‎‎Migration of Volkswagen Business Cockpit to the AWS cloud

Migration of applications to the Business Cockpit (BC) Volkswagen AG on the AWS cloud to improve performance, scalability and significantly reduced costs. BC, a key solution for the management of goals in 17 manufacturing plants, now uses the flexibility and security of cloud infrastructure, ready for further digital integration.

Key points:

✓ Significant improvement scalability and flexibility IT infrastructure for future growth
✓ Implementation of solutions lower costs by more than 80% compared to on-premise infrastructure
✓ Security continuous operation during the migration, with an emphasis on the integrity of the data
✓ Strengthening safety standards thanks to encryption and authenticate using PKI+PIN
✓ Preparation of applications for integration with other digital systems Volkswagen AG

07. October 2024 ┃ 9 minute reading

Migration of applications to the Business Cockpit (BC) Volkswagen AG on the AWS cloud has brought significant cost savings, enhance performance and increase scalability. This centralized solution, used in 17 manufacturing plants, has been moved from an on-premise infrastructure to the cloud platform AWS in order to optimize the operation and prepare the system for future integration into the wider digital ecosystem Volkswagen. This project shows how it can cloud transformation to promote flexibility, efficiency and innovation in corporate IT systems.

Client

Volkswagen AG, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, has set a goal to optimize the operation of their applications Business Cockpit (BC), which serves as a centralized IT solution in its manufacturing plants and central departments around the world. To improve the efficiency, scalability and flexibility of the IT infrastructure of the company has decided to migrate the application of BC to cloud platform AWS, which laid the groundwork for the further digital development and innovation.

Goals

The main objectives of the migration were:

Cost savings: Reduction of the operating costs of the transition to a scalable cloud infrastructure.
Improve performance: Increasing the speed of response of the system to streamline operations.
Scalability: To allow easy chaining additional brands VW and the central compartment into the system.
The integration of data: Link with digital production platform (DPP) using microservices and a data lake.

Solution: Migration strategy

Technical architecture:

Migration strategy took advantage of access "Lift and Shift"what it means to move an existing infrastructure to the environment of the AWS cloud with minimal changes in the application.

Key components of the architecture include:

AWS infrastructure: Use EC2 instances for the web servers, reporting servers and client services.
MS SQL database: Continued use of MS SQL databases hosted in AWS in the form of an RDS service.
BIG IP F5: The preservation of the authentication through BIG IP F5.

Key phases of the migration:

Planning and preparation:
- A detailed migration plan with the involvement of stakeholders, including the DPP team and group IT.
- The preparation of the AWS environment and configuration tailored to the application of BC.
Infrastructure setup:
- The configuration of EC2 instances and RDS for hosting the application and the database.
- Implementation of AWS services such as S3 to store data, and CloudWatch for monitoring.
Data migration:
- Migration of existing production data from on-premise infrastructure to AWS.
- Ensure data integrity and continuity of the service during the transition to the cloud.
Testing and validation:
- Comprehensive testing in pre-production environment to verify successful migration.
- Smoke testing and benchmarking performance to ensure stability and increase the performance of the system.
Fit:
- Final deployment in a production environment with ongoing support for stabilization after the migration.

Safety and compliance:

Strong authentication: Preservation of user authentication through PKI+PIN.
Data encryption: All the data are in the environment to AWS is encrypted with AWS KMS.
Compliance with the GDPR: Strict compliance with the requirements of GDPR, in particular when the processing of personal data in the framework of the BC system.

Challenges and solutions

Data integrity: Ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data during the migration was one of the major challenges. This challenge was solved using rigorous testing and validation phases.
Security risks: High safety standards have been maintained through the use of encryption of data transmission, and strong authentication methods.

Results and realized benefits

✓ Cost-effectiveness: A substantial reduction of the cost of infrastructure and licenses of more than 80%, due to the removal of on-premise hardware and related maintenance costs.
✓ Improved performance: Increased the speed of the system response and higher reliability.
✓ Scalability: The new infrastructure allows for fast adding of new users, and brands, which ensures flexibility for future development.
✓ The integration of data: Migration has created a solid foundation for the future integration of the IT systems of the Volkswagen.

Conclusion

Migration of the application Business Cockpit to the AWS cloud it was a successful project, which has achieved the objectives in the areas of cost savings, performance improvements and increased scalability. At the same time prepared BC on the future integration into the wider digital ecosystem Volkswagen. This case study demonstrates a strategic approach, and the benefits of the migration of critical business applications to the cloud, which can serve as a model for similar projects within the group of Volkswagen, but also outside of it.

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