“What did you do over the weekend?” That’s a common question we ask in our Monday morning squad meetings. Usually, someone starts by saying something, leading to another person sharing some weekend activity. This Monday, we didn’t need to ask each other that question: ROI folks already knew the answer. From 2 PM on Friday, May 10, and all through the weekend, we were all connected via the ROI Solutions “Production Migration Party Line,” a constant open channel that was abuzz throughout the weekend. A team of staff and consultants would come and go from that line as necessary, and some of us remained for the duration of our transition to AWS.
This monumental move reflects our commitment to innovation, scalability, and providing our clients with the most advanced and reliable technology solutions.
We started our latest cloud journey over two years ago as part of our efforts to continually bring clients the best technology. It started with developing and launching Unite Analytics, a fully managed data lakehouse in AWS.
A Journey of Dedication and Teamwork
The journey to AWS was no small feat. It required meticulous planning, unwavering dedication, and a collaborative effort from our entire team. Over the past few months, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure this transition would be as smooth and seamless as possible.
Planning and Preparation
The first step in our migration journey involved comprehensive planning and preparation. Our team conducted an in-depth analysis of our existing infrastructure, identifying potential challenges and devising strategies to address them. This phase was crucial in laying the groundwork for a successful migration.
We’re no strangers to infrastructure migrations. We’ve done four of them over the last twenty years to keep pace with technology and ensure we provide you with the best and most secure options. Our decision to migrate to AWS in 2020 was based on these reasons.
Execution
The directives were called from a playbook that included hundreds of checklist items from a well-rehearsed script. “Stop the scheduler,” Karen directed Sandra, who acknowledged the request with minimal words: “Acknowledged, stopping scheduler.” Pauses, “confirmed, scheduler has been stopped.” So, it went into the evening line-by-line, and these instructions went back and forth in a way that reminded me of being a little kid again and listening to Grandpa’s shortwave radio.
Over the weekend, a team of ROI staff and consultants worked around the clock to migrate Revolution CRM to the AWS cloud from our co-located environment. In preparation for this past weekend, we started replicating data at 20 TBs daily over the past 30+ days (at a daily cost of ~$3,000).
Overall, we moved over 300 TB of data and over 100 servers. The project cost over $1.5MM, part of our overall $4MM investment in our infrastructure and technology.
Overcoming Challenges
As with any major transition, we encountered challenges along the way. However, our team’s problem-solving skills and determination enabled us to overcome these obstacles efficiently. Their ability to adapt and find solutions in real time was a critical factor in the success of this migration.
A New Era with AWS
With our systems now running on AWS, we are excited about this platform’s new opportunities and capabilities. AWS provides us with greater scalability, enhanced security, and improved performance, enabling us to serve our clients better and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Gratitude and Recognition
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in this project. Your hard work, late nights, and unwavering commitment have made this transition possible. We also want to thank our clients for their patience and support during this period.
Looking Ahead
This migration is just the beginning. We are eager to leverage AWS’s full potential to drive innovation and deliver even greater value to our clients. The future is bright for ROI Solutions, and we are excited to embark on this new chapter.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Stay tuned for more updates and advancements as we evolve and grow Revolution CRM, Unite Analytics, Ignite Marketing, MiLo Intelligence, and the client experience we provide to the nonprofit organizations and their missions we support.
About ROI Solutions:
ROI Solutions is a leading provider of purpose-built technology solutions dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations achieve their goals through cutting-edge software and services. We focus on customer satisfaction and continuous improvement and strive to deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.
