Securing AWS Infrastructure for an Emerging Housing Finance Firm
A rapidly expanding housing finance firm, registered with the National Housing Bank (NHB) and overseen by an experienced team of professionals, offers home loans, business loans, and loans against property to lower and middle-income families in urban and semi-urban regions of India. Having addressed the needs of more than 16,000 customers and managing assets worth 1100 crore, the financial services company is committed to establishing a substantial loan portfolio.
Financial Services
Published Date : 24-March-2023
Enabling Cost Effectiveness & High Availability with Secure Migration on AWS
The finance firm’s cloud journey began with their need for delivering a superior service experience, streamlining operational processes, and minimizing turnaround time, thus propelling them toward cloud migration. They were also looking to expand their services through digital channels and innovative distribution models. To achieve this goal, they wanted to transition their applications from the existing on-premise infrastructure to AWS cloud. As a financial services player, they wanted to establish a highly secure environment with a competent and cloud migration strategy that would facilitate cost optimization.
Noventiq’s migration experts tailored a streamlined strategy focusing on the customer’s key goals such as scalability, high availability, fault tolerance and cost optimization. With security as a crucial need, we developed a robust plan that included various measures to ensure reliability of the client’s AWS infrastructure:
- Comprehensive Cloud assessment including feasibility and TCO
- Proof of Concept for validating technical architecture and business processes on AWS followed by migration
- Customized DR solution to ensure backup and resilience
- Managed Services for ensuring 24*7 operations, continuous compliance, operational efficiency and costs savings
The solution also included a security firewall, enabling continuous monitoring based on AWS Best Practices and the Center for Internet Security (CIS) through AWS Security Hub. The team also integrated logs and security services with 24/7 Security Operations Center (SoC) monitoring.
These security measures helped the financial services provider strengthen the client’s security posture, enabled real-time threat detection, prompt response and mitigation of potential risks, efficient compliance management, seamless operational support, and cost optimization by reducing impact of security breaches and enhancing operational efficiency. The measures taken, including fault tolerance and high availability objectives, also contribute to a more reliable and consistently accessible AWS infrastructure, reducing the risk of service disruptions and supporting business continuity through a resilient environment.
Ensuring Secure Access, Centralized AWS Management & Compliance
The architectural design incorporated AWS Landing Zone with Control Tower, establishing virtual segmentation for production, UAT, and other business environments.
- AWS centralized identity services, featuring IAM and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), were integrated to ensure secure access to the AWS console and resources. IAM offers precise access control, centralized identity management, audit and compliance capabilities, resource-level permissions, secure AWS Management Console access, scalability, and seamless integration with various AWS services.
- To fortify network security, an ISV Firewall, utilizing a network account, was deployed for comprehensive scrutiny of all incoming and outgoing traffic. Additionally, a Web Application Firewall was implemented on AWS infrastructure to safeguard Web URLs hosted on the platform.
- Microsoft Active Directory played a pivotal role in domain management across both on-cloud servers and on-premises machines, with group policies imposing restrictions on permissions for instances in the AWS Cloud.
The initial layer of security for accessing any AWS infrastructure instances was established through Remote Access VPN with MFA.
AWS logging was activated to facilitate governance, compliance, operational auditing, and risk auditing of AWS accounts.
Geo-fencing measures were instituted to confine traffic solely to the client’s India location, and URL filtering was employed to govern outbound internet access traffic.
Secure Access to Critical Data with Comprehensive Solution on AWS
30% more operational efficiency
100% adherence to security standards
Enhanced data protection & access
The implementation of AWS Landing Zone with Control Tower facilitates virtual segregation for various business environments, streamlining operations and promoting a more efficient workflow.
- AWS centralized identity services, including IAM and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), ensure secure access to the AWS console and resources. This leads to enhanced access control, centralized identity management, and simplified integration with other AWS services, contributing to smoother and more secure business operations.
- The deployment of an ISV Firewall and a Web Application Firewall on AWS infrastructure enhances network security, providing comprehensive protection against incoming and outgoing traffic. This contributes to a secure online environment, safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring business continuity.
- Usage for domain management across on-cloud servers and on-premises machines, along with group policies, leads to more efficient and controlled permissions on instances in the AWS Cloud. This results in streamlined administrative processes and improved security.
- The implementation of Remote Access VPN with MFA as the first layer of security ensures secure access to AWS infrastructure instances. This enhances remote work capabilities, promoting flexibility without compromising security.Effective AuditingCompliance: Activation of AWS logging facilitates governance, compliance, operational auditing, and risk auditing of AWS accounts. This ensures adherence to regulatory standards, mitigating risks and promoting a transparent and accountable business environment.
- Geographical Security Measures: Geo-fencing to restrict traffic to the client’s India location and URL filtering for outbound internet access traffic control contribute to heightened security. This protects against potential threats and ensures data integrity, aligning with regulatory requirements.
In summary, Noventiq’s approach not only strengthens the security and reliability of the housing finance firm’s AWS infrastructure but also yields tangible business benefits by improving operational efficiency, ensuring compliance, and fortifying the overall resilience of the organization.
Financial Services
Cloud Security
Financial Services
Cloud Security
