Shaadi.com Enhances its Infrastructure Security with Real-Time Alert System Built on AWS

At the heart of Shaadi.com's operations, cloud security is a cornerstone for ensuring uninterrupted services and maintaining user trust. Operating as one of India's largest online matrimony portals, the platform encounters unique challenges in protecting sensitive user data. Any security breach, from data leaks to identify theft, not only risks users' personal data but also poses a severe threat to Shaadi.com's reputation.

The platform's initial incident response framework and workflows had critical limitations. The system required the technical team to manually sift through a multitude of email notifications to identify and address reported incidents. This process was time-consuming and often lacked the necessary details for swift and effective issue resolution. Additionally, the existing setup did not integrate seamlessly with key communication tools such as Slack and WhatsApp, which are vital for timely team collaboration. These inefficiencies prolonged resolution times, with some incidents taking up to two hours to address and hindering backend operations.  

Recognizing these challenges, Shaadi.com sought a solution that was highly secure, reliable, cost-effective, and automated. The platform aimed to develop a system that responded to incidents swiftly and accurately, and integrate seamlessly with its teams’ communication tools, fundamentally transforming its approach to cloud security management. 

To drive its transformation, Shaadi.com migrated from an on-premises infrastructure to a cloud-based solution, significantly enhancing its cybersecurity workflows for increased efficiency and responsiveness. In its migration journey, Shaadi.com implemented AWS Lambda, a serverless, event-driven compute service that executes code without the need for server management. This development was key to establishing a new, automated alert system for real-time detection and notification of potential security incidents and code modifications. Overall, this contributed to more effective incident responses.

In integrating its systems, Shaadi.com adopted AWS Lambda in conjunction with Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS). This managed messaging service supports effective communication between decoupled microservices applications and facilitates direct user notifications. The system's alerts carry comprehensive details, including event names, regions, times, and user details, significantly enhancing the speed and efficiency of communication. With these improvements, teams could now respond to alerts within 2 seconds, markedly reducing the incident response workflow time and reducing manual log checks by up to 15 minutes per incident.

Shaadi.com also incorporated Amazon EventBridge, a serverless event bus that connects applications using data from various sources such as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications and other AWS services. Amazon EventBridge's rule system simplifies differentiating between event types with its detailed event filtering options, which has been instrumental in automating key components of the platform's alert system. As a result, operational costs have been reduced by nearly 80 percent as compared to other existing AWS tools.   

Additionally, Shaadi.com used Amazon CloudWatch for extensive monitoring across AWS resources. Amazon CloudWatch assists the platform in monitoring application performance, optimizing resource use, and providing a unified view of operational health. By collecting data across AWS resources, the technical teams could now set alarms, respond proactively to changes, and ensure comprehensive oversight of the system's performance.

To keep track of account activity across its AWS infrastructure, Shaadi.com deployed AWS CloudTrail. This offers essential functionalities for in-depth analysis and remediation. Shaadi.com's technical teams now had more robust control over event history, system security, and remediation actions.   

Shaadi.com found working with AWS to be invaluable, not only in terms of technological solutions but also in enhancing the team's understanding of cloud-based operations. AWS played a pivotal role in helping Shaadi.com establish a foundation to successfully implement new systems. When the platform approached AWS with a vision for an automated notification system, AWS responded with a tailored solution that perfectly fit Shaadi.com's needs.

Looking ahead, the platform is committed to continuously bolstering its cybersecurity defenses, ensuring that the trust and safety of its users' data remain a top priority.

"The support from AWS has been instrumental in reshaping our cloud security strategy. The move to an automated, more efficient incident response process has allowed our teams to focus on crucial actions such as immediate intervention and resolution. This proactive approach to managing security threats is a key part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen user trust and security," said Prashant Naik, Associate Director, DevOps, People Interactive.