Initial Challenge
A prominent player in the utility sector faced a critical need for additional support to enhance the efficiency of their Core DevOps team. The challenge encompassed scaling their capabilities to meet key strategic objectives, including implementing new infrastructure and optimizing continuous integration and deployment processes. Two core areas required assistance: advancing their internal Centers of Practice (COP) goals and supporting the foundational infrastructure for upcoming projects.
Our Approach
ITGix collaborated closely with the client’s Core DevOps team to deliver a comprehensive solution aimed at achieving their COP objectives and establishing robust infrastructure for new initiatives. Our expert team provided focused support across several domains.
Infrastructure Development for a New CMS:
- Designed and deployed the initial infrastructure to support the client’s new Content Management System (CMS)
- Successfully implemented the first “Golden Template” for their CDK pipeline to standardize and streamline deployment processes
Enhanced Email Distribution Functionality:
- Architected and deployed the infrastructure for a new email distribution system
- Integrated the Golden Template CI/CD pipeline to ensure seamless operations and maintain consistency across deployments
SonarQube Integration Across Repositories:
- Integrated SonarQube into all existing repositories as part of the COP objectives
Tenant Services and Custom Templates:
- Built the foundational infrastructure for tenant services with full CI/CD integration
- Designed custom templates tailored to meet the specific requirements of the CDK bootstrap, ensuring scalability and reusability
Security and Customization:
- Established GitLab security policies to enhance repository protection
- Introduced CDK custom constructs, thoroughly tested and refined to align with operational needs and best practices
Developer Portal Integration and Support
- Facilitated the seamless integration of internal systems and components with the Developer Portal application
- Provided continuous support for production releases, resolving critical issues, particularly those related to CDK, to ensure uninterrupted operations
Achievements
Our collaboration with the client led to significant achievements that enhanced their DevOps capabilities and streamlined their operations:
- Delivered the foundational infrastructure for critical new functionalities, enabling efficient project rollouts
- Standardized CI/CD pipelines with the Golden Template, improving deployment consistency and efficiency
- Integrated SonarQube across all repositories, elevating code quality and aligning with COP goals
- Created scalable, reusable custom templates tailored to specific operational requirements
- Strengthened security protocols and optimized the customization of infrastructure components
- Successfully supported production releases, minimizing downtime and ensuring smooth operational transitions
Tech Stack Highlights
The project leveraged industry-leading tools and technologies:
- AWS: Cloud infrastructure and services
- AWS CDK: Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for pipeline design and deployment
- CloudFormation: Streamlined management of AWS resources
- GitLab: CI/CD and repository security management
- SonarQube: Continuous code quality and security analysis
- Backstage: Integrated developer portal for seamless system management
Conclusion
By partnering with ITGix, the client successfully scaled their DevOps operations, achieved key COP objectives, and laid a solid foundation for future innovation. Our strategic approach empowered their team with enhanced infrastructure, standardized pipelines, and optimized security, ensuring a seamless path toward their operational goals. This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering tailored solutions.