Challenge

The NHS faced a pressing need to overhaul their existing authentication and authorization system to accommodate the growing demands of their diverse user base. Their previous solution was plagued by inefficiencies and vulnerabilities, hindering the smooth operation of critical applications. They sought a comprehensive solution that would enhance security, improve scalability, and simplify access management across various applications, all while adhering to stringent regulatory standards.

Solution

Our team proposed and executed a comprehensive architectural design that leveraged a range of powerful AWS services, coupled with industry-leading best practices, to address the client's requirements effectively. The core components of our solution included AWS API Gateway, AWS Lambda functions, AWS Elasticache (Redis), and AWS VPCs.

Architecture

We implemented a serverless session management application that seamlessly integrated with existing systems. The application relied on OpenID and JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for token validation, ensuring secure and reliable authentication. The AWS API Gateway served as the front-end interface, enabling secure access to internal and client-facing applications while enforcing necessary authentication and authorization checks.

Benefits of the Solution

1. Enhanced Security: By utilizing AWS Network LoadBalancers and AWS Web Application Firewall (WAF), we implemented robust security measures to protect the API resources from malicious attacks, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
2. Scalability and Performance: Leveraging AWS Lambda functions and Elasticache (Redis), we achieved auto-scaling capabilities, ensuring seamless handling of high traffic volumes and minimizing response times.
3. Efficient Caching: By incorporating AWS Elasticache (Redis) for caching, we significantly reduced the load on the backend services, resulting in improved performance and responsiveness.
4. Simplified Management: AWS Secrets Manager was employed to securely store and manage the credentials required by the Lambda functions, ensuring sensitive information was safeguarded effectively.
5. Comprehensive Monitoring: We integrated Datadog and CloudWatch into the solution, providing extensive monitoring and logging capabilities to identify potential issues promptly. This facilitated proactive maintenance and enhanced overall system reliability.
6. Infrastructure as Code: Utilizing Terraform, we provisioned all the necessary AWS resources, including API Gateway, Lambda functions, Elasticache, Route53, ACM SSL certificates, and more. This approach ensured consistency, repeatability, and easy deployment across different AWS environments via automated CI/CD pipelines set up using GitLabCI.

Results and Achievements

Our partnership with NHS resulted in several notable outcomes:

Successful implementation of a robust, scalable, and secure session management serverless application, meeting the stringent requirements of the NHS ecosystem.

Strengthened security measures through the integration of AWS Network LoadBalancers, WAF, and secure token validation mechanisms.

Seamless integration of monitoring and logging systems, empowering the NHS to proactively identify and address potential issues, ensuring uninterrupted service.

Streamlined deployment and management of AWS infrastructure resources using Terraform and CI/CD pipelines, enabling rapid and consistent deployments across multiple environments.

End Result

Our collaboration with NHS to implement a serverless session management application showcased our expertise in architecting secure and scalable solutions. By leveraging advanced AWS services, implementing industry best practices, and employing robust monitoring and management tools, we successfully addressed the NHS's authentication and authorization challenges, ensuring a seamless and secure user experience. Our demonstrated competence in these areas positions us as a trusted partner for organizations seeking innovative solutions to complex IT and DevOps challenges.

Should you have any questions or require further details about our work with the NHS, please do not hesitate to contact us.