AtoZ & Avaa.io in collaboration

Avaa Solutions' services operate in the Google Cloud environment, and the customer was considering outsourcing server maintenance tasks to a partner while focusing their own resources on product development. After an initial discussion and an overview of the system, we jointly concluded that simply outsourcing server maintenance would not achieve the desired outcome. It is crucial to understand how the system is implemented, its architecture, potential threat scenarios, and what the overall maintenance of the system requires. To gain a comprehensive understanding, we proposed that Avaa Solutions Oy first carry out a thorough server environment audit, Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) reporting, and recommendations for improving the server environment.

We decided to approach it this way because we felt that outsourcing server maintenance alone would not necessarily support the overall development of the service or be cost-effective. This approach also allows us to identify important areas for development, particularly from the perspectives of cybersecurity and quality assurance. The server environment audit and implementation of the Disaster Recovery Plan provide clarity on the current state of the server environment while also laying the foundation for the system’s stable operation well into the future.

The audit included an evaluation of the service’s operational reliability, backup processes, resource sufficiency, and the mapping of maintenance automation. Based on the findings, it is much easier to consider the requirements for maintenance and how to implement them.

The service package consisted of mapping and analyzing the current Google Cloud server environment, from which a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) was described, highlighting possible system risks, and identifying how to prepare for challenges and recover from them effectively without causing system downtime. The audit also examined the current state of product development processes, and based on the findings, follow-up actions were proposed. Additionally, we conducted software testing audits and provided valuable insights for developing a high-quality and functional software system.

Benefits of the Measures

Why undertake a process just for the sake of maintenance, and is it really worth the effort?

The goal of the audit was to assess the current state from various perspectives and make clear recommendations for actions that would enhance the service quality and its continuous improvement. The audits also provided concrete suggestions for quality assurance and cybersecurity improvements.

“We explored the possibility of forming a partnership where the maintenance of our Google Cloud server environment would be outsourced to a partner, so we could focus on our core competency, which is the development of the Property Information Management Platform. AtoZ met our needs in terms of profile and expertise, and we were pleased to find that they proposed a service package that was exactly what we needed. During the project, AtoZ’s expert was not only highly skilled but also very customer-focused, making the collaboration very efficient.

After analyzing the server environment and reporting, we began implementing the suggested actions with the assistance of AtoZ’s expert. After the project, our server environment makes full use of Google Cloud Platform and automation, greatly enhancing our operations. Maintenance tasks are largely automated, and we can now focus on the development of our system. Servers are a critical part of a reliable digital service, and we are pleased that with AtoZ’s help, we have developed our GCP environment to be even more reliable, secure, and easy to maintain. We now know exactly where to turn whenever we need server-side consulting.

Tomi Salo, CTO / Avaa.io

If your software has performance issues or you need some guidance on this matter, get in touch with the #AtoZteam!