Building a cutting-edge Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solution for forward-thinking business, Network Digital Marketing

Network Digital Marketing is the largest and longest running provider of free discounts to key workers across the UK, with their mission being to help members make their money go further.  Network operate four dedicated key worker schemes, covering healthcare, education, charity and carers.  Through these, they deliver discounts on popular brands, helping their partners access a broader range of customers through more than 2 million registered members across the schemes.

As a digital-first business, Network needs a robust, reliable, flexible and secure IT infrastructure to support key functions and facilitate operations around the clock.

When Network Digital Marketing first approached BCN, NDM already had Microsoft Azure up and running. Having lifted and shifted their on-premises infrastructure they knew they weren’t using the Azure environment to its full potential – consequently, this meant they were paying more than they needed to in a pay-as-you-go subscription model. BCN’s Microsoft technicians began planning and designing immediately, tailoring the environment to Network’s specifications before gradually re-platforming to move away from IaaS and towards a Platform-as-a-Service model.

Once the Azure environment had been designed and optimised, our architects were able to shift their focus to the Network Marketing’s infrastructure, and we developed a cutting-edge Infrastructure as Code solution. This code version of the configuration repository gave the business the Disaster Recovery improvements they sought, with a reliable infrastructure solution they can deploy within a matter of hours, wherever they need it.

Network Digital Marketing were facing several challenges with their IT infrastructure when they approached BCN for support.

Optimising Azure

Chief among their challenges was the need to optimise their Azure environment, which they had migrated to in a basic ‘lift and shift’ manner. Having initially chosen a ‘pay as you go’ model for their cloud adoption, Network had come to realise they weren’t getting the most out of the environment for the price they were paying. There were features they weren’t using, capabilities they weren’t tapping into, and they wanted to enhance reliability and redundancy across the environment while minimising the overall administrative costs associated with the IaaS model.

RTO/RPO

Network identified a critical need to enhance their Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO). With periods like Black Friday seeing their traffic increase rapidly to almost three times its usual, Network knew they needed to manage this risk and take steps to ensure their network could scale seamlessly to meet demand, but deploying a second Azure Site Recovery solution to a secondary region would have doubled the DR costs. Downtime during these crucial retail periods could translate directly to lost revenue and damaged reputation for the NDM and its clients, and they needed to identify a fast, cost-effective solution to mitigate potential disruptions.

Target state roadmap

Network also wanted a clear roadmap for the longer term and a target state architecture they could work towards. BCN was able to help the NDM design the best architecture for their needs, and then help plot a roadmap to meet it.

To address these challenges, BCN worked with Network’s IT team to devise a multifaceted programme of work that included Azure re-platforming, enhancing backup and disaster recovery capabilities, and implementing a cutting-edge Infrastructure as Code solution, all with an eye on optimising costs and the IT environment.

From IaaS to PaaS

Central to BCN’s involvement was the transition from Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) to Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) within the Azure environment. This re-platforming element of the project was not only key to optimising Network Digital Marketing’s infrastructure and costs, it was crucial in facilitating the adoption of the PaaS offerings and features we knew could streamline operations, enhance scalability and resilience, and improve resource utilisation. By re-platforming Azure in this way, BCN has ensured NDM can offload any platform management responsibilities it chooses, allowing them to focus their time and resources on core business activities while benefitting from enhanced performance and efficiency.

Disaster Recovery using IaC

Alongside this Azure re-platforming, BCN’s team assessed and implemented robust backup and DR mechanisms, ensuring the integrity of Network Digital Marketing’s data stores while safeguarding all business-critical applications and shoring up their business continuity plans. Network recognised the need to minimise RTO and RPO, and this was one of the driving objectives behind BCN’s engagement. Our technical teams knew most infrastructure deployments could take days or even weeks to get right, and this wasn’t quick enough for a busy business at crucial peaks in demand. With this in mind, our team of developers worked to design a cutting-edge Infrastructure as Code solution that can see the entire organisation’s infrastructure deployed to multiple locations, with no variations, in just a couple of hours. This was also integrated into their existing WAF solution allowing for quicker failover between regions if needed.

To achieve this, we worked closely with Network’s in-house development team to design infrastructure configurations that suited the NDM’s application requirements. By developing a configuration repository and adopting a controlled release approach similar to a software deployment, BCN has empowered Network to leverage their infrastructure as a failsafe backup and quick-to-deploy disaster recovery solution.

By standardising the deployment process and enabling version control, IaC has eliminated the potential for human error, ensuring the business can respond swiftly to evolving business needs while bolstering security, enhancing efficiency and ensuring consistent quality standards and regulatory compliance across environments.

Network Digital Marketing’s engagement with BCN has had a transformative impact on their IT, delivering a new level of efficiency, scalability and resilience across their environment.

Optimisation

By embracing cutting-edge technologies and best practices, the business is better able to navigate the peaks and dips of their digital landscape with confidence, while ensuring they are always getting the most from an optimised environment and their IT spending.

Ownership and flexibility

The strategic shift to Azure PaaS and Infrastructure as Code has enabled the NDM to adapt swiftly to changing business requirements while giving Network’s in-house developers increased ownership of the infrastructure, with the flexibility to innovate without constraints. For a forward-thinking business that prioritises investment in cutting-edge technologies, BCN’s solution has laid a tangible foundation for Network’s future growth and innovation.

Cost savings

Following the initial upfront investment, the newly optimised environment has already led to cost savings, with more significant savings projected in the coming years to underline the long-term financial benefits of futureproofed tech solutions.

Enhanced security and resilience

From a security perspective, Network Digital Marketing has seen huge enhancements, with an improved security posture fortifying the NDM’s defences against evolving cyber threats. What’s more, with RTO and RPO both massively reduced through the speed of IaC deployment – from around two weeks using ClickOps down to less than three hours – BCN has been able to ensure the NDM suffers minimal business disruption in the event of an incident.

Overall, Network Digital Marketing’s forward-thinking approach to IT ensured BCN could deliver not only the best technology, but a host of tangible benefits to the business. With innovation as a guiding principle, BCN’s holistic approach means Network is seeing enhanced flexibility, scalability, security and cost savings across an IT environment that’s built for the future.