Greenhat

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director and founder of Superpower Kids, an educational company that provides resources for parents, counselors, and teachers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Greenhat?

I needed a website built and had a particular vision for how I wanted it to look and feel and the experience I wanted the users to have. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by coming up with a plan for the website. I told Greenhat my expectations and vision. I was scared of the design process because I had a clear idea of how the site should look but wasn’t sure if it would reflect what I was thinking. I explained to Rebekah I wanted the site to resemble a Pixar look, and she knew exactly what I was talking about. She always gave me three options, all of which were good, so I didn’t know which to choose.

So far, Greenhat has built a WordPress site where I post my blogs and articles. The latest articles are displayed on the main page. We also use Shopify to sell products and Help Scout to connect forms for reviews, emails, and feedback. I often release new products, so I need the website to reflect that, too. For instance, I’ve launched a book that has won a few prizes; I need to display those prizes on the website.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Alex and Rebekah. Other teammates are involved, but Alex does most of the coding, and Rebekah is in charge of the visual side of things. 

How did you come to work with Greenhat?

I found Greenhat online and saw some of their work. They had experience in the education business and had built a platform, so I decided to engage them in this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $7,000 AUD. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in April 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

From a scale of 0–10, the project has been a 10. There’s never been an issue that Greenhat and I can’t solve, and they’re always prompt in replying and coming up with solutions. They know what I want more than I do because of their experience in education and building educational websites. I have zero knowledge of technical things, but they make the project feel easy to accomplish. 

How did Greenhat perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great, and we have no complaints. We’re truly satisfied with the project management. 

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Rebekah and Alex are great. Alex has given me many great suggestions. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their experience in education and educational websites is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. I’m happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give clear descriptions of your vision. Having examples to show is always helpful for them to understand what you’re after. Once you get the communication going, the engagement becomes easy.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Mental Health Academy

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Professional development education for mental health professionals

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Greenhat to accomplish?

• We had a dated website hosted on end of life software. Our objective was to modernise the website, update the packages and codebase, and migrate the site to AWS cloud services. As part of the project, our goal was to establish auto-scaling services so that when we launched our promotions, our website remained resilient to peak loads, but scaled down automatically once demand subsided.

SOLUTION

How did you find Greenhat?

Referral

Why did you select Greenhat over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Greenhat were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The goal of this project was to modernise an outdated website and management portal, migrate it to AWS cloud infrastructure, and establish auto-scaling services to ensure high availability and performance during peak demand periods, while optimising costs during periods of lower activity.

Scope of Work:

1. Discovery and Planning Phase

• Conduct a thorough assessment of the existing website, including architecture, software dependencies, and hosting environment.
• Document technical requirements, including performance benchmarks, security considerations, and scalability needs.
• Develop a migration plan detailing timelines, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Identify AWS services to be utilised, such as EC2, S3, RDS, and Elastic Load Balancers.

2. Codebase Modernisation

• Update the codebase to comply with modern development standards, addressing legacy code issues, deprecated functions, and vulnerabilities.
• Refactor and optimise existing code for improved performance and maintainability.
• Update libraries, frameworks, and packages to their latest stable versions.
• Conduct unit and integration testing to ensure code integrity.

3. Infrastructure Setup on AWS

• Design and deploy a cloud architecture leveraging AWS best practices, including: 
  • Auto-Scaling Groups (ASGs) for dynamic scaling.
  • Elastic Load Balancers (ELBs) to distribute traffic evenly.
  • CloudFront for content delivery and caching.
  • Configure an Amazon RDS database for scalable and reliable storage.
  • Establish monitoring and logging via AWS CloudWatch and CloudTrail.
  • Set up secure Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) with proper networking configurations and apply a Web Access Firewall (WAF).

4. Website Migration

• Perform a seamless migration of the website to the AWS environment, including all associated databases and static assets.
• Implement DNS updates to point to the new hosting environment.
• Conduct extensive testing post-migration to validate functionality, performance, and security. 

5. Auto-Scaling Implementation

• Establish auto-scaling policies to manage instances based on CPU utilisation, memory usage, and network traffic.
• Implement scaling rules to automatically handle traffic spikes during promotions and scale down during periods of low activity.
• Test auto-scaling configurations under simulated load conditions to verify responsiveness and stability.

6. Quality Assurance and Testing

• Conduct end-to-end testing, including:
• Performance testing to ensure the site can handle peak loads.
• Security testing to address vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with standards.
• Usability testing to confirm consistent user experience post-migration.
• Resolve any bugs or issues identified during testing.

7. Deployment and Go-Live

• Coordinate the final deployment of the updated website.
• Monitor the initial launch period to ensure smooth operations during promotions.
• Provide support for any immediate issues or adjustments required post-launch.

8. Post-Deployment Support

• Deliver documentation for the updated codebase, infrastructure setup, and auto-scaling configurations.
• Provide training for the internal team on AWS management tools and best practices.
• Establish a maintenance plan for ongoing updates, security patches, and performance monitoring.

Key Deliverables

1. Planning Documentation

• Migration and implementation plan, including risk analysis and mitigation strategies.

2. Modernised Codebase

• Refactored and updated codebase, tested for functionality and performance.

3. AWS Cloud Infrastructure

• Fully deployed cloud environment, including ASGs, ELBs, RDS, and VPC configurations.

4. Functional Website on AWS

• Migrated and optimised website, management portal and API with all functionalities intact and tested.

5. Auto-Scaling Setup

• Configured and tested auto-scaling policies for cost efficiency and performance.

6. Testing Reports

• Results from performance, security, and usability testing.

7. Post-Deployment Documentation

• Comprehensive guide for ongoing management, including auto-scaling configurations, key rotations, and AWS best practices.

8. Support Services

• Training sessions and a documented maintenance plan for continued operational success.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

See project objectives - all requirement were met. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Responsive and timely.

What was your primary form of communication with Greenhat?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was impressed with their responsiveness and timeliness. Simplification of complex terminology (translating technological requirements to business needs). 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Greenhat could have done differently?

None.