Success Story: Cloud Setup Transformation with Container8

• Customer: XaaS Department
• Product: Internal Developer Platform
• Used Technology: Container8, Jira Service Management, AWS, Python, Bitbucket, Docker

In today’s technology landscape, platform engineering and internal developer platforms are pivotal for streamlined software development. Container8, our internal developer platform, leads this shift by simplifying development workflows.

It empowers developers to concentrate on creative solutions, minimizing operational distractions. Empowering developers to initiate their work with ease, this platform also provides valuable examples, offering a practical and efficient approach that embodies the evolution of managing software development.

We’ll cover how Container8 has transformed the customer’s experience, discussing the challenges they faced, the strategies employed, and the significant outcomes achieved, thereby underscoring Container8’s role in boosting productivity and fostering innovation in software development.

Our customer, the XaaS Department, plays a crucial role in our customers digital transformation and technological evolution. As an integral component of the customers strategy to transition from a traditional home appliance manufacturer to a digitally oriented company, the XaaS Department embodies the concept of “Anything as a Service” (XaaS). This includes a range of services, such as Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS).

The XaaS Department offers a complete IT platform for developing, implementing, and operating business applications and technical services within the customer. XaaS plays a key role in their digitalization efforts, enabling customizable digital features and services for smart home devices.

Developing, updating, testing, and releasing products in the cloud requires access to IT infrastructure provided by companies like AWS. Acquiring access to the cloud and setting up an application was not as easy as it seemed at our customer. Typically, stakeholders like developers, product managers or infrastructure engineers had to follow a complex manual, inefficient, and cumbersome process to request an account. This began with contacting the internal IT department to place an order. The request form was complex, and filling it out correctly was a challenge in itself.

Once the request was submitted and processed, cloud engineers added it to their internal backlog. Next, they manually created a distribution list in a different department, a step that required additional requests and waiting time. After receiving the distribution list, engineers could finally start the process of creating an AWS account, which involved an extensive and detailed protocol of about seven pages for account creation and twenty pages for setup.

This process was not only time-consuming but also accompanied with potential for errors and delays. The entire procedure, from initial request to account creation, involved several departments and various stages of approval and implementation. This inefficiency led to delays in project timelines and increased workload, causing frustration among both cloud users and engineers.

In summary, their initial situation was characterized by a disjointed and slow process for AWS account creation, resulting in significant delays and inefficiencies.

They faced several key challenges in its IT operations prior to the implementation of an internal developer platform:

Communication Gaps: There was a significant separation between the development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams, often located in different buildings. This physical and operational distance led to inefficient communication and collaboration, impacting project timelines.

Delayed Security and Compliance: Addressing security and compliance issues was often postponed, resulting in extended project durations, budget overruns, and additional workload, including overtime for staff.

Onboarding and Offboarding Issues: The process for granting necessary access to new employees, especially short-term consultants, was lengthy and cumbersome, leading to inefficiencies in engagements and project execution.

Complex Infrastructure Approval: The process to get infrastructure approved, such as provisioning AWS accounts, was mired in a cascade of approvals and inefficient, non-standardized procedures. This often took weeks, causing delays and organizational waste as each team implemented solutions differently.

These challenges created a bottleneck in productivity, causing delays in project delivery and inefficiencies across the organization.

In response to these challenges, they adopted a streamlined approach by implementing the Container8 internal developer platform. This solution automated the AWS account creation process, which was previously manual and time-consuming.

The new approach involved integrating the process directly into Jira Service Management, allowing for more efficient handling of account provisioning requests. This automation drastically cut down on the time required to set up AWS accounts. The cumbersome steps, like manually creating distribution lists and navigating through extensive documentation, were significantly reduced.

This solution not only accelerated the account creation process but also aligned with the needs of cloud users and engineers, enhancing overall productivity and satisfaction. This approach exemplifies an effective combination of automation and process optimization to solve complex IT challenges.