Efficient Cloud Management and Cost Efficiency
Leveraging AWS services for optimized infrastructure, robust security, and reduced operational expenses
About
The Client
The client offers a subscription-based research platform designed to cater specific needs of K-12 students, educators, and researchers. This platform delivers an extensive research experience, featuring advanced tools for research, citation management, feedback, and collaboration. The interface supports genuine research practices and facilitates smooth collaboration among users. Key features include real-time collaboration, resource sharing, and the ability for educators to provide feedback on student projects.
The
Challenge
The client wants to improve the cloud-based application. Key challenges included:
Critical need for robust encryption to protect sensitive data at rest and in transit.
Manual deployment and management of EC2 and EBS services were time-consuming, costly, and complex.
On-demand services for predictable workloads led to excessive costs, while under-utilized EC2 instances for non-critical tasks further increased expenses.
Sudden traffic spikes caused overprovisioning of infrastructure due to delayed scale-down during cooldown periods, raising operational costs.
EBS-based file storage and sharing proved cost-inefficient, particularly for infrequent or variable workloads.
What Forgeahead Did
Data
Encryption
Implemented encryption at rest for all data stores (S3, RDS, DynamoDB, EFS, EBS) and encryption in transit using HTTPS and strict headers.
Adopted AWS Managed Services
Leveraged services like ECS, Lambda, and SQS to automate infrastructure management, reducing manual efforts and maintenance overhead.
Cost Optimization via Autoscaling
Used ECS task definitions and autoscaling to dynamically adjust infrastructure based on performance metrics, optimizing costs.
Lambda for Non-Critical Workloads
Moved non-real-time, non-critical workloads to Lambda, eliminating under-utilized EC2 instances and saving costs.
Cost Monitoring
& Throttling
Analyzed usage patterns, purchased reserved instances for steady workloads, and implemented throttling to manage load spikes efficiently.
Role of AWS in Building
the SaaS Application
Scalability
AWS services like ECS and Lambda enabled seamless scaling to manage variable workloads without manual intervention.
Reduced Maintenance
AWS managed services handled routine maintenance (e.g., updates, patching), freeing up resources for application development.
Cost Efficiency
Autoscaling and pay-per-use models (Lambda) optimized infrastructure costs by adjusting resources to meet actual demand.
Enhanced Security
AWS provided encryption at rest and in transit, ensuring data privacy, compliance, and protection against unauthorized access.
Cost Monitoring
Tools like AWS Cost Explorer and TCO analysis helped track spending and identify optimization opportunities, improving cost control.
35% reduction in overall costs through autoscaling, Lambda migration, and reserved instances.
60% reduction in deployment time by automating ECS tasks and simplifying the rollback process.
Enhanced data security with encryption at rest and in transit.
Reduced maintenance overhead, allowing the development team to focus on building the application.
Better cost predictability and optimization with AWS Cost Explorer and TCO analysis.
AWS Services Used
AWS S3
AWS DynamoDB
AWS Lambda
AWS Aurora
AWS ECS
AWS EFS
AWS SQS
AWS Cost Explorer
Technology Stack
Node.js
Python
React
Angular
DynamoDB
What’s next?
Developing a Secure, Multi-Tenant SaaS Platform for Modern Learning
