Database optimization and security on AWS helps SwipedOn deliver a world-class access service

Architectural consultations provide added value

Since the beginning, the relationship between Rackspace Technology and SwipedOn has been an ongoing partnership built on a strong foundation of technical expertise and support. Part of this support is ensuring Cooney and his team have regular and consistent access to Rackspace Technology talent.

“I have a fortnightly call with our account manager and lead engineer at Rackspace Technology, which gives us an opportunity to go over what we’re planning, what we’re doing and any issues that are arising,” said Cooney.

Beyond ongoing support, knowing that Rackspace Technology architects are available for consultation on any architectural alterations when they need them has been a value-add for Cooney and his team.

“When we’ve had architectural changes, it has always been an opportunity to give the architects at Rackspace Technology a chance to look over our plans,” Cooney said. “And while they’ve never come back with any substantive issues, knowing that is worth quite a lot to us.”

Staying on top of cybersecurity threats

Because the SwipedOn platform handles a wealth of visitor data, security is also always top of mind for Cooney and his team. Rackspace Technology has continued to provide an expert shoulder to lean on, ensuring all parts of the platform are both secure and compliant, guaranteeing a robust visitor experience for all.

“Security is important to us, and one the most useful aspects of our relationship with Rackspace Technology has been its peer review of our security plans,” noted Cooney.

Utilizing security and monitoring tools such as AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF) and CloudWatch allows SwipedOn to stay on top of security by mitigating web exploits that might affect availability, compromise security or consume excessive resources.

With most of SwipedOn’s customers accessing its platform internationally, the company needed to simplify its database management. Using AWS Relational Database Service (RDS), SwipedOn has been able to automate time-consuming administration tasks whilst reducing operational overhead.

Right-size instances keep support high and costs low

To ensure costs are constantly being optimized for the SwipedOn platform, Rackspace Technology regularly looks for ways to reduce spending — including monthly reporting to review budgets. Through the partnership, SwipedOn has also been able to get a deeper understanding of its environment, which has helped to identify the right-size instances for its needs.

“We’ve had great advice from the guys around what size instances typically give us the best performance over time, which has been pretty good,” said Cooney.

With rightsizing the most effective way to control cloud costs, Rackspace Technology continuously analyses instance performance, usage needs and patterns — turning off any idle instances and optimizing those that are over provisioned or poorly matched with workloads.

“We recently went through a re-sizing exercise which actually moved us to a lower tier in terms of our Rackspace Technology spend,” Cooney added. “So that’s always a good sign when your vendor identifies savings that essentially pays them less — we’re happy with that.”