Executive Summary

Schwinghammer partnered with ITTStar to establish a cutting-edge, scalable, and repeatable infrastructure leveraging Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and a robust containerized platform on AWS. This comprehensive transformation centered on modernizing critical applications to Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate, drastically improving deployment speed, consistency, and operational resilience. The IaC-driven approach, complemented by robust CI/CD pipelines, enabled Schwinghammer to automate provisioning workflows, reduce manual errors, and implement stringent cloud governance, solidifying their position with an agile and highly available cloud environment.


Customer Challenge

Before partnering with ITTStar, Schwinghammer encountered several operational challenges:

  • Manual Provisioning Delays: Slow deployments, inconsistencies, and human error due to manual infrastructure setup.
  • Scaling Challenges: Expanding projects or scaling workloads was time-consuming, slowing growth.
  • Change Control Issues: Lack of centralized, automated change management led to auditability gaps and configuration drift.
  • On-Premises Limitations: Critical applications were restricted by on-premises infrastructure, limiting scalability and resilience.

ITTStar Solution

ITTStar engineered a robust AWS infrastructure solution centered around automation, containerization, and Infrastructure-as-Code:

  • Workload Modernization & Containerization: Schwinghammer's public website and internal portal were migrated to AWS, re-platformed on Amazon ECS with AWS Fargate for serverless containers, and securely stored in ECR.
  • Networking & Application Delivery: A VPC with public and private subnets, Route 53 for DNS, ALB for traffic distribution, AWS WAF for protection, and ACM for SSL/TLS certificates ensure secure and efficient delivery.
  • Data Services & Caching: Amazon RDS supports managed databases, ElastiCache boosts data caching, and S3 ensures secure document storage and logging.
  • IaC & Automation: Terraform and CloudFormation define reusable components, with Git for version control and automated CI/CD pipelines using AWS CodePipeline for consistent deployments.
  • Centralized Change Management: Integrated with Jira, change workflows are automated and documented, with secure configuration management via Systems Manager and event-driven automation through EventBridge.
  • Monitoring, Auditing & Access Control: CloudWatch monitors performance, CloudTrail tracks API activity, AWS Config ensures compliance, and IAM manages access control with the least-privilege model.

Why AWS?

AWS played a key role in Schwinghammer's transformation with its capabilities in automation, serverless compute, scalability, and cost efficiency:

  • Serverless Compute & Containerization: AWS Fargate and ECS enable scalable, serverless container management, reducing operational overhead.
  • Automation: AWS services like CloudFormation, CodePipeline, and Systems Manager provide integrated infrastructure and application automation.
  • Data Services: RDS and ElastiCache simplify database management and caching for high performance and availability.
  • Networking & Security: VPC, ALB, Route 53, WAF, and ACM ensure secure and efficient application delivery.
  • Governance & Observability: AWS Config, CloudWatch, and CloudTrail offer robust governance, monitoring, and auditing.

Why Schwinghammer Chose ITTStar?

Schwinghammer chose ITTStar for its expertise and proven delivery:

  • Workload Modernization: Skilled in executing complex cloud migrations and containerization with ECS and Fargate.
  • IaC & Automation: Expertise in building scalable, resilient environments with Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD practices for containerized workloads.
  • DevSecOps Focus: Emphasis on integrating security (WAF, IAM) and operational excellence (monitoring, automation) throughout the delivery lifecycle.
  • Customer Satisfaction: A structured acceptance process ensured Schwinghammer’s complete satisfaction with the final solution.

Impact and Benefits:

ITTStar’s AWS solution delivered significant benefits for Schwinghammer:

  • 1. 75% Faster Deployments: Automated pipelines reduced deployment time from hours to minutes, accelerating time-to-market for new features.
  • 2. Reduced Configuration Drift (~90%): IaC consistency minimized environment differences, eliminating manual errors and ensuring reliability.
  • 3. Enhanced Efficiency & Resilience: Modernization with Fargate reduced server management, while automated patching and IaC-driven deployments improved operational resilience and scalability.
  • 4. Cost Reduction: A TCO analysis showed a 30-40% reduction in IT costs over three years, achieved through resource optimization and strategic AWS offerings.
  • 5. Improved Auditability & Compliance: Centralized change management with Jira, CloudTrail logging, and AWS Config monitoring enhanced compliance and traceability.

About the Client

Schwinghammer Lighting LLC is a New York-based architectural lighting design firm, founded in 2006 by Bill Schwinghammer. Specializing in luxury hotels, retail spaces, and cultural landmarks, they offer comprehensive lighting solutions, including design, custom fixtures, and implementation. Their award-winning projects blend art and functionality across various sectors worldwide.