Zen and AWS: Boosting the health of Qualsafe’s data in the cloud
- Sector = Training
- Use case = Modernisation
- Zen Product = DevOps Bench
Qualsafe
Qualsafe is a leading provider of qualifications in first aid, health and safety, food and more, serving businesses across the UK. Founded by first aid author and paramedic Nigel Barraclough, Qualsafe strives for quality and expertise in everything they do. To enhance staff productivity and business agility, they decided to adopt a cloud-first strategy with AWS as their preferred public cloud platform.
The challenge
As Jamie Beech, Qualsafe’ Head of IT Services and Delivery explains,“We wanted to move away from our traditional datacentre and embrace the cloud for its scalability, flexibility and cost- effectiveness. We knew AWS was the best choice for us, but we needed some guidance and support to make the transition smooth and successful.” While some workloads were already thriving on AWS, the majority of Qualsafe’s business operations were housed within their datacentre, where their team’s primary skills resided. To ensure that smooth transition to AWS, Qualsafe enlisted the help of Zen. In order to gain a full understanding of Qualsafe’s needs, the senior cloud engineers seamlessly integrated into their workflows, actively participating in all aspects of their scrum ceremonies. His role extended beyond task implementation, also providing valuable guidance and support to team members, empowering them to overcome any challenges that arised. In essence, Zen became an indispensable extension of the Qualsafe team, providing invaluable support throughout their journey.
The solution
In working to overcome a range of technical challenges, Zen provided a comprehensive set of solutions:
- Speedier product launches and streamlined development: Assistance and expert guidance were provided to help Qualsafe harness the full potential of Terraform and AWS. Zen swiftly and efficiently deployed Initial Terraform pipelines, to expedite product launches and ensure a streamlined development process.
- Improved collaboration: Zen conducted engaging demos and seamless implementation of Session Manager, optimising operational efficiency and enhancing team collaboration
- Enhanced data insights: Strategic recommendations were made for leveraging the powerful capabilities of Power BI Gateway, enabling Qualsafe to unlock valuable insights through advanced data analytics.
- Improved security: Service Control Policies (SCPs) were implemented, to fortify data security and compliance measures, safeguarding Qualsafe’s operations.
- Robust data protection: Through close consultation, Zen would support Qualsafe’s transition from Veeam to AWS Backup, ensuring reliability and resilience in data protection.
- Enhanced performance: Qualsafe’s Route53 Terraform configuration on AWS was refactored, enhancing system performance, reliability and scalability.
- Improved operational efficiency: Transit Gateway was successfully implemented, helping to bolster network connectivity and simplify management for improved operational efficiency.
The benefits
Zen has helped Qualsafe to maximise the benefits of AWS through a comprehensive Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) Assessment. Based on this assessment, Zen now possesses the necessary insights and inventory to initiate the full-scale migration of Qualsafe’s data centre. Qualsafe recognised that cloud adoption is not solely about migration but also modernisation. Together, Zen and Qualsafe will break down monolithic structures and transition towards a cutting- edge microservices architecture. Working collaboratively as a single team, Zen and Qualsafe are poised to unlock the full potential of the cloud and drive the business to new heights of success.
