Bank Cloud Infrastructure Modernization

Project Overview

Our team at Larkbyte worked on a comprehensive infrastructure modernization program for one of Europe's leading banks, transforming legacy systems into a robust multi-cloud architecture. This initiative leveraged Infrastructure as Code (IaC), automated DevOps practices, and modern data platforms to create a scalable, secure, and efficient banking infrastructure.

Business Challenge

The bank faced several critical infrastructure and operational challenges:

  • Legacy infrastructure causing 72+ hours for new environment provisioning
  • Manual infrastructure management leading to €2.5M annual operational costs
  • Inconsistent security practices across different systems
  • Limited data accessibility and processing capabilities
  • Lack of standardized infrastructure deployment processes
  • Knowledge gap in modern cloud technologies among staff

Technical Solution

Infrastructure Automation

Implemented
  • Terraform for multi-cloud infrastructure provisioning
  • Ansible for configuration management
  • Jenkins pipelines for CI/CD automation
  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) best practices

Cloud & Security Architecture

Optimized
  • Multi-cloud setup with AWS and Azure
  • Centralized Key Vault management
  • IAM access management framework
  • Zero-trust security architecture

Data Platform Modernization

Live
  • Azure Databricks for data processing
  • Google BigQuery for data analytics
  • Data modeling and optimization
  • Automated ETL pipelines

Key Achievements

95%
Reduction in Infrastructure Provisioning Time
  • From 72 hours to 3.5 hours
  • Automated deployment processes
€1.8M
Annual Infrastructure Cost Savings
  • 60% reduction in operational costs
  • Improved resource utilization
100%
Infrastructure as Code Coverage
  • Complete automation of infrastructure
  • Zero manual provisioning

Implementation Timeline

Phase 1: Foundation (3 months)

  • Multi-cloud architecture design
  • Terraform template development
  • Security framework implementation

Phase 2: Automation (4 months)

  • Jenkins pipeline setup
  • Ansible playbook development
  • IAM framework implementation

Phase 3: Data Platform & Training (3 months)

  • Databricks & BigQuery setup
  • Staff training programs
  • Knowledge transfer workshops

Technical Highlights

Infrastructure Automation

  • 200+ Terraform modules developed
  • 50+ Ansible playbooks
  • 30+ Jenkins pipelines
  • 100% environment parity

Security & Compliance

  • Zero security incidents post-implementation
  • 100% regulatory compliance
  • Automated security scanning
  • Real-time threat detection

Knowledge Transfer

  • 150+ staff trained
  • 25 internal workshops conducted
  • Internal certification program
  • Self-service documentation portal