Executive Summary
Bauer Media Group successfully executed a high-stakes digital transformation initiative, migrating over 200 critical applications from multiple legacy on-premise data centres to Amazon Web Services.
Partnering with Epitechnic, the organisation shifted from a fragmented, decentralized security posture to a centralised, cyber-resilient cloud model.
This initiative not only mitigated critical operational risks but also reduced the Total Cost of Ownership through architectural efficiency, proving that robust security and cost-effectiveness can go hand-in-hand.
Business Context and Strategic Challenge
Prior to this initiative, Bauer Media operated across decentralized teams in the UK, Germany, and Poland. This fragmentation presented significant business risks, primarily due to inconsistent security governance across regions.
The reliance on legacy infrastructure created scalability bottlenecks that slowed the deployment of new products, while the complexity of managing data sovereignty across multiple borders increased compliance exposure.
To protect its digital assets and brand reputation, the company required a strategy that could support rapid scalability without compromising security.
The "Secure-by-Design" Architecture
To address these challenges, the team implemented a centralised Hub-and-Spoke network architecture. Instead of managing isolated defences for individual applications, the new model routes all digital traffic through a single Inspection Hub. This ensures that every byte of data is vetted against a unified corporate security standard, drastically reducing the risk breach.
To ensure business continuity, the architecture was engineered for maximum uptime and resilience. By utilizing redundant data pathways and geographically distributed backup zones, the system offers automatic failover capabilities.
This means critical media operations remain online even in the event of a data centre failure, protecting revenue streams and ensuring reliability for the end consumer.
Furthermore, the adoption of Infrastructure as Code automation replaced manual configuration, ensuring that disaster recovery protocols are rapid, repeatable, and free from human error.
Business Impact and ROI
The project delivered immediate and measurable value. The migration of over 200 applications was completed with zero security incidents and no unplanned downtime, validating the robustness of the new framework.
Beyond risk mitigation, the centralization of security controls into a shared services model significantly reduced the number of required licenses, lowering the overall Total Cost of Ownership.
Operationally, the establishment of a Cloud Centre of Excellence has standardized IT practices across Bauer’s international teams, driving long-term agility. The optimized network routing has also improved application latency, directly enhancing the user experience.
Ultimately, this transformation demonstrates that centralizing governance is the key precursor to achieving true enterprise resilience.
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