nClouds AWS Case Study
Finexio
Finexio’s collaboration with nClouds showcases the power of a strategic partnership to achieve robust security, operational efficiency, and faster time to market.
Benefits Summary
Secured infrastructure, protecting against threats.
100% Increase in Deployment Visibility for Production Environments.
20% Increase in deployment efficiency.
5% cost reduction through automated workflows and intelligent resource management
About Finexio
Finexio simplifies accounts-payable payments for medium and large corporations by digitizing manual paper checks. Finexio’s comprehensive accounts payable payments-as-a-service (PaaS) solution leverages proprietary analytics and robotic process automation to drive maximum conversion rates of suppliers to electronic payments.
Industry
Location
Orlando, FL
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Challenge
Finexio faced several technical challenges before working with AWS and nClouds. Ensuring robust cloud security was a top priority to protect sensitive financial data and maintain compliance standards. The company also needed to find ways to save on costs while optimizing cloud performance. Finally, deploying and maintaining AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) stacks efficiently was essential for streamlined infrastructure management and scalability.
Why AWS and nClouds?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) and nClouds were the natural choice for Finexio’s needs. AWS offers a vast array of cloud architecture solutions, and nClouds’ expertise in AWS solutions provided Finexio with tailored, secure, and cost-effective answers to its specific business and technical challenges. nClouds’ track record of success in AWS implementations and commitment to crafting customized solutions ensured Finexio received a comprehensive and trusted partnership.
nClouds offered an end-to-end service, handling everything from design and implementation to ongoing management and support. This allowed Finexio to focus on its core business while nClouds managed the intricacies of its AWS infrastructure. AWS’s seamless integration between its services ensured that all components of Finexio’s infrastructure worked together smoothly, streamlining development and deployment processes.
“I cannot recommend nClouds highly enough. Their technical expertise, commitment to excellence, and collaborative approach sets them apart from other companies in the space.”
Strategy and Solution
nClouds designed a multifaceted solution addressing Finexio’s key challenges:
Enhanced Security
Implemented automated security measures to improve Finexio’s security by barring malicious sources from infiltrating Finexio’s systems, including AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) and automated IAM user audits, significantly reducing vulnerabilities.
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- Container Security Improvements:
- Implemented read-only file system configurations for all ECS services
- Limited container access to only specifically defined mount points
- Disabled public IP assignments for ECS tasks, reducing attack surface
- Traffic Control and Protection:
- Implemented IP whitelisting on AWS WAF to restrict access to critical services
- Deployed specialized WAF rules to identify and block bot traffic
- Created layered defense approach to protect sensitive financial data
- Container Security Improvements:
Cost Optimization
Introduced automated workflows that reduced costs in lower environments when system usage was at its lowest, resulting in significant savings without sacrificing performance.
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- Implemented scheduled resource management for non-production environments
- Created specialized Lambda functions to automatically:
- Stop RDS and DocumentDB instances during weekends
- Suspend unused EC2 instances during off-hours
- Scale down ECS services during periods of low utilization
- Resume all services automatically on Monday mornings
Streamlined Deployment
Introduced automation to ensure rapid and reliable infrastructure deployment:
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- nClouds introduced a streamlined and automated process using AWS CodeSuite and GitHub triggers to speed up the implementation of AWS CDK stacks.
- nClouds developed an automated recovery system using AWS Lambda and CloudWatch events to monitor CircleCI pipelines.
Improved User Management
A custom solution was delivered to automatically create SSH users from Secrets Manager whenever new users were added or updated, streamlining user management tasks via SSM Automation Documents.
Enhanced Control and Agility
Additional pipeline features were introduced, enabling Finexio to dynamically enable or disable releases, providing it with greater control and flexibility over its software delivery processes, including implementing comprehensive Slack notifications for CircleCI pipelines, providing real-time alerts on deployment status.
CMMC Level 2 Compliance
CMMC readiness was achieved within the new 360 Advanced GovCloud accounts by creating IaC artifacts that configure various security requirements, including Access Control, Awareness and Training, Audit and Accountability, Configuration Management, and more. nClouds set up AWS Config conformance packs to scan and remediate environments for compliance.
Aberrant Deployment Workflow
nClouds aided with the creation and extension of CI/CD processes into GovCloud to support the Aberrant platform.
Aberrant Workload Migration
nClouds assisted with the modification and deployment of the Aberrant ECS workloads into GovCloud.
Results + Benefits
Teaming up with Finexio, nClouds enabled several key benefits through AWS that cut costs and sped up the company’s time to market.
Enhanced Security
The introduction of AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) and automated IAM user audits ensured a secured infrastructure, protecting against threats.
Increased Release Velocity
The implementation of flexible pipeline management empowered Finexio to dynamically enable or disable releases, granting it precise control over software delivery, and gaining a 100% Increase in Deployment Visibility for Production Environments.
- Before: No notification system in place, resulting in delayed awareness of deployment success or failure.
- After: Immediate team notifications for all deployment events, enabling faster response to issues.
Simplified Maintenance
Automation and custom solutions made infrastructure maintenance and updates easier, reducing operational overhead and enhancing system reliability, and providing a 20% Increase in deployment efficiency.
- Before: Failed workflows required manual identification and restart, creating operational delays
- After: Automated system detects failed workflows and triggers re-runs without human intervention, reducing downtime and operational overhead
Cost Savings
Achieved 5% cost reduction through automated workflows and intelligent resource management
- Before: Resources ran continuously regardless of usage patterns
- After: Resources aligned with actual business hours and usage requirements
Finexio’s collaboration with nClouds showcases the power of a strategic partnership to achieve robust security, operational efficiency, and faster time to market. By leveraging nClouds’ AWS expertise and proactive approach, Finexio successfully modernized its infrastructure and accelerated its growth. Contact nClouds to learn how we can help your organization achieve similar results.