Case Study: Engineering a Secure Application Foundation on AWS GovCloud
How I built the secure, compliant, and developer-ready platform required to support the next generation of mission-critical applications for a key defense contractor.
Client
Fairbanks Morse Defense
Industry
Defense & Aerospace
My Services Provided
- •Secure Cloud Architecture (AWS GovCloud)
- •Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Automation
- •Identity & Access Management (IAM) Rearchitecture
- •AWS Well-Architected Review
Technologies Used
Enabling Secure Innovation in a Highly Regulated Environment
Fairbanks Morse Defense, a critical provider to the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, needed to establish a modern cloud platform on AWS GovCloud. The primary challenge was to create an environment that was not only compliant with stringent defense industry standards but also enabled their development teams to innovate with speed and agility. They needed a "paved road"—a secure, automated foundation that would allow them to build and deploy the next generation of applications without compromising their security posture.
A Security-First Approach to Developer Enablement
I was engaged to architect and build this secure, application-ready foundation. My strategy was focused on enabling developers by providing a secure and automated platform, not restricting them:
1. Zero-Trust Security Architecture
I designed and implemented a Zero-Trust security model from the ground up. This involved a complete overhaul of their Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy, enforcing the principle of least privilege and integrating Okta for enterprise-grade Single Sign-On (SSO). I also leveraged a suite of AWS services like GuardDuty, Security Hub, and CloudTrail to provide continuous threat monitoring and automated security responses.
2. Developer Enablement through IaC
I established a secure, self-service framework for developers using Infrastructure as Code. By implementing Terraform and Ansible, I created an automated, secure, and compliant process that allowed development teams to provision the infrastructure they needed, dramatically accelerating development and testing cycles.
3. Ensuring Mission-Critical Reliability
To validate the architecture against the highest standards, I spearheaded a comprehensive AWS Well-Architected Review across their public and GovCloud environments. This process identified and remediated risks, ensuring the platform was optimized for the security, reliability, and operational excellence required for mission-critical defense applications.
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Measurable Business Impact
Accelerated Development Velocity
Accelerated development and testing velocity by providing a secure, self-service framework for developers.
Hardened Security Posture
Significantly hardened the platform's security posture by implementing a Zero-Trust model and a complete IAM rearchitecture.
Ensured Defense-Grade Compliance
Ensured the platform was architected to meet strict defense industry standards and was validated against AWS best practices.
Mission-Critical Foundation
Delivered a secure, scalable, and resilient foundation ready to support the next generation of mission-critical applications for Fairbanks Morse Defense.