Cloud Consultancy by SUDO Consultants
About Customer NEXUM Nexum stands at the forefront of innovation in the Maritime FinTech sector. As a pioneering platform, it introduces a unique utility token specifically designed to revolutionize financial transactions in the Shipping and Oil Industries. This innovative approach aims to ‘Unbank’ these sectors, providing a more streamlined and accessible financial model. The Nexum […]
Client:
NEXUM
Date:
10/09/2022
Website:
nexum.ai
Category:
Cloud Consultancy
Managed Services
About Customer
NEXUM
Nexum stands at the forefront of innovation in the Maritime FinTech sector. As a pioneering platform, it introduces a unique utility token specifically designed to revolutionize financial transactions in the Shipping and Oil Industries. This innovative approach aims to ‘Unbank’ these sectors, providing a more streamlined and accessible financial model.
The Nexum platform is meticulously engineered to ensure top-notch security and efficiency. It serves as a vital bridge, connecting service providers and traders in the shipping industry with much-needed funding. By leveraging advanced technology, Nexum simplifies and secures financial interactions, thereby fostering a more fluid and resilient economic ecosystem within these traditionally complex industries.
This transformative platform is not just a financial tool but a catalyst for change, aiming to redefine how funding and transactions are managed in the maritime and oil sectors. Nexum’s commitment to innovation, security, and efficiency positions it as a leader in its field and a key player in reshaping the financial landscape of these global industries.
Deliver the right solutions on the leading cloud platform
Cloud Consultancy by SUDO Consultants
As an esteemed AWS Partner, SUDO Consultants leveraged their extensive cloud expertise to transform Nexum’s digital infrastructure. This comprehensive overhaul was not just a technological upgrade but a strategic reimagining of Nexum’s operational framework.
SUDO Consultants approach was multifaceted: initiated the transformation by implementing modern architectural solutions, which were essential in elevating Nexum’s system to a new level of efficiency and scalability. A key component of this modernization was the introduction of robust security measures, ensuring that Nexum’s sensitive financial operations remained impervious to threats while maintaining compliance with industry standards.
The introduction of automated scaling solutions marked another significant enhancement. This capability ensured that Nexum’s infrastructure could dynamically adjust to varying workloads, guaranteeing optimal performance without unnecessary resource expenditure.
At the heart of this transformation were microservices architecture, which brought agility, scalability, and resilience to Nexum’s operations. SUDO Consultants skillfully utilized AWS services, such as Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) and AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF), to orchestrate and protect these microservices. This strategic integration of services resulted in a substantial uplift in service delivery, data security, and overall operational efficiency for Nexum.
SUDO Consultants commitment to excellence and their adept use of AWS technologies have not only revitalized Nexum’s infrastructure but also positioned them as a vanguard in the Maritime FinTech space.
Customer Challenge
Prior to SUDO Consultants’ intervention, Nexum’s digital infrastructure was primarily confined to a single server EC2 instance on AWS. This setup, while functional, presented several significant challenges that hindered Nexum’s potential to fully thrive in the dynamic Maritime FinTech sector.
- Limited Scalability and Flexibility: The consolidation of both frontend and backend operations on a single EC2 instance led to significant scalability challenges. As Nexum’s user base and transaction volume grew, this monolithic setup struggled to adapt dynamically to increased loads, impacting performance and user experience.
- Complex Microservices Management: The backend, hosting critical services such as the Wallet Service, Payment Dispatcher Service, and Security Service, became increasingly complex to manage. Each microservice, while integral to operations, contributed to the complexity of the system. This complexity was compounded by the limitations of the single-server model, making efficient management and updates a challenging endeavor.
- Security Risks: Operating both frontend and backend services on a single server posed substantial security risks. In the FinTech domain, where security is paramount, this architecture left the system more vulnerable to attacks and breaches, risking data integrity and user trust.
- Inefficient Resource Utilization: The single EC2 instance setup led to suboptimal resource utilization. During periods of low demand, resources were underutilized, while peak times could result in overloading, leading to decreased reliability and performance issues.
- Absence of Disaster Recovery and High Availability Strategies: The reliance on a single server meant that Nexum lacked a robust disaster recovery plan. In the event of a server failure or other catastrophic incidents, the potential for data loss and extended downtime was significant.
These challenges, inherent in the single-server infrastructure, not only limited Nexum’s operational efficiency but also posed risks to scalability, security, and reliability – all crucial factors in the competitive FinTech landscape.
