Case Study
UST leads AWS migration, helping the client refresh an aging IT platform to increase integration security and enhance customer services
OUR CLIENT
The client owns and operates a diverse portfolio of energy assets across Australia, including gas and electricity distribution networks, gas transmission pipelines, and gas processing facilities. The company provides millions of commercial and residential customers with essential utility services. Founded more than a century ago, the client is a $12.4 billion company.
THE CHALLENGE
Ensuring a seamless migration to AWS Cloud Services
As Australia undergoes a significant transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy systems, utility companies, like the client, face mounting pressure to modernize operations. This transition requires enhanced scalability, secure integrations, and advanced digital capabilities to adapt to an evolving energy landscape. With that in mind, the client had embarked on a technology modernization effort to migrate its webMethods platform to AWS Cloud. Since the webMethods solution handled approximately 80% of its gas and electricity transactions, the initiative was part of a larger, long-term digital transformation effort to enhance customer experiences. However, the IT team needed guidance, expertise, and strategic advice with the following elements of the project:
- Microservices—to identify the best approach to deploy and manage a microservices architecture that aligned with its cloud strategy
- RESTful APIs—for seamless connectivity with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)
- Integrations—to define key integration capabilities and governance policies
- Security—for maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture that could scale to keep pace with growth
- Migration preparation—ensuring the AWS Cloud transformation was smooth with no business disruptions
THE TRANSFORMATION
Delivering a modern, future-proof, scalable cloud transformation to keep pace with evolving business needs
To prepare for the project, we conducted a detailed impact assessment to proactively mitigate risks, designed the AWS Platform architecture to accommodate the webMethods solution, crafted an integration security strategy, and created a technical cut-over plan to minimize business and customer disruptions. By establishing a hybrid integration platform, the client had seamless interactions with AEMO and data and applications in on-premise and multi-cloud environments. An integration catalog with reference architectures and standardized integration workflows helped future-proof the new cloud architecture, enabling the client’s IT team to easily integrate new applications and data sources as needed for growth. Security was top-of-mind during the cloud migration project.
Once the migration effort was complete, the client now has a modern, scalable cloud infrastructure for its webMethods gas and electricity management platform. The company can seamlessly manage and scale its platform to keep pace with an evolving business and technology landscape. The security governance strategy gives business leaders peace of mind and ensures that all integrations are secure.
THE IMPACT
A trifecta of business benefits that boost profitability, enhance customer services, and streamline IT processes
The cloud transformation and modernization initiative helped the client:
- Reduce costs—on technology infrastructure and maintenance
- Accelerate speed to market—for new IT projects and customer services
- Improve resource allocations—by consolidating technology platforms and automating IT projects