wGrow - Team Notes

Abstract:

This technical summary documents the process of designing and implementing a Business Continuity Management (BCM) strategy for a Singapore real estate agency's ERP solution. The strategy involves migrating on-premise servers to the cloud, creating primary and secondary server structures, implementing JSON web API calls and Windows backend services for data synchronization, and enhancing security measures. The result is a reliable and accessible system capable of maintaining business operations in the event of a disaster, pandemic, or other disruptive events.

1. Introduction
   
   A Singapore real estate agency with 2,000+ active agents relies on an ERP solution to manage transactions and agent commission calculations. As the agency prepares for a stock exchange listing, an audit of the IT infrastructure necessitates the implementation of a Business Continuity Management (BCM) strategy to ensure uninterrupted business operations during unforeseen circumstances.

2. Solution Design
   
   The BCM strategy consists of the following components:

• Migrating on-premise servers to the cloud
• Creating primary and secondary server structures across two cloud service providers (AWS and Azure)
• Implementing JSON web API calls for data synchronization
• Implementing a Windows backend service for data resynchronization
• Enhancing security measures

3. Implementation

3.1 Migrating On-Premise Servers to the Cloud

The on-premise servers are migrated to cloud-based infrastructure, eliminating the need for physical servers in the office server room. This ensures that the system can be accessed from any location with internet access.

3.2 Primary and Secondary Server Structures

Primary and secondary server structures are created on two different cloud service providers (AWS and Azure), with identical configurations, including the application admin server, application agent server, database server, log server, and backup server. This redundancy enables seamless failover and disaster recovery capabilities.

3.3 JSON Web API Calls for Data Synchronization

A JSON web API is implemented to synchronize data between the primary and secondary servers. All Create, Update, and Delete (CUD) operations performed on the primary server are asynchronously forwarded to the secondary server, ensuring data consistency between the two environments.

3.4 Windows Backend Service for Data Resynchronization

A Windows backend service is implemented to perform checks and data resynchronization between the primary and secondary servers every 10 minutes. This service addresses the rare instances when asynchronous API calls may fail, maintaining data integrity between the two environments.

3.5 Enhanced Security Measures

Additional security measures are implemented, including IP limitations and two-factor authentication (2FA) using SMS or Google Authenticator. These measures strengthen the system's access controls, protecting sensitive data and ensuring only authorized users can access the system.

4. Conclusion
   
   The implemented BCM strategy effectively addresses the real estate agency's audit requirements, ensuring business operations can continue in the event of a disaster, pandemic, or other disruptive situations. By leveraging cloud infrastructure, redundant server structures, data synchronization mechanisms, and enhanced security measures, the ERP solution becomes a reliable and accessible system that the agency can depend on during challenging circumstances.