Automating Research Infrastructure in the Cloud: Enhancing Scalability, Efficiency, and Knowledge Transfer
Automating Research Infrastructure in the Cloud
Scaling Services
Overview
In the Early Research and Development department of a leading pharmaceutical company, multiple scientists needed access to mission-critical cloud environments to conduct experiments. However, the traditional infrastructure was a bottleneck, with time-consuming manual processes and complex tools developed by previous consultants. Applications were not initially designed for Cloud-Native Architecture, creating challenges in scalability and maintainability.
The pharmaceutical company engaged Poly Consulting to automate the end-to-end application life cycle, optimize deployment times, and enable a seamless knowledge transfer to their newly hired internal team.
Business Challenge
Complex, Fragmented Toolset and Lack of Automation
The infrastructure relied on tools built by various consultants using different programming languages and technologies. With minimal documentation and no unified approach, the environment was difficult to maintain and lacked the automation needed for efficient, consistent deployments.
Inefficient Provisioning Process
The traditional process required vendor involvement and approvals from multiple stakeholders for each new environment, leading to delays. This hindered researchers’ ability to conduct timely experiments, as new environments could not be provisioned on-demand.
Insufficient Documentation and Knowledge Transfer
Due to high project velocity, much of the work previously completed had limited documentation, leaving the newly hired internal team unprepared to manage and maintain the infrastructure. An urgent need existed for clear documentation and structured training.
Compliance and Reliability
Given the regulated nature of the pharmaceutical industry, the infrastructure needed to comply with stringent standards. A compliant CI/CD process was necessary to maintain system reliability, security, and ensure that each new environment met the required operational standards.
Transformation
Holistic Skills Assessment and Specialized Recruitment
Poly Consulting assessed the existing tools, languages, and technologies used across the project to identify the necessary skill sets. We sourced consultants with experience in diverse programming environments and similar regulated projects, ensuring they had the skills to work with existing tools and optimize the infrastructure.
End-to-End DevOps Automation
We implemented DevOps processes to fully automate the application life cycle in AWS, allowing for consistent provisioning and decommissioning of environments. This eliminated the need for vendor dependency and created an efficient on-demand process through CI/CD, which aligned with regulatory standards for security and reliability.
Comprehensive Documentation and Knowledge Transfer
Poly consultants meticulously documented all processes, tools, and configurations, creating a knowledge base for the internal team. Training sessions were conducted to guide the team through the new workflows, ensuring they were well-prepared to manage and expand the solution independently.
Alignment with Compliance and Business Objectives
By developing a compliance-focused DevOps strategy, Poly Consulting ensured all automated processes adhered to the company’s regulatory standards. This approach supported a reliable and secure infrastructure, enabling faster experimentation without compromising quality or compliance.
Results
- Significantly Reduced Provisioning Times: Automated DevOps processes allowed scientists to create new environments in minutes, eliminating vendor dependency and enabling quicker experimentation.
- Enhanced Compliance and Scalability: A CI/CD pipeline was implemented to ensure consistent compliance, allowing applications to be deployed at scale in a controlled, regulated environment.
- Empowered Internal Team: With comprehensive documentation and structured training, the internal team was equipped to manage the infrastructure independently and continue to build on Poly’s foundation.
- Clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): All processes were documented, providing a structured framework and SOPs that facilitated project continuity and efficient onboarding for future team members
Novo Nordisk A/S
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