SUDO Solution
SUDO Consultants embarked on a strategic modernization journey for Nexum, addressing the core challenges through a series of innovative and forward-thinking solutions.
- Containerization and Migration to ECS Cluster: The first step was the containerization of Nexum’s services. By adopting Docker, a leading containerization technology, SUDO Consultants encapsulated each of Nexum’s microservices, including the Wallet Service, Payment Dispatcher Service, and security service, into separate, scalable, and easily manageable containers. These containerized services were then migrated to the Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) cluster. This move not only streamlined deployment but also significantly enhanced the scalability and reliability of the services.
- Frontend and Backend Separation: Recognizing the need for heightened security and performance, the frontend was separated from the backend and also containerized. It was then deployed on the ECS cluster. This separation was critical in implementing end-to-end SSL encryption, ensuring that all data, whether at rest or in transit, was securely encrypted, thereby fortifying Nexum’s data integrity and customer trust.
- Enhanced Security Measures: To further bolster Nexum’s security posture, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and additional firewall layers were implemented. These measures provided an additional shield against potential cyber threats, ensuring comprehensive protection for the platform’s infrastructure.
- DevOps Pipeline Implementation: To facilitate a more efficient and agile development process, SUDO Consultants deployed a DevOps pipeline. This pipeline allowed Nexum’s developers to test and deploy code more rapidly and reliably, enhancing overall productivity and accelerating the delivery of new features and updates.
- Creation of Dual Environment Setup: Addressing the critical need for separate development and production environments, SUDO Consultants established two distinct environments for Nexum. This separation marked a significant improvement from the previous setup, where both environments were confined to a single EC2 server. The new dual environment system not only streamlined the development process but also reduced the risks associated with testing and deployment, ensuring a more robust and stable operational framework.
Through these comprehensive solutions, SUDO Consultants successfully modernized Nexum’s infrastructure, aligning it with the best practices of cloud architecture and setting a new standard for efficiency, security, and scalability in the Maritime FinTech sector.
AWS Services Ecosystem
- AWS ECR
- AWS Fargate
- Amazon Route53
- AWS WAF
- AWS IAM
- Amazon KMS
- Amazon VPC
- AWS CloudFormation
- AWS CodePipeline & AWS CodeBuild
- AWS ELB
- Amazon CloudWatch
- AWS Backup
- AWS Certificate Manager
SUDO Solution Architecture Diagram
Backend Architecture
Results & Benefits
The strategic modernization of Nexum’s infrastructure by SUDO Consultants yielded significant results and benefits, marking a new era of operational excellence and technological advancement for the Maritime FinTech leader.
- Enhanced Performance and Scalability: The shift to a containerized architecture with Amazon ECS and AWS Fargate brought about a remarkable improvement in system performance. Nexum’s applications now enjoy seamless scalability, capable of adapting to fluctuating demands without compromising on speed or reliability. This scalability ensures that Nexum can efficiently handle increased transaction volumes as their user base grows.
- Robust Security and Compliance: With the implementation of AWS WAF, firewalls, and end-to-end encryption, Nexum’s platform now boasts a fortified security posture. These measures significantly mitigate the risk of cyber threats and data breaches, a critical advantage in the sensitive field of FinTech. Compliance with industry security standards has been notably enhanced, reinforcing customer trust and market reputation.
- Operational Efficiency and Reduced Overheads: The separation of frontend and backend services and the adoption of microservices architecture have streamlined Nexum’s operations. This modern setup has led to more efficient resource utilization, reducing operational costs and minimizing waste.
- Improved Development and Deployment Cycle: The introduction of a DevOps pipeline, including AWS CodePipeline and AWS CodeBuild, revolutionized Nexum’s software development process. Developers now benefit from faster, more reliable build and deployment cycles, accelerating the time-to-market for new features and updates.
- Disaster Recovery and High Availability: The establishment of dual environments and the use of AWS Backup have significantly enhanced Nexum’s disaster recovery capabilities. High availability is now a cornerstone of their infrastructure, ensuring business continuity and data integrity in the face of potential disruptions.
- Customer Satisfaction and Market Competitiveness: The culmination of these improvements has translated into higher customer satisfaction rates. Nexum’s enhanced platform performance, security, and reliability have positioned the company as a more competitive player in the Maritime FinTech sector.
In summary, the partnership with SUDO Consultants has propelled Nexum into a new phase of technological sophistication and business resilience. The modernized infrastructure not only aligns with current industry best practices but also sets the stage for future innovation and growth.
