SafeMate’s AWS cloud upgrade fuels expansion plans
Habitat3 has enabled healthcare organisation, SafeMate, to continue to grow their business by creating a more secure and scalable cloud platform.
Overview
Nothing is more valuable than knowing you can be cared for in an emergency. SafeMate provides easy-to-wear (wristbands) and/or display devices (e.g. fridge magnets) that store your vital information for first responders to scan via a mobile phone app in an emergency for quick, effective treatment.
In an emergency would first responders know who your next of kin are and would they know your medical history? Imagine getting caught in a rip at the beach and having to be resuscitated by surf rescue – this is what happened to the software engineer who originally developed the SafeMate concept.
And while no one wants to think the unthinkable, with this game-changer, you know that if first responders arrive to treat you, they will be better informed and more able to provide appropriate treatment. All because they can simply scan the QR code on your wearable or display devices to access data you have shared with emergency services - be that emergency contacts, what medication is being taken, a list of health conditions and other relevant information. There is real peace-of-mind knowing that when you can’t speak for yourself, SafeMate does this for you.
The Challenge
The team at SafeMate identified two key concerns that were holding them back from expanding and growing their business. The first was that several key components of their cloud technologies would no longer be supported in the future. The second was they wanted to ensure that their data security protocols were refreshed, maintained, and monitored in an ongoing way to keep up with the evolving security threats all online businesses face.
As SafeMate stores and allows access to patient data not only are these challenges critical to their business but are also critical to the ongoing safety of their clients. They turned to Habitat3 to remedy the situation.
The Solution
When SafeMate approached Habitat3 it was because they were one of the few companies that were able to help them. Habitat3 is unique in that they have developed affordable packaged solutions specifically for small businesses that address key cloud challenges like security, data migrations, hosting, and modernisation.
“At Habitat3 we are undeniably small business focussed. You might even say they’re our preferred customer! We love to work closely with those businesses that are looking to improve their Cloud infrastructure but have strict budget and resource limitations to do so. It’s our passion, and where our skills, expertise and AWS offerings thrive.” Stuart Gravenor, Digital Transformation Manager, Habitat3
Habitat3’s approach was perfect as they needed a partner they could trust to understand their business-critical needs and deliver the right solutions for a fixed price.
Habitat3’s first step was to complete a full audit of SafeMate’s cloud environment at no charge. The thorough audit confirmed that their AWS serverless database version, their Linux Web-Server operating system, and the Proxy and VPN servers all needed to be updated. Habitat3 also confirmed that SafeMate’s AWS security protocols needed tightening up to better meet today’s security challenges.
This meant that the project was now larger than SafeMate had originally planned or budgeted for. However, Habitat3 was able to offer an affordable solution through a combination of fixed fee packaged solutions and pre-paid service plans.
The Process
Habitat3 worked through four key phases to address SafeMate’s challenges.
1. Deploy Habitat3’s packaged security solution – an AWS Landing Zone which includes a full migration of all SafeMate’s workloads into this new highly secure environment.
2. Re-architect the database deployment at AWS to deal with the serverless database needing to be updated.
3. Update the Web-Server operating system as well as the VPN and Proxy servers to the latest versions.
4. Implement Habitat3’s Managed Services offering to allow for ongoing monitoring, remediation, and technical support services.
Once Habitat3 had deployed their AWS Landing Zone and migrated SafeMate’s workloads into this new secure environment a major part of the project could commence.
Habitat3 started with some out-of-the-box thinking to re-architect the MySQL serverless database deployment that would soon no longer be supported. This allowed SafeMate to continue to use the version of MySQL that is required to function with their application code. Following that success Habitat3 then updated the VPN server which allows SafeMate to access the database securely. They also updated the Proxy server including the addition of a static IP address.
Habitat3’s final step was to establish AWS specific security monitoring and alert systems to ensure that all security protocols put in place were maintained in an ongoing way. Habitat3 also implemented a patch management system for the Linux servers to ensure server-level security is maintained. Other cloud infrastructure components are also monitored and remediated to keep SafeMate’s cloud service reliable over the longer term. SafeMate are now able to reach out to Habitat3 for any technical assistance they may require in supporting and modernising their AWS environment for better scalability into the future.
SafeMate’s CIO, Michael Bark is very happy with the outcome saying, “We were looking for an organisation we can depend on. With the work Habitat3 have done to upgrade our AWS environment, we can now expand and grow the business, not to mention, sleep better at night! And that’s what it’s all about.”
Outcome and Benefits
Habitat3 addressed SafeMate’s two key concerns by re-architecting and updating the core components of their cloud infrastructure to ensure they are current and can continue to function into the future. They also properly secured their overall cloud environment and their database and continue to monitor and remediate all security protocols in an ongoing way.
SafeMate are now in an exciting new era where they are about to expand their system so that anyone can scan the QR codes and not just first responders. This hugely expands their market, and is enabled by the stability, reliability, and scalability of the cloud infrastructure Habitat3 has upgraded and secured for them.
“One of the reasons we can do this sort of thing is because AWS is working well. And the reason for that is Habitat3. And when we get emails from AWS that require an action, Habitat3 are responsive to help resolve any issues.” Michael Bark, CIO, SafeMate.
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