Building Scalable Infrastructure and Optimizing VMs

Business Opportunity

Building Multiple Environments on GCP

The client is a Swiss FinTech company offering a leading marketplace for structured investment solutions. They issue derivative investment products and partner with financial institutions to provide capital-efficient pension products with guarantees. With offices in 13 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, they serve a global market. The client, launching a new application for premium subscribers, sought separate GCP environments for development, testing, and production to streamline processes. This isolation aimed to ensure smooth development, safeguarding customer data, and maintaining system stability without impacting live operations.

We set up four non-production and one production environment for the client’s application in GCP. Using Terraform for infrastructure provisioning ensured consistency, while GCP’s IAM enforced strict access controls. We used Ansible for Configuration as Code (CaC) to automate and standardize the application and system configurations across environments. We also applied the Compact Placement Policy to optimize VM performance and reduce latency.

The Challenge

The client faced challenges in resolving employee-related queries efficiently, particularly concerning promotions and insurance policies. 

• Inconsistent access to up-to-date and accurate information for employees
• Lack of an integrated system to manage policy documents and employee interactions effectively
• A high volume of repetitive queries to the HR team, causing resource strain and operational inefficiencies

Our Solution

We set up four non-production environments and one production environment for the deployment of the client’s application services in GCP. The infrastructure provisioning was managed using Terraform as the Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool, ensuring consistent and efficient management of the app services and associated infrastructure across all environments. To enhance security, we implemented strict access controls using GCP’s Identity and Access Management (IAM), restricting access to authorized users only. 

Additionally, we applied the Compact Placement Policy to the application’s VMs, optimizing their grouping for improved performance and reduced latency. Configuration as Code was implemented using Ansible, while ELK was utilized for comprehensive monitoring and logging of infrastructure and databases. We also integrated Consul for service discovery and Keycloak as the identity provider. Robust documentation and a thorough handover were provided for

Results

• Improved operational efficiency: Streamlined processes and automated infrastructure management
• Reduced turnaround time: Faster deployment and management of environments
• Real-time stock value display: Enabled the client to showcase stock data in real-time to high-value customers, enhancing their experience
• Maintained SLAs: Ensured consistent service levels and met performance expectations
• Minimized latency: Optimized infrastructure and VM placement to guarantee smooth, uninterrupted access

Power of Partnership

By partnering with Niveus, our client benefited from our expert guidance in setting up scalable, secure, and optimized infrastructure in GCP. Niveus’ expertise ensured streamlined provisioning through automation and enhanced security with tailored access controls. It also improved performance with efficient resource placement, while ensuring consistent and reliable management across environments. This partnership helped the client to reduce complexity, minimize risks, and accelerate time-to-market for their applications.

Benefits of Niveus’ GenAI Chatbot for Query Resolution

Real-time value: We empower clients to deliver real-time value to their customers while improving operational efficiency and turnaround times. 

Robust, scalable infrastructure: We leverage our deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform to design and implement robust, scalable infrastructures. 

Reduced manual efforts: By utilizing strategies like Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Niveus ensures efficient, repeatable, and consistent provisioning of resources across all environments, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors. 

Optimized Performance: By implementing appropriate optimization strategies, we improve app performance and minimize latency. 

Comprehensive support: From architecture design to execution, Niveus provides end-to-end support, ensuring the client’s infrastructure meets performance, security, and operational goals.