The AWS Well-Architected Framework provides a set of best practices for designing and operating reliable, secure, and efficient systems within the AWS cloud ecosystem. It comprises of five pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, and Cost Optimisation. Each pillar focuses on specific aspects that need to be considered during the architecture and development process.
The Security Reference Architecture is a comprehensive guide provided by AWS, outlining recommended architectural patterns and best practices to address common security challenges. It offers guidance on authentication, authorisation, encryption, and securing data at rest and in transit.
By maintaining alignment with these standards, KRRV enabled Mara to unlock numerous benefits that positively impact their operational and customer experience by building a robust security foundation within their applications and AWS infrastructure.
Additionally, leveraging Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with tools like Terraform brings many benefits. By delivering the infrastructure using Terraform it enabled the automation of infrastructure provisioning, reducing manual effort and minimizing the risk of human errors, across infrastructure configurations, version control and code review processes. When the Well-Architected Framework's best practices are incorporated into IaC and Terraform configurations this ensures that security, reliability, performance, and cost optimisation are all addressed at the infrastructure level. Finally implementing the security measures recommended by the SRA can be delivered consistently, and continuously, ensuring a strong security foundation within the architecture.
Architecting a highly secure blockchain solution, aligned with the AWS Well-Architected Framework and Security Reference was crucial. The Well-Architected Framework provides valuable guidance on the architectural considerations specific to blockchain technology, such as decentralised consensus mechanisms, data encryption, and network resilience. Whilst the SRA offers insights into securing blockchain networks against emerging threats, ensuring compliance with regulations, and establishing robust access control mechanisms.
Optiim provided the expertise and operational maturity to assist Mara to grow quickly, meet investor expectations and cement their position as number one in the African crypto market. Mara can now unlock a range of benefits to maximize the advantages of blockchain technology whilst ensuring security, scalability, and efficiency within their AWS environments. Optiim has assisted in the development of secure and auditable blockchain networks, enabling Mara to revolutionise financial transactions within Africa and will drive innovation in the evolving financial landscape across the African continent.
Established in 2021, Mara is a platform for Africans to learn while leveraging blockchain technology to build digital wealth. The company empowers Africans to develop financial literacy to take advantage of the numerous opportunities available in the digital economy. The Mara wallet lets users easily buy, sell, earn, withdraw, and protect their assets - including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Mara Token as well as flat currency, in real-time.
"We couldn't start to grow before we knew what good looked like. We needed to access a team who had delivered excellence before and could do the same for Mara."
As a start-up, recruiting best-in-class engineering expertise is often not practical or even possible. But when your ambitions are as large as Mara's, you need an exceptional team from day one.
Mara faced the same challenges that have faced many others. The fast-paced nature of a start-up utilising an Agile development methodology often leads developers to prioritising application functionality and time-to-market over the adherence to security frameworks such as NIST and OWSAP or indeed alignment with AWS’s Security Reference Architecture. Time constraints and pressure to meet short-term targets more often than not lead to security considerations being deprioritised or overlooked, leaving potential vulnerabilities in the application, and supporting infrastructure.
Mara recognised this early in the process and knew that it was essential to ensure that there were adequate security measures in place, removing any vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks. Mara required a partner to assist in infrastructure architecture design, optimisation, and delivery, whilst also focusing on remediating any compliance and security issues that may exist within the developer led infrastructure builds.
Working alongside Mara's development teams as a trusted advisor and infrastructure delivery team. KRRV's experience designing, building, and managing platforms for financial transactions gave Mara the confidence they needed to rely on the team to deliver within exceptionally tight deadlines. Providing the essential highly skilled resources brought Mara a level of enterprise maturity to mitigate any gaps and remediate the infrastructure, compliance, and security issues.
The standard approach of assess - transform – optimise would ensure that KRRV delivered against the key objectives and assure Mara’s infrastructure while optimising for cost, performance, scalability, and security.
