patches every week. At first, they prioritized updating patches on production environments, with staging and development environments receiving updates as needed. To address this, CDT implemented Amazon Inspector to ensure that all environments remained updated with patches. Amazon also monitors vulnerabilities in the application package, instance, and OS levels.
Amazon GuardDuty was implemented to add another layer of security by continuously monitoring for threats such as port scanning and probing. It also provides monthly reports, especially on the development environment. To ensure comprehensive oversight, CDT uses AWS CloudWatch alerts to detect issues and provide real-time support for threat response.
Additionally, CDT leverages AWS Control Tower and Landing Zone to streamline the management of multiple AWS accounts. This integration provides a structured framework that simplifies governance, enhances security, and enables consistent compliance across all accounts.
The company uses AWS Config to maintain compliance by monitoring configuration changes and ensuring that its systems meet regulatory standards and internal policies. They have achieved ISO 27001 certification, demonstrating their commitment to maintaining high information security and compliance standards within their organization.
Benefits Gained
By using AWS, they have ensured business continuity. Since its implementation, they have not encountered any issues or problems and experienced no unexpected downtime incidents. The system has failover capabilities and can automatically generate new instances through code deployment, which minimizes the chances of manual errors and downtime.
To strengthen security, the company plans to implement a VPN solution for its development and staging environments. This will enable developers to securely access these environments from various locations, as the developers are based in Indonesia while the company is in London.
They also review their security protocols through a Well-Architected Review (WAR) remediation and plan to implement a network firewall to strengthen threat detection and response. CDT also provided continuous support by conducting weekly checkpoints to ensure a smooth deployment process.
By moving to the AWS Cloud, the financial organization has improved its security, streamlined account management, and ensured business continuity. They utilized key AWS services such as WAF, GuardDuty, and Control Tower to protect their systems, address vulnerabilities, and manage multiple accounts more efficiently.
Migration with CDT
Partnering with CDT makes the cloud migration process smoother and more efficient. CDT provides expert guidance, customized solutions, and ongoing support throughout the entire migration. CDT’s ensures that the specific needs of each business are met.
By leveraging AWS’s security tools and CDT’s expertise, businesses gain flexibility, enhanced security, and simplified cloud infrastructure management. CDT helps reduce migration risks, accelerates deployments, strengthens security, and ensures the cloud environment can scale with the business. From managing multiple AWS accounts to ensuring compliance, CDT offers the services and support needed for a successful migration to AWS Cloud.
