Migrating Volkswagen AG's Business Cockpit Database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server

Volkswagen AG has migrated its Business Cockpit (BC) system, which is key to managing key performance indicators across 17 plants, from an on-premises setup to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. This transition improved scalability, reduced costs and ensured compliance while maintaining seamless system functionality.

Key points:

✓ Volkswagen successfully migrated the Business Cockpit to Amazon RDS for SQL Server
✓ The migration improved scalability and eliminated the need for on-premises infrastructure
✓ The key challenge was maintaining system functionality and data integrity during the transition
✓ Security and compliance with GDPR were ensured through encryption and secure authentication
✓ Post-migration, the system achieved cost savings and better operational efficiency

07. October 2024 ┃ 9 minute reading

Volkswagen's Business Cockpit (BC) is a centralized IT solution used across 17 VW car production plants and central departments. The system plays a crucial role in managing targets for individual organizational units (OUs) based on key performance indicators (KPIs) and is integral to the company's target management process. The primary goal of the migration was to transition the BC system from an on-premises environment in Slovakia to the AWS Cloud, specifically leveraging Amazon RDS for SQL Server, while preserving existing functionality and improving scalability.

Client

The Volkswagen Group is one of the world's largest automobile manufacturer, with a portfolio encompassing several prestigious brands. The company is well known for its innovative approach not only in the field of automobile production, but also in the adoption of advanced technologies in the framework of its operation. With a global presence and a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network, the Volkswagen Group requires robust and flexible IT infrastructure to support their operations.

Challenges

System Complexity: The Business Cockpit manages a wide array of functionalities, including target agreements, KPI catalogues, and complex reporting mechanisms. Ensuring all these functionalities operated seamlessly post-migration was a top priority.
Data Migration: Migrating extensive production data from the on-premises system to AWS without disrupting ongoing operations posed significant challenges
Interface Integrity: The system had numerous established interfaces that needed to be maintained during and after the migration to prevent any disruptions in data flow and system integration. The system had a number of interfaces in place that needed to be maintained during and after the migration to avoid disrupting data flow and system integration.
Compliance and Security: Ensuring that the migrated environment met Volkswagen’s strict security requirements, including data encryption, strong authentication methods, and compliance with GDPR regulations, was crucial.

Migration Process and Strategy

The migration process was executed in phases, carefully planned to minimize downtime and ensure a smooth transition. The following key steps were taken:

Infrastructure setup
- Amazon RDS for SQL Server was selected due to its managed services offering, which significantly reduced the operational overhead for the VW Group's IT team.
- The system architecture has been restructured to leverage AWS services, including EC2 for web servers and Elastic Load Balancing for traffic management.
- High availability was ensured through the deployment of multiple zones in the RDS, which provides automatic failover to a backup instance in a different availability zone.
Data migration
- A detailed migration plan has been developed, including data extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) processes to migrate the data to Amazon RDS.
- To ensure data integrity, the migration involved thorough testing in a pre-production environment, followed by a final switch to a production environment.
Safety and compliance
- Data at rest in Amazon RDS was encrypted using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and data in transit was secured using TLS encryption.
- The migration also included the integration of VW's centralized authentication system (PKI with PIN) into Amazon RDS, ensuring secure access control in accordance with VW's security policies.
- Regular IT security assessments were carried out to ensure compliance with GDPR and internal security standards.
Stabilisation after migration
- After the migration, continuous monitoring was set up using AWS CloudWatch and other monitoring tools to ensure system performance and proactively identify any issues.
- A support and maintenance plan has been established with clear roles and responsibilities for the ongoing management of the system, including regular security updates and performance optimisation.

Results

✓ Cost Savings: The migration resulted in significant cost savings by eliminating the need for local infrastructure and leveraging AWS’s pay-as-you-go model.
✓ Performance Improvement: The new cloud architecture ensured better scalability, reduced system response times, and enabled faster integration of additional VW brands.
✓ Enhanced Security: By utilizing Amazon RDS's built-in security features, including encryption and automated backups, VW was able to meet stringent security requirements without compromising system functionality.
✓ Operational Efficiency: The migration to AWS allowed VW to streamline its IT operations, focusing on innovation and value-added activities rather than infrastructure management.

Conclusion

The successful migration of Volkswagen’s Business Cockpit to Amazon RDS for SQL Server demonstrates the benefits of leveraging AWS’s cloud services for large-scale enterprise applications. The project not only met VW's immediate goals but also laid the foundation for future expansions and improvements within the broader VW IT ecosystem. Through careful planning, robust security measures, and efficient execution, the migration project stands as a model for other large enterprises looking to modernize their IT infrastructure while maintaining compliance and performance standards.

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