AWS in Action: Real Results from Two Client Projects

Designing modern cloud systems isn’t just about choosing the right tools; it also involves understanding the underlying principles. It’s about customizing these tools to solve real-world problems. We use AWS to power critical systems for clients in various industries.

Project 1: BigHeart – Keeping New and Legacy Systems in Sync

Challenge:

BigHeart’s backend modernization involved integrating a legacy system with a new one while ensuring uninterrupted service for both the social and business parts of the platform. The system had to manage high traffic peaks and real-time data consistency without any downtime.

Our solution:

We used the following AWS services:

• ECS for container-based scalability (Docker)
• EKS for Kubernetes orchestration
• S3 for long-term object storage
• EFS for fast shared storage between EC2 instances
• EC2 for virtual machines supporting specialized workloads

This setup ensured reliable synchronization, performance under load, and flexibility for continuous development.

Project 2: SuperCity – Scaling a Platform to Serve Millions

Challenge:

SuperCity needed a highly available, distributed infrastructure that could stay stable and resilient as the product expanded. The focus was on long-term maintainability and the ability to quickly deploy updates across different environments.

Our solution:

Using a combination of CloudFormation templates and Terraform, we successfully spun up core services like MongoDB through the AWS Marketplace and efficiently deployed video processing pipelines without complicated manual setup.

Key Benefits for the Clients

• Geo-distribution: Reduced latency by placing services physically closer to the user (especially important for U.S.-based customers)
• Faster time to market: We avoided building everything from scratch by leveraging AWS marketplace offerings
• Operational efficiency: Streamlined deployment processes and infrastructure bootstrapping with IaC
• Cost control: We reduced complexity and maintenance effort by choosing scalable managed services

Lessons Learned

Both projects emphasized the importance of maintaining technical proficiency in AWS architecture, particularly when operating in competitive international markets. Flexibility, automation, and a deep understanding of AWS services are crucial for providing long-term value.

What We’d Do Differently Today

We should have started using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) earlier in the process. Although we adopted it successfully later on, beginning with tools like Terraform from the start would have simplified environment replication and made managing multiple stages of development and production easier.

Conclusion

AWS provides the tools, but it’s our responsibility to use them wisely. These two client projects demonstrated how effective architecture, automation, and global deployment strategies can accelerate delivery, maintain stability, and facilitate smooth scaling.