Background

JobTarget, a leading job recruitment and hiring platform, faced a critical challenge – they needed to evacuate their on-premises datacenter swiftly while minimizing disruptions to their operations, including their mission-critical Microsoft SQL Server database. Additionally, they aimed to keep costs optimized, ensure their staff was adequately trained to maintain the migrated environment, and implement robust cloud governance practices. The need for stronger governance and compliance capabilities was a significant driving factor in JobTarget's decision to move to AWS.

Challenges

• ·Rapid Datacenter Evacuation: JobTarget required a swift and efficient evacuation from their existing datacenter to ensure business continuity and avoid potential downtime. They had more than 200 servers.

• Minimizing Operational Disruptions: The migration process had to be executed with minimal impact on JobTarget's daily operations, particularly their core SQL Server database, which was the backbone of their platform.

• Cost Optimization: While migrating to the cloud, JobTarget needed to optimize costs associated with the move, ensuring a cost-effective transition without compromising on performance or reliability.

• Staff Training: JobTarget's engineering team needed comprehensive training to maintain and manage the migrated environment effectively post-migration.

• Governance and Compliance: JobTarget required a robust governance framework to ensure compliance, security, and efficient management of their cloud resources post-migration.

Solution - A Collaborative Approach

Recognizing the complexity of the situation, JobTarget partnered with their AWS account team and BUILDSTR to execute a seamless datacenter evacuation while implementing strong governance practices.

1. Business Case Development and Cost Review

• In collaboration with their AWS account team, BUILDSTR assisted JobTarget in developing a robust business case for the migration, considering factors such as Reserved Instances (RIs), Savings Plans, and network optimization.

• The AWS account team provided valuable insights and recommendations on cost optimization strategies, ensuring a cost-effective transition to the AWS cloud.

2. Governance Framework Implementation

• BUILDSTR implemented a comprehensive governance framework aligned with AWS best practices and leveraging AWS-native tooling.

• This included setting up AWS Organizations for multi-account management, implementing AWS Control Tower for account governance, and deploying AWS Config for continuous monitoring and assessment of the AWS resource configurations.

3. Minimizing Disruptions with AWS Site-to-Site VPN

• To minimize interruptions during the migration, BUILDSTR and the AWS account team implemented an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between JobTarget's on-premises datacenter and the AWS environment.

• This secure and low-latency connection allowed JobTarget to maintain operational continuity by seamlessly routing traffic between their on-premises and cloud environments during the transition phase.

4. SQL Server Database Migration with Minimal Downtime

• BUILDSTR developed a comprehensive strategy to migrate JobTarget's mission-critical SQL Server database to AWS with minimal downtime.

• Leveraging AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) and other AWS services, BUILDSTR performed an initial full load of the database to the AWS environment, followed by continuous data replication.

5. Meticulous Planning and Communication

• BUILDSTR prepared a detailed migration plan, outlining the steps and timelines for a smooth transition.

• Regular weekly status updates were provided to JobTarget and the AWS account team, ensuring transparent communication and alignment throughout the project.

6. Implementing Governance Controls

• BUILDSTR implemented AWS Organizations Service Control Policies (SCPs) to enforce governance at scale across JobTarget's AWS accounts.

• AWS IAM policies were configured to ensure least-privilege access, and AWS CloudTrail was set up for comprehensive auditing of all API calls.

• BUILDSTR implemented a tagging strategy using AWS Tag Policies to support cost allocation, access control, and resource management.

  
  

7. Operational Streamlining and Knowledge Transfer

• BUILDSTR streamlined JobTarget's operations by leveraging CloudFormation and other Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, enabling efficient management and scalability.

• Comprehensive runbooks and documentation were provided for the new services implemented, ensuring smooth ongoing operations.

Results

Through the partnership with BUILDSTR and the AWS account team, JobTarget achieved a successful datacenter evacuation while addressing their key challenges and implementing robust governance practices:

• Rapid and Seamless Migration: The datacenter evacuation was completed swiftly, minimizing disruptions to JobTarget's operations and ensuring business continuity.

• Operational Continuity: The migration process had minimal impact on JobTarget's daily operations, including their critical SQL Server database.

• Cost Optimization: By leveraging Reserved Instances, Savings Plans, and network optimization, JobTarget achieved a cost-effective migration while greatly enhancing performance and reliability.

• Empowered Engineering Team: JobTarget's engineering team received comprehensive training and hands-on experience during the migration process.

• Improved Performance: JobTarget experienced significant improvements in application responsiveness, database query times, and overall system performance.

• Robust Governance Framework: The implementation of AWS Organizations, Control Tower, and Config ensured that JobTarget's cloud environment adhered to best practices in governance, risk management, and compliance.

• Enhanced Security Posture: Implementation of IAM policies, SCPs, and CloudTrail significantly improved JobTarget's security posture in the cloud.

• Efficient Resource Management: The tagging strategy enabled by AWS Tag Policies allowed for better cost governance and allocation, access control, and overall resource management.

Additionally, with the guidance of the AWS account team, BUILDSTR provided valuable insights and recommendations for further improvements:

1. AWS Security Posture Review: The AWS account team recommended leveraging AWS Security Posture Review to assess and enhance JobTarget's security posture in the cloud.

2. AWS SCRAM: The AWS account team suggested exploring AWS Simulated Conditions Response and Management (SCRaM) to strengthen JobTarget's security incident response capabilities.

By implementing these recommendations, JobTarget achieved additional value:

• Reduced IAM footprint: JobTarget streamlined their Identity and Access Management (IAM) configurations, enhancing security and reducing potential attack surfaces.

• Improved Root Account Visibility: Greater visibility into root account access was established, enabling better monitoring and control over privileged accounts.

• Strengthened Authentication: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with hardware tokens was implemented, adding an extra layer of security for critical system access.

Overall, the collaboration between JobTarget, BUILDSTR, and the AWS account team resulted in a successful datacenter evacuation, operational continuity, cost optimization, and a well-governed cloud environment. BUILDSTR ensured that JobTarget not only migrated successfully but also established a solid foundation for ongoing cloud operations and management.