Introduction
Event management presents a complex array of challenges, especially in the online domain, characterized by intense time pressures, bandwidth-intensive content, and massive surges in user demand. Our engagement with Festyvent represents a strategic initiative to leverage advanced cloud technologies to address these challenges. This collaboration aims to enhance audience engagement and optimize revenue potential in the event management industry. Read on to find out how this innovative approach is set to transform the dynamics of digital event management.
About Clarifi Media LTD
Clarifi Media Limited is a telecommunications company based out of London, United Kingdom. They create audience engagement & data analysis solutions. Under the Festyvent brand, they provide festivals with white-labelled, customised apps to engage with the audience through unique digital experiences.
The Challenge
Festyvent faced the intricate challenge of managing event services online, dealing with high time pressure, bandwidth-heavy content, and enormous spikes in user demand. The existing system, built on AWS EC2 and a Java Spring backend with a graph database for CMS, was ready for a number of enhancements. At the forefront of these was the issue of scaling at peak times, like weekends with multiple events, with a large scope for improvements to operational costs, testing and the launching of new system versions.
The Solution
The project was divided into three parts: Content Management System (CMS), Back-end, and Mobile clients for Android and iOS platforms.
The CMS, which previously combined Backbone.js and AngularJS, has been upgraded to include AWS Cognito
and Sanity, providing a more streamlined and efficient management system. This modernized CMS still utilizes Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) for storage, and Amazon CloudFront to deliver content with low latency. The development process has been optimized through the use of AWS CodeCommit, AWS CodeBuild, and AWS CodePipeline, enhancing speed and efficiency in development cycles.
The back-end architecture has undergone a significant transformation. Originally developed using Spring and hosted on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), it has now transitioned to a 100% serverless framework using AWS Lambda with NodeJS. This shift has enabled the system to operate without the need for managing servers, significantly reducing operational complexity and cost. Elastic Load Balancing, previously used to distribute application traffic, has been complemented with Amazon SQS and Amazon Step-functions to manage communication and execution flow between the various microservices.
In addition to Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3, the system now extensively utilizes Amazon DynamoDB for a fast and flexible NoSQL database service, and Amazon API Gateway for creating and publishing secure APIs. Amazon CloudWatch continues to play a critical role in monitoring applications and system-wide performances, ensuring high reliability and efficiency.
Overall, this transformation into a serverless architecture with AWS Lambda and other advanced AWS services has resulted in a more scalable, cost-effective, and efficient system, capable of handling high user demand with ease and agility.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of a microservices architecture using AWS Lambda for Festyvent has led to substantial improvements in the system's overall performance and capabilities. By moving away from a conventional server-based framework to a cutting-edge, serverless architecture, we have tailored a solution that perfectly aligns with the dynamic requirements of festival environments.
AWS Lambda, in conjunction with Amazon API Gateway, has been a game-changer for Festyvent, enabling us to achieve exceptional scalability. This powerful duo effortlessly accommodates any number of active users during events, adeptly managing the surge in demand that is typical of such large-scale gatherings. This serverless infrastructure not only addresses fluctuating user traffic with ease but also dramatically reduces operational costs for Festyvent.
The transformation we have spearheaded for Festyvent has yielded impressive results and benefits:
- Cost Reduction: Operational expenses reduced significantly, nearly to a tenth of the previous costs.
- Enhanced Scalability and Performance: Rapid development and deployment facilitating greater innovation and improved quality.
- Streamlined Operations: Elimination of server management tasks, focusing resources on strategic initiatives.
This evolution not only meets Festyvent's current needs but also positions them for sustained growth and technological leadership in the event management sector.
About PCG
Public Cloud Group (PCG) supports companies in their digital transformation through the use of public cloud solutions.
With a product portfolio designed to accompany organisations of all sizes in their cloud journey and competence that is a synonym for highly qualified staff that clients and partners like to work with, PCG is positioned as a reliable and trustworthy partner for the hyperscalers, relevant and with repeatedly validated competence and credibility.
We have the highest partnership status with the three relevant hyperscalers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, and Microsoft. As experienced providers, we advise our customers independently with cloud implementation, application development, and managed services.