Case Study: Secured Landing Zone Implementation for a Financial Services Firm

Client Background:

Atsky collaborated with a leading financial services firm that was expanding its operations to the cloud. The firm managed a significant amount of sensitive financial data and required a secure, compliant, and scalable infrastructure. However, they faced a critical dilemma in choosing the right cloud platform to integrate seamlessly with their existing on-premises infrastructure, while also managing the complexities of shared services across different departments and business units.

Challenges:

• Cloud Platform Selection: The firm struggled with choosing the right cloud platform that could meet their security, compliance, and performance needs while integrating smoothly with their existing on-prem infrastructure.

• Initial Design Considerations: The firm required a robust architecture that supported both cloud and on-prem environments, ensuring data integrity, seamless connectivity, and compliance with financial regulations.

• Shared Services Complexity: The firm needed to manage shared services like identity management, logging, monitoring, and network security across multiple departments and business units, ensuring that these services were centrally managed and consistently applied across the entire infrastructure.

• Connectivity and Network Compatibility: Establishing a secure, reliable connection between the on-premises data center and the cloud was crucial. Ensuring network compatibility and optimizing performance for hybrid workloads were key concerns.

• Security and Compliance: Given the sensitive nature of financial data, the firm needed to ensure that the selected cloud platform could meet stringent security standards and regulatory compliance requirements.

Atsky’s Solution:

Atsky provided a comprehensive solution to address the firm’s challenges, guiding them through the process of cloud platform selection, designing the infrastructure, and implementing a Secured Landing Zone that ensured secure, scalable, and compliant operations while efficiently managing shared services.

Key Elements of the Solution:

• Cloud Platform Selection and Initial Design:

  • Implementation: Atsky conducted a thorough analysis of the firm’s existing on-prem infrastructure, business requirements, and regulatory obligations. We compared the capabilities of leading cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and recommended AWS for its robust security features, compliance certifications, and seamless hybrid cloud integration capabilities.

  • Outcome: The firm selected AWS as their cloud platform, confident in its ability to meet their stringent requirements. This decision set the foundation for a secure and scalable cloud environment.

• Architecting the Secured Landing Zone:

  • Implementation: Atsky designed a Secured Landing Zone on AWS that integrated seamlessly with the firm’s on-prem infrastructure. The architecture included a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) with subnets and security groups tailored for hybrid cloud operations. We also implemented AWS Direct Connect to establish a dedicated, low-latency connection between the on-prem data center and AWS.

  • Outcome: The Secured Landing Zone provided a robust and scalable infrastructure, ensuring seamless data flow between the on-prem and cloud environments. This enabled the firm to leverage cloud services while maintaining control over their on-prem infrastructure.

• Managing Shared Services Across the Environment:

  • Implementation: Atsky implemented a centralized management approach for shared services such as Identity and Access Management (IAM), logging, monitoring, and network security. We designed these shared services to be centrally managed within the Landing Zone, ensuring consistency across all departments and business units. This included setting up AWS Organizations and AWS Control Tower to enforce policies and standards across multiple accounts.

  • Outcome: The centralized management of shared services ensured uniform security policies and governance across the entire cloud and on-prem environment, reducing the complexity of managing multiple business units and improving overall operational efficiency.

• Ensuring Network Compatibility and Security:

  • Implementation: We configured network settings to ensure compatibility between the on-prem and cloud environments, including IP addressing, routing, and firewall rules. Advanced security measures, such as encryption for data in transit and at rest, were implemented to protect sensitive financial data. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) policies were enforced to control access to critical resources.

  • Outcome: The firm achieved a 45% reduction in network latency and a 50% improvement in data transfer speeds between their on-prem and cloud environments, ensuring optimal performance for hybrid workloads. Enhanced security controls reduced potential vulnerabilities and strengthened the firm’s overall security posture.

• Compliance and Governance:

  • Implementation: Atsky integrated AWS Config and AWS Security Hub to automate compliance monitoring and ensure that the firm’s operations adhered to regulations such as PCI-DSS, GDPR, and SOX. Continuous monitoring and real-time alerts were set up to promptly address any compliance issues.

  • Outcome: The firm achieved 100% compliance with relevant financial regulations, reducing the risk of penalties and enhancing their reputation as a trusted financial services provider.

Results and Metrics:

• Improved Security Posture: The implementation of advanced security controls, centralised shared services, and dedicated connectivity resulted in a 60% reduction in potential security incidents.

• Compliance Adherence: Automated compliance monitoring ensured continuous adherence to PCI-DSS, GDPR, and SOX, with no reported violations post-implementation.

• Cost Savings: The optimised use of cloud resources, centralized management of shared services, and seamless integration with on-prem infrastructure resulted in a 25% reduction in operational costs, contributing to a more efficient and cost-effective infrastructure.

• Enhanced Performance: The dedicated AWS Direct Connect link improved data transfer speeds by 50%, ensuring seamless operations between the on-prem and cloud environments, while the management of shared services enhanced overall operational efficiency.

Conclusion:

Atsky’s expertise in cloud architecture, security, and shared services management enabled the financial services firm to successfully navigate their cloud adoption journey. By selecting the right cloud platform, designing a robust Secured Landing Zone, and ensuring seamless integration with their on-prem infrastructure, we provided the firm with a secure, compliant, and scalable foundation for future growth.

Connect with us today to learn how Atsky can help you secure and optimize your cloud infrastructure, driving both performance and compliance in your organization.