The client is a leading provider specializing in comprehensive intermodal terminal optimization across North America. Leveraging deep industry knowledge and advanced data technology, they transform every aspect of terminal operations through a holistic approach. Their expertise ensures enhanced visibility, reliability, and capacity, making them an industry leader in transportation terminal solutions. With decades of firsthand experience, they partner with clients to design and implement both full systematic and targeted solutions, orchestrating excellence at each touchpoint for a seamless and efficient terminal ecosystem.
The client faced several critical challenges in their terminal operations due to their reliance on the Decisions rule engine platform. Initially effective for small-scale solutions, the system became increasingly complex, inflexible, and monolithic as operational volume grew. This hindered scalability and led to frequent maintenance and unacceptable downtime. The on-premises infrastructure could not support growth or high availability, posing risks of service disruptions.
Additionally, costs were escalating, particularly with an impending contract renewal with Flexential. The client was also running an unsupported version (V6) of the Decisions platform, necessitating a migration to V8 to access new features, security patches, and vendor support. The overall objective was to replace the existing rule engine with a microservice architecture-based Middle Layer and migrate their infrastructure to Azure Cloud to enhance scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency.
To address the client's challenges and meet their objectives, Codvo.ai implemented a strategic two-pronged approach: introducing a Middle Layer and migrating their infrastructure to Azure Cloud.
Middle Layer Integration:
To replace the monolithic Decisions platform, we introduced a configurable Middle Layer between the client target systems and the visibility system. This Middle Layer was designed to handle various client communication channels, data contracts, and authentications efficiently.
Solution Details:
- Microservice-based Integration Layer: Each client received a dedicated microservice instance for integrating their specific APIs and data with the visibility application.
- Standardized Interface: The Middle Layer exposed a standardized API for the visibility application, ensuring uniformity across different client systems.
- Customization Flexibility: Each microservice could be customized for client-specific data transformations, validations, and security requirements.
Innovation: Utilized .NET Core version 8 to set up the Middle Layer, ensuring a modern and scalable architecture.
Infrastructure Migration:
We seamlessly migrated the client's infrastructure from Flexential to Azure Cloud for enhanced scalability and efficiency.
Steps:
- Environment Setup:
- Production: Utilized an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster for high availability.
- Dev, QA, and UAT: Consolidated on a single AKS cluster.
- Monitoring and Logging:
- Implemented the ELK stack for comprehensive monitoring and logging.
- Platform Upgrade:
- Upgraded the Decisions platform from V6 to V8 on Azure AKS for new features and vendor support.
This approach ensured the client's terminal operations became scalable, flexible, and efficient, meeting growing customer demands and operational needs.
The tech stack includes .NET Core (Framework V 8.0), SQL Server, Azure SQL, Azure API Management, Redis, MQ/REST, certification-based authentication, Socket, Azure, Helm charts, BitBucket Pipelines, Elastic, Logstash, Kibana (ELK), Terraform, Azure Cloud.
-Enhanced scalability and flexibility of terminal operations
-Reduced system complexity and increased operational efficiency
-Minimized downtime with improved infrastructure management
-Lower operational costs due to migration to Azure Cloud
-Improved monitoring and logging capabilities with ELK stack implementation
