In the financial industry, reliable data management is crucial. Downtime or performance issues are not just IT inconveniences; they can seriously disrupt daily operations. This reality was especially clear to one of our clients, a U.S.-based credit union serving public service professionals, including first responders. With a mission rooted deeply in community safety and resilience, they needed absolute stability and security in their data operations.
Since 2016, we have been serving as their trusted external technical partner. We began this collaboration as DB Best, which was acquired by Amazon in 2021, and continued it as ABCloudz, providing consistent SQL Server database management and support so their internal team could remain focused on strategic priorities rather than IT firefighting.
Read on to discover how we helped our client overcome infrastructure complexity and what practical lessons you can apply to your own operations.
The challenges our client faced
The client’s infrastructure combined over 50 SQL Server instances deployed across three on-premises data centers formed the foundation for transactional processing, data storage, and daily operations. Integrated tools including Power BI, JasperSoft, and SSRS supported reporting and dashboards. Salesforce and MeridianLink provided smooth CRM and loan data integration. This ecosystem enabled unified data management, advanced analytics, and reliable business operations.
They struggled primarily with three significant operational hurdles:
1. Regular disruptions during critical reporting cycles
Financial institutions depend heavily on timely data. For this client, something as simple as a delayed external data feed could disrupt month-end reporting processes, forcing internal teams to scramble and catch up.
2. Limited internal IT resources
While their internal IT staff was competent, the sheer volume and complexity of database administration, security management, and infrastructure maintenance became overwhelming. They often found themselves focused on immediate issues rather than long-term strategic initiatives.
3. Complex security and compliance requirements
Financial data security is not optional. It requires regular data security audits, frequent system patching, and precise control of user access. All of this consumed significant time from their lean team.
We became an effective extension of their IT team
From day one, our goal was not just to provide technical support, but to become a seamless extension of our client’s IT team. This meant deeply understanding their hybrid infrastructure, responding to their evolving priorities, and taking operational ownership where their internal resources were stretched thin.
Robust database management and high availability
We began with core stability. Their production systems relied heavily on Microsoft SQL Server, both on-prem and in Azure. To minimize downtime and ensure fault tolerance, we:
- Deployed and validated High Availability Disaster Recovery (HADR) configurations on key SQL Server instances. This included managing Always On availability groups on critical servers, ensuring that a failover scenario wouldn’t disrupt access to production data.
- Implemented custom monitoring rules using SolarWinds for both performance metrics (e.g., disk I/O and CPU thresholds) and critical failure alerts such as backup interruptions or cluster node failovers.
- Reviewed and optimized ETL workflows, especially those responsible for month-end financial data loads. These pipelines pulled data from external vendors and required manual recovery logic in case of transfer failures. For example, when backups from a third-party system didn’t arrive in time, we manually restored missing data and provided preventive process fixes for future cycles.
Proactive security and compliance improvements
Our client operated in a tightly regulated industry, with rigorous regulatory compliance requirements where data access must be both traceable and tightly controlled. We delivered measurable improvements to their security posture:
- Replaced SQL authentication with Active Directory integration. By leveraging role based access control software and defining AD groups, we aligned access control with enterprise policies and fine-tuned permissions management per database in SQL Server.
- Performed monthly IT security audits to identify orphaned accounts, inactive users, and gaps in multi-factor authentication (MFA) adoption. These reports were regularly delivered to compliance officers.
Expert support for Snowflake environments
As Snowflake became central to their BI workflows, we adapted quickly to support this evolving platform:
- Automated data ingestion routines using Python scripts and Snowflake’s COPY INTO command, reducing the overhead of manually uploading vendor files.
- Resolved cross-tool compatibility issues across their BI stack — e.g., Power BI and SSRS connectivity failures due to driver mismatches or ODBC misconfigurations.
We also helped onboard new internal teams by creating documentation outlining best practices for schema design and cost-effective query patterns.
Infrastructure optimization and third-party integrations
Stability wasn’t only about databases — it extended to the systems surrounding them.
- Tuned VMware environments that hosted many SQL Server instances. We adjusted vCPU allocations, memory reservations, and storage latency thresholds based on usage analytics.
- Supported gateway implementations for key third-party systems, including Salesforce and MeridianLink. For MeridianLink specifically, we managed the Python-based DataDirect integration, which ingested XML-based CLF (Common Lending Format) exports and transformed them into relational structures inside SQL Server and Snowflake.
- Deployed and documented infrastructure for JasperSoft, including setting up JDBC drivers and configuration parameters for secure access.
Structured, responsive incident management
To provide reliable and timely support, we adopted a structured IT Service Management (ITSM) approach:
- Defined ticket priorities (P1–P5) based on incident criticality and system impact. For example, a failed production backup on a reporting server triggered a P2 ticket with a 15-minute response and 2-hour resolution SLA.
- Used Jira as a single point of intake, logging all incidents, requests, and change tickets with traceable SLA metrics.
- Provided mentoring to internal teams — explaining the root causes of performance issues, sharing SQL tuning techniques, and assisting in test case creation for new reports.
We also regularly updated the client’s operational playbook, including SOPs for failover testing, index rebuild scheduling, and performance baseline reporting.
Outcomes
Through our tailored, proactive approach, the client experienced tangible benefits:
- Improved reliability: Since ABCloudz took over their database management, the client hasn’t faced significant operational disruptions during critical financial reporting periods.
- Increased internal productivity: Their internal teams shifted from reactive troubleshooting to strategic innovation and internal process improvement, significantly enhancing their productivity.
- Enhanced security and compliance posture: Regular audits and streamlined security practices reduced risk, improving the client’s confidence in their compliance standing.
- Cost-effective scalability: Leveraging our managed services model allowed the client to maintain a lean internal team while effectively scaling their IT capabilities through external expertise.
If you’d like to see how we’ve delivered similar value in other industries, take a look at our Operational Data Management case study for a global biotech leader.
Why ABCloudz becomes a trusted partner
Our client partnership is founded on transparency, flexibility, and deep technical expertise. We provide not just routine support, but genuine ownership of database and infrastructure challenges. This allows our clients to confidently refocus internal efforts on delivering strategic initiatives, knowing their core operations remain secure, compliant, and efficient.
Whether you’re facing similar database management challenges, struggling with limited IT resources, or looking for proactive, reliable external support, ABCloudz can provide the tailored managed services you need.
Reach out today, and let’s discuss how our managed services can help your organization achieve operational excellence.
