1. The Challenges
Embarking on a Digital Overhaul: Aer Lingus embarked on a transformative journey to overhaul their IT infrastructure. The core mission was to migrate a vast array of databases, including over 100 each of Oracle and Mongo Databases, and more than 80 MSSQL & MySQL Databases, to Amazon Web Services (AWS). This task represented a strategic shift towards achieving a more efficient, secure, and cost-effective technological environment.
Key Challenges:
- Optimising Resources: Previously, hardware utilisation hovered around only 25% for CPU, memory, and disk. This underutilisation represented a substantial opportunity for cost optimisation.
- Licensing and Security: The need to cut down on unnecessary licenses while simultaneously enhancing multiple areas of security was a critical aspect of the migration.
- Upgrading and Performance Maintenance: Moving to more supported versions of databases without compromising the performance of vital services like EI.com, Mobile, EDW, AerClub, DNATA, and others that relied on the mongo infrastructure.
Underlying Complexity:
- Scale of Migration: The sheer number of databases and the diversity in types presented a complex and challenging scenario.
- Performance Assurance: Ensuring the maintained or improved performance of 41 services/upgrades involved in this shift was crucial.
2. Approach
Strategic Planning and Execution: Amach’s role in this extensive migration was pivotal. They undertook a comprehensive approach to analyse, plan, and execute the migration of Aer Lingus’s databases to AWS.
Actions Taken:
- Assessment and Mapping: Analysing the existing database infrastructure and mapping the migration path to AWS.
- Optimisation Strategies: Implementing strategies to optimise CPU, memory, and disk usage, leading to significant cost savings.
- Security and Licensing: Enhancing security measures and rationalising licensing to align with the new cloud-based infrastructure.
Choosing Amach:
- Expertise in AWS Migration: Amach’s expertise in AWS migrations made them an ideal partner for this complex task.
- Customised Solutions: Their ability to provide tailored solutions that met the specific needs of Aer Lingus’s diverse database environment.
- Collaborative Approach: The partnership between Aer Lingus and Amach was characterised by a unified team effort, crucial for a project of this scale.
3. Results & Benefits
Successful Migration and Enhancements: The migration of Aer Lingus’s data centers to AWS, facilitated by Amach, marked a significant milestone in the airline’s digital transformation journey. This migration brought about numerous benefits in terms of cost, performance, security, and governance.
Key Achievements:
- Massive Database Migration: Successfully migrated over 280 databases to AWS, encompassing Oracle, Mongo, MSSQL, and MySQL.
- Cost Optimisation: Achieved substantial cost savings, including more than €500k per annum, by optimising hardware usage.
- Security Improvements: Enhanced multiple areas of security, ensuring a more robust and secure infrastructure.
- Performance Maintenance: Maintained or improved the performance of crucial services across various business areas.
Long-Term Benefits:
- Governance Model: Established a strong model for AWS governance to support the migration of workloads.
- Support for Business Areas: The new AWS design supports numerous business areas, demonstrating the scalability and flexibility of the cloud infrastructure.
- Future-Ready Infrastructure: The migration aligns with Aer Lingus’s strategic vision, setting a foundation for future technological advancements and upgrades.
Customer Quote
“The Aer Lingus partnership with Amach has helped drive an AWS design and implementation that provides Aer Lingus with a strong model for AWS governance to support the migration of our workloads. The Aer Lingus and Amach partnership has resulted in a single team effort in implementing an AWS design that supports our numerous business areas.”
Francis McGuigan Director of Cloud Infra & Service Delivery
