Securing and Stabilizing Critical Infrastructure for a Multinational Consumer Electronics Firm
Bringing 100,000+ hosts up to security standards: how OpsWerks automated critical maintenance, saving time and keeping innovation on track.
- 100,000+ hosts needed continuous security patching and maintenance without pulling SREs off strategic work.
Automated maintenance at enterprise scale: secure, stable infrastructure with capacity for strategic delivery.
security compliance
compliance
dependency errors
on innovation
Client Background
Our client, a multinational consumer electronics firm, relies on critical infrastructure of over 100,000 hosts that support development platforms and essential internal applications.
With mounting technical debt and the need to align with rigorous security standards, their SRE team faced a significant challenge in balancing maintenance with delivering strategic features.
The client chose OpsWerks to ensure all hosts remained secure and up to date without interrupting user services or missing internal SLAs and SLOs.
Challenges at 100,000-host scale
The client’s SRE team was tasked with both introducing new services for internal development teams and handling the maintenance of the underlying hosts. This work created conflicting objectives, leaving little room for innovation.
Conflicting objectives
One team owned both new services for internal development teams and the upkeep of the hosts beneath them. Strategic delivery and routine maintenance competed for the same hours, and maintenance usually won.
Recurring maintenance load
Kernel patches, dependency updates, and Linux versioning had to be repeated across more than 100,000 hosts every cycle, against a backdrop of mounting technical debt and tightening security standards.
No room for disruption
Every host had to stay secure and current without interrupting user services or missing internal SLAs and SLOs. Maintenance windows offered no margin for error.
Solution for automating maintenance at scale
OpsWerks assumed full responsibility for security patching and maintenance, designing a layered automation framework that integrated seamlessly with the client’s existing tools.
Full ownership of
patching
OpsWerks took responsibility for security patching and maintenance end to end, covering kernel patches, dependency updates, and Linux versioning.
Layered automation
framework
Automation designed in layers and built to integrate with the client’s existing tools rather than replace them.
Quarterly maintenance
automation tool
A purpose-built tool that updates every host to the security standards specified by the client’s security team, quarter after quarter.
Dedicated
cross-functional team
A project manager, developers, and SREs working as one unit to keep a complex process fast, consistent, and reliable.
Existing monitoring,
reused
By leveraging the client’s current monitoring infrastructure, the transition landed smoothly with minimal disruption.
Consistent feedback
loop
Findings fed back to the client’s teams each cycle, cutting repetitive toil instead of quietly absorbing it.
Scope of work
- Quarterly maintenance automation: Built a tool that brings each host up to the security standards defined by the client’s security team.
- Security patching and maintenance: Kernel patches, dependency updates, and Linux versioning across 100,000+ hosts.
- Monitoring integration: Leveraged the client’s current monitoring infrastructure for a smooth transition with minimal disruption.
- Dedicated delivery team: Project manager, developers, and SREs assigned to the engagement and trained once.
- Service continuity: Kept hosts secure and up to date without interrupting user services or missing internal SLAs and SLOs.
The OpsWerks advantage
One team, trained once
A dedicated, cross-functional team that trained once and operated seamlessly, eliminating the need for retraining due to attrition, rotation, or sick coverage.
Outcome, not ticket counts
Unlike traditional vendors that optimize for ticket counts or task completion, OpsWerks aligned with the client’s desired outcome: secure, uninterrupted infrastructure at scale.
Toil out, capacity back
By providing consistent feedback, OpsWerks reduced repetitive toil and enabled the client’s SREs to refocus on delivering strategic platform capabilities.
Results
100% compliance in six months
Within six months OpsWerks brought all systems up to the client’s security compliance requirements.
Dependency errors down to corner cases
Incompatible dependency errors went from a recurring drag on maintenance to rare exceptions.
Operational stability restored
Maintenance stopped destabilizing the development platforms and internal applications teams depend on.
SRE capacity regained
The SRE team regained capacity to focus on their strategic objectives, enhancing their standing within the organization.
“I have been working in this industry for almost 19 years now. I’ve never seen a vendor that does such a great job of cross-training their teams and following through on the information given to them.”
Facing Similar
Challenges?
Contact our Partner Success Team at partnerwithus@opswerks.com to see how we can help. Or book a meeting directly with us below.