Technical overview

The scope of the migration project encompassed critical business applications (SCBA) that consisted of webservers, virtual machines, and database servers. Additionally, the project aimed to modernize the existing virtual machines to containers and serverless platforms, bringing forth greater efficiency and flexibility to Gerdau's IT infrastructure.

The successful execution of the migration project has delivered several key outcomes:

• Enhanced Scalability: By migrating Gerdau's workloads to AWS, the company can now effortlessly scale their resources up or down based on demand. This agility ensures seamless handling of fluctuations in traffic and demand, thus providing a better user experience for Gerdau's customers.

• Improved Performance: AWS's robust infrastructure and global network have substantially improved the performance of Gerdau's applications. Reduced latency and enhanced response times ensure that Gerdau's users can access critical services faster and more reliably.

• Cost Optimization: Valcann's strategic migration plan has resulted in cost optimization for Gerdau. By leveraging AWS's pay-as-you-go pricing model and efficient resource allocation, Gerdau can now allocate their IT budget more effectively while eliminating unnecessary expenses.

• Modernization with Containers and Serverless Platforms: Valcann's expertise in containerization and serverless technologies enabled Gerdau to modernize their virtual machines, promoting greater resource utilization and simplifying application management.

• Enhanced Security and Compliance: AWS's robust security features and compliance certifications ensure that Gerdau's sensitive data and critical business applications are well-protected against potential threats and breaches.

• Global Accessibility: With AWS's extensive global network of data centers, Gerdau can now serve its customers across different regions with reduced latency and improved accessibility.

As a result of the successful migration, Gerdau has unlocked new opportunities for growth and innovation in their steel production and distribution operations. The collaboration between Valcann and Gerdau showcases the importance of leveraging cloud computing technologies to optimize business processes and remain competitive in the global market.

Technical enablement

The AWS migration project executed by Valcann for Gerdau involves the seamless transition of the company's technology workloads to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. This technical enablement description provides an overview of the key steps, methodologies, and technologies employed during the migration process.

1. Discovery and Planning Phase:

• Conducted a thorough assessment of Gerdau's existing on-premises infrastructure, applications, and dependencies.

• Identified critical business applications (SCBA) and their interdependencies to ensure a smooth migration.

• Collaborated with Gerdau's IT team to define migration goals, objectives, and performance targets.

• Developed a comprehensive migration plan that outlines the sequencing of workloads and the estimated timeline.

2. Cloud Architecture Design:

• Designed a scalable, fault-tolerant, and high-performance cloud architecture on AWS to accommodate Gerdau's workloads.

• Created Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) to isolate Gerdau's resources securely within the AWS environment.

• Defined Network Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Security Groups to manage network traffic and enforce security policies.

• Implemented an auto-scaling mechanism to automatically adjust resources based on application demand.

3. Data Migration Strategy:

• Assessed data storage requirements and devised a data migration strategy to transfer databases to AWS.

• Ensured data integrity and consistency during the migration process.

• Minimized downtime and service disruption during the cutover to AWS databases.

4. Application Migration and Modernization:

• Employed various migration strategies, including "lift-and-shift," re-platforming, and refactoring based on the application's characteristics and business needs.

5. Testing and Validation:

• Conducted extensive testing, including load testing, performance testing, and security testing, to ensure the stability and reliability of migrated applications.

• Established rollback mechanisms to revert to the previous state in case of any unexpected issues during or after migration.

6. Security and Compliance:

• Implemented robust security measures using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to manage user access and permissions.

• Utilized AWS Key Management Service (KMS) to encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit.

• Ensured compliance with relevant industry standards and regulations in the AWS environment.

7. Training and Knowledge Transfer:

• Provided comprehensive training to Gerdau's IT team on managing and maintaining the AWS infrastructure and services.

• Facilitated knowledge transfer to ensure a smooth transition to the new environment.

8. Post-Migration Support:

• Offered ongoing support and monitoring to address any post-migration issues promptly.

• Implemented AWS CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail for continuous monitoring and logging of AWS resources and activities.

AWS Services deployed: 

• Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS, Amazon VPC, Amazon S3, Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon GuarDuty, AWS CloudTrail.

Customer issues and concerns that have been overcome:

• Cost Savings: By leveraging AWS's pay-as-you-go pricing model and optimizing resource utilization, organizations typically achieve cost savings ranging from 20% to 30% compared to traditional on-premises infrastructure.

• Scalability and Performance: AWS's scalable infrastructure allows applications to dynamically adjust resources based on demand. This can lead to improved performance and reduced response times. Organizations may experience a 30% to 50% improvement in application responsiveness.

• Downtime Reduction: An effective migration plan and robust testing can significantly reduce downtime during the migration process. Organizations often achieve 99.99% uptime after the migration, resulting in minimal disruption to business operations.

• Application Modernization: By migrating virtual machines to containerized or serverless architectures, organizations can optimize resource utilization and achieve up to 40% reduction in operational overhead.

• Global Accessibility: AWS's global network of data centers allows organizations to serve customers in different regions more efficiently. This can result in improved customer satisfaction and expanded market reach.

• Security Enhancements: AWS provides robust security features, and organizations often experience a reduction of up to 80% in security-related incidents after migrating to AWS.

• Increased Agility: AWS's cloud services enable organizations to quickly deploy new applications and scale up or down as needed. This can lead to up to 50% faster time-to-market for new products and features.

Third-party solutions applied:

• • Hashicorp Terraform: Infrasctructure as Code;

  • Hashicorp Vault: Secrets and key management service.

Project schedule:

Project Start: June, 2022

Projet End: February, 2023

Key Results:

• Cost Savings: The migration to AWS may lead to significant cost savings for Gerdau. Depending on their existing infrastructure and workload characteristics, they could achieve cost reductions of 20% to 30% in IT operational expenses.

• Scalability and Performance: With AWS's elastic infrastructure, Gerdau can dynamically adjust resources based on demand. This scalability may result in improved application performance, with potential speed boosts of up to 40% for critical business applications.

• Downtime Reduction: Through careful planning and execution, the migration project could aim for minimal disruption during the cutover process. Achieving 99.99% uptime after migration is a realistic target.

• Application Modernization: By transforming virtual machines into containerized or serverless architectures, Gerdau could achieve increased resource efficiency and potentially reduce operational overhead by up to 30%.

• Global Accessibility: With AWS's global presence, Gerdau can serve customers across different regions more efficiently. This expanded accessibility might lead to improved customer satisfaction and an increase in market reach by 15% to 20%.

• Security Enhancements: Leveraging AWS's security features and compliance measures, Gerdau can significantly improve data protection. This could potentially result in a decrease of up to 70% in security incidents.

• Time-to-Market: The agility provided by AWS services can expedite the deployment of new applications and features. Gerdau might achieve a 20% to 30% faster time-to-market for new products and services.

Lessons learned:

• • Change Management and Communication: Effective change management and transparent communication with all stakeholders are essential. Keeping all team members informed about the migration progress and any changes in the project plan can foster cooperation and mitigate resistance.

  • Security and Compliance: Ensuring the highest level of security and compliance during and after the migration is paramount. This includes applying best practices in identity and access management, encryption, and adhering to relevant industry standards.

  • Monitoring and Performance Optimization: Continuous monitoring of the AWS infrastructure and applications is necessary to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize resource utilization. This practice allows for proactive issue resolution and ongoing improvements.