Scaling and securing APIs on AWS for d-flo

Overview

d-flo, a leading provider of customer communication solutions for the travel industry, wanted to improve the security and scalability of its AWS infrastructure. To address these improvements, d-flo partnered with Lambert Labs to assist with these critical tasks. This collaboration involved a comprehensive review of d-flo’s network topology and an update of their database infrastructure, resulting in improved security, enhanced scalability, and a more robust foundation for their operations.

They are AWS experts that have added considerable value to our business.
Colin Brimson, Co-Founder / CEO, d-flo

Opportunity / Customer Challenge

d-flo, like many growing companies, faced the challenge of maintaining and optimizing its AWS infrastructure. Their existing systems, while functional, presented several areas for improvement.

Specifically, d-flo’s APIs were supported by databases on Amazon Relational Database Service. With the database versions becoming outdated, an upgrade was necessary. This presented an opportunity to modernize their database infrastructure by migrating from RDS to Amazon Aurora, a more scalable and feature-rich database service. The migration also offered the opportunity to enhance data security.

Beyond the database layer, d-flo also recognized that their network infrastructure could be improved to better segregate different products and environments. Overall, d-flo recognized the need to update their AWS infrastructure to address these challenges, improve security, enhance scalability, and establish a more robust foundation for future growth.

Solution

To address d-flo’s infrastructure challenges, Lambert Labs implemented a comprehensive solution focused on modernizing their AWS environment and enhancing its security, scalability, and reliability. This modernization began with a systematic updating of d-flo’s network topology. Two new Amazon Virtual Private Cloud VPCs were created to establish separate environments for production and staging, enabling more effective management and deployment.

Within these VPCs, a best-practice networking architecture was implemented. This new architecture included public and private subnets distributed across multiple Availability Zones to ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Strict security group rules were put in place to enforce the principle of least privilege and minimize potential security risks. Furthermore, the number of resources placed in public subnets was minimized to significantly reduce the attack surface and improve the overall security posture.

Following the establishment of this robust network foundation, d-flo’s API infrastructure was recreated within the newly established subnets, ensuring proper isolation and security. For the databases, a detailed plan was developed and executed to modernize from RDS to Aurora, involving upgrading database versions, ensuring compatibility and access to the latest features. The databases were also encrypted, enhancing data security and complying with best practices.

We have made significant strides in improving our AWS infrastructure since working with Lambert Labs. They are AWS experts that have added considerable value to our business and remain our go-to partner for ongoing support and future projects. (Colin Brimson, Co-Founder / CEO, d-flo)

Outcome

The modernization of d-flo’s AWS infrastructure delivered significant positive outcomes, primarily centered around addressing technical debt and establishing a more robust and reliable foundation for their business.

By implementing the new network topology and modernizing their databases, d-flo successfully cleared a significant amount of technical debt. They no longer need to be concerned about issues such as outdated database versions. The modernized infrastructure allows d-flo to operate with greater confidence and peace of mind.

Furthermore, the improvements enable d-flo to more easily meet industry-standard cloud infrastructure compliance requirements. This strengthened foundation allows d-flo’s business to focus on strategic initiatives and growth, rather than being burdened by concerns about infrastructure limitations, potential downtime, or compliance vulnerabilities.

Without a dedicated infrastructure team, AWS can be challenging to manage in-house. We were able to resolve the most critical issues and put cloud foundations in place for d-flo’s future growth. (George Lambert, Founder & CEO, Lambert Labs)

About d-flo

d-flo is a customer experience and automation platform provider specializing in the travel industry. They are a leading technology partner for major cruise lines and travel companies, enabling personalized and digitally transformed customer journeys. d-flo’s platform empowers travel brands to manage and automate complex customer interactions across various touchpoints, from booking and pre-departure engagement to on-board / in-destination experiences and post-travel communication. Their solutions enhance customer engagement, drive revenue, and improve operational efficiency for travel providers through data-driven personalization and automation.