Challenger

The client 

Founded in 1982, Challenger stands as Singapore’s premier consumer electronics chain, commanding a formidable presence with over 40 stores and a membership exceeding half a million. Despite this, Challenger found itself at a technological crossroads, grappling with intricate challenges that necessitated a strategic and comprehensive overhaul.

The challenges

Challenger faced problems stemming from a lack of communication and responsiveness from their previous managed hosting provider. The need for a partner who understood their evolving needs and provided proactive support became evident.

Challenger also needed a proactive security framework that could adapt to emerging challenges and safeguard customer data and operational integrity. The existing AWS infrastructure, marred by complexity and over-provisioning, demanded a strategic overhaul. Simplifying and optimising the infrastructure was critical for streamlined operations and resource efficiency.

The financial burden of high firewall costs prompted a reevaluation of the existing setup. A more cost-effective yet robust solution was sought out. The need for efficient resource allocation was identified as an area for improvement. Challenger required a solution to right-size resources and optimise costs without compromising performance.

They engaged with Just After Midnight due to our vast expertise with AWS solutions and our previous work with big brands like Fortytwo, Banyan Tree and Grab. 

The solution 

They engaged with Just After Midnight due to our vast expertise with AWS solutions and our previous work with big brands like Fortytwo, Banyan Tree and Grab. We created a 2 phase solution to solve all their problems. 

Phase 1 of our strategy involved meticulous cost optimisations. Transitioning from Imperva Web Application Firewall to Cloudflare was a strategic move that not only addressed security concerns but also yielded substantial monthly savings. The subsequent migration to Cloudflare not only proved to be a more economical solution but also ensured enhanced protection. 

The complexity of the existing infrastructure, compounded by legacy challenges, demanded a comprehensive overhaul. Our dedicated team addressed the inherited poorly designed legacy systems. Our team was not only tasked with optimising existing resources but also with creating a strategic roadmap for the organisation’s technological future.

Security emerged as a paramount focus in Phase 1 initiatives. The conversion of public subnets to private, provisioning of bastion servers, implementation of NAT gateways, and enforcing IAM access key rotation were pivotal steps. Additionally, upgrading EC2 instances, encrypting EBS volumes and RDS databases, and imposing restrictions on various aspects of the infrastructure underscored Challenger’s commitment to a robust security framework.

The roadmap for Challenger as part of Phase 2 includes Graviton instances for enhanced performance, transitioning to AWS infrastructure for scalability, and adopting a hybrid workload strategy showcasing a forward-looking approach. We will be utilising containerisation for its long-term scalability, performance, redundancy and cost-effectiveness.

Our team now supports Challenger’s AWS infrastructure and managed service 24/7 and offers specialist DevOps capabilities around the clock. Providing fast communication and responsiveness with an agreed 15-minute SLA and 2-hour resolve time, giving the Challenger the team the peace of mind they needed.

The results 

• The organisation has witnessed a remarkable enhancement in its security posture, fortified by the successful implementation of a comprehensive suite of security measures
• Transitioning from Imperva (Web Application Firewall) to Cloudflare was a strategic move that not only addressed security concerns but also yielded substantial monthly savings 
• Infrastructure modernisation efforts successfully tackled challenges posed by legacy systems, ushering in a more agile and resilient setup
• Improved availability of environment from infrastructure enhancements
• 24/7 managed service with proactive monitoring and support gives the Challenger team peace of mind