Modernization of the accounting system using AWS cloud for Data Rabbit
About the Client
Data Rabbit is an expert in data analytics and artificial intelligence. The company specializes in transforming data into actionable insights that support business decision-making. Through its innovative solutions, Data Rabbit helps clients improve operational efficiency and gain a competitive edge.
The challenge
Data Rabbit faced the challenge of modernizing and migrating its accounting system, which supported the company’s operations and data analysis. This system was essential for the daily functioning of the organization, and its reliability and performance had a direct impact on the efficiency of business processes.
The challenges encountered during the execution of this project included:
-
Outdated On-Premises Infrastructure
The initial infrastructure on which the system operated was based on traditional on-premises solutions. This approach involved risks of failures, difficulties in scaling resources, and high hardware maintenance costs. Moreover, the constant need to upgrade these resources created unnecessary burdens for the IT teams. -
Limited Scalability
As the company grew, so did its needs for handling data and transactions, and the existing system became increasingly inflexible. The inability to easily adjust resources to the changing demand for computational power and storage space posed a challenge in planning for future growth. -
Low Availability and Reliability of the Application
Although the application was used daily, it was not sufficiently optimized for high availability. Downtime caused by system failures or infrastructure issues could lead to delays in processing accounting operations and negatively impact the quality of analyses. -
Data Security
Managing financial data required ensuring a high level of protection. Maintaining on-premises infrastructure in this context posed additional risks regarding the security of stored data, which required constant attention and investment in protection against external threats.
Main project objectives
The main objectives of the project were:
- Migrating the system from on-premises infrastructure to the AWS cloud platform,
- Increasing the availability and reliability of the system,
- Ensuring better scalability in the context of the company’s future growth,
- Streamlining deployment processes and the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).
The system prior to modernization consisted of:
- Backend services written in Python,
- A web frontend supported by Nginx.
- Docker containers for application management,
- A PostgreSQL database for data management.
Our Solution
To address the challenges associated with outdated infrastructure and the need for improved availability, scalability, and reliability of the accounting system, we proposed migrating the system to the AWS cloud. This allowed us to implement several key actions that significantly enhanced the functionality and performance of the application.
-
Migration to AWS Cloud
The first step was migrating the accounting system from on-premises infrastructure to the AWS cloud platform. This migration provided the company with flexibility and the ability to easily adjust resources according to changing needs. AWS cloud offered greater reliability, easier scalability, and improved data protection, which were critical for maintaining high application availability. -
CI/CD process optimization
Another key action was optimizing the application lifecycle (SDLC) by implementing automated CI/CD pipelines. This made deployment processes faster, more organized, and less prone to human error. Expanding and automating these processes enabled quicker rollouts of new features and easier updates to the application. -
Containerization and application management
The accounting system had previously been containerized using Docker technology, which made its migration to the cloud simpler and more efficient. Docker allows the application to run in isolated environments, providing greater flexibility and control over application management. Additionally, containerization accelerates development processes, simplifies testing, and enables easier scaling of the application based on load. -
Database optimization
The next step was optimizing data management within the accounting system. Data Rabbit updated the configuration of the PostgreSQL database to better handle the growing volume of data and ensure faster access to information. The database was also configured for higher availability, minimizing the risk of data loss and ensuring better operational performance.
Benefits for the Client
Thanks to the migration of the accounting system to the AWS platform, Data Rabbit gained a range of benefits that had a direct impact on its daily operations and future growth. The key benefits include:
- Increased Availability and Reliability of the System
Migrating to the AWS cloud ensured high availability of the accounting system, minimizing the risk of failures and downtime. AWS, with its architecture, offers built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms that ensure continuous operation of the application, which is crucial for systems supporting accounting operations. The high availability of the system also meant no downtime in daily business processes, fostering greater trust in the stability of the entire organization. - Scalability and Flexibility of Resources
Thanks to the migration to AWS, Data Rabbit gained the ability to easily scale resources according to changing needs. As the company grows and the demand for computing power and storage space increases, the system can be flexibly adjusted to meet new requirements without the need for investing in costly on-premises infrastructure. This allowed the company to save time and resources while also reacting faster to changing market conditions. - Optimized Development Processes (CI/CD)
Automation of Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) processes directly impacted the efficiency of development teams. By reducing the time needed to deploy new features and fixes, the company was able to deliver business value more quickly. Automated testing and flawless deployments reduced the risk of introducing errors and made system updates easier to manage. - Reduced Operational Costs
Moving to the cloud allowed the company to lower costs associated with maintaining IT infrastructure. Previously, the need to purchase, maintain, and upgrade on-premises hardware came with significant expenses. With AWS, the company only pays for the resources it actually uses, which helped optimize operational costs and enabled more precise expense planning. - Better Data Security
Securing accounting and financial data is crucial for any organization. With the migration to AWS, Data Rabbit benefited from advanced data protection solutions, such as encryption, real-time monitoring, and multi-level authentication. These measures gave the company confidence that its data was secure and protected from external threats. - Better Handling of Growing Numbers of Users and Data
The system modernization allowed for improved handling of a growing number of users and data. With enhanced scalability, the company can now manage larger volumes of data and transactions without worrying about performance degradation. This has enabled the company to grow smoothly and maintain high service quality, even with the increasing number of operations. - Faster Response to Market Changes
Thanks to the flexibility of the cloud and optimized development processes, Data Rabbit is now able to respond more quickly to changing market demands. Faster deployment of new features and fixes allows for better alignment of the system with customer requirements and facilitates faster innovation within the organization.
Tools and services used
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
AWS was the core cloud platform on which the modern accounting system was built.
AWS Services Used:
- Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service) and Amazon Load Balancer: ECS allows for the management of application containers, enabling their easy deployment, scaling, and management in the cloud. Combined with Amazon Load Balancer, which evenly distributes traffic among the containers, this ensures high availability and performance of the application. The Load Balancer monitors the health of ECS containers, directing traffic only to those that are active and healthy, optimizing the overall system’s performance and reliability.
- Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service): Used to host the PostgreSQL database in the cloud. RDS allowed for easy database management, automatic backups, and ensured high availability.
- Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service): S3 was used for secure and scalable data storage, offering easy access and backup capabilities.
- Amazon CloudWatch: Used for monitoring the performance of the application and cloud infrastructure, enabling real-time tracking of system status and prompt response to any issues.
- Amazon CloudFront: Used as a global content delivery network (CDN) to accelerate application loading times and ensure low latency in data access.
- Docker
Containerization of the application using Docker technology enabled easy environment management.
The accounting application was packaged into containers, allowing for seamless deployment in the AWS cloud. This approach also facilitated scalability and simplified the management of both production and testing environments.
- PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL was used as the relational database management system in the project. Due to its reliability and advanced features, PostgreSQL is an ideal solution for handling financial data, which must be stored securely and efficiently.
- Terraform
Terraform was used for infrastructure management as code (IaC). With Terraform, the entire AWS cloud infrastructure was defined as code, enabling easy resource management, automation of deployments, and tight control over the production environment.
