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This post is authored by Alex Johnson, CTO of Tech Innovations.
Tech Innovations was established in 2005, embarking on a journey typical of early 2000s travel technology companies. Initially, the firm developed software and engaged customers who operated these solutions on-site or through third-party hosting services. As both Tech Innovations and its clients evolved, a shift towards a Software as a Service (SaaS) model became clear. Initially, this involved deploying and managing solutions on rented server space.
However, the necessity for a strategic framework that could facilitate a sustainable and cost-effective delivery of our SaaS solutions soon became evident. Although we may have been somewhat late to the cloud adoption, since 2017, Tech Innovations has been dedicated to utilizing AWS.
Preparing for New Distribution Capabilities with ANA
Reflecting on March 2019 might feel like looking back at a different universe now that we’re in 2020. It was during this month that Tech Innovations partnered with All Nippon Airways (ANA), promising to launch an innovative platform by March 2020. We had no idea what challenges lay ahead.
ANA, Japan’s premier airline and a five-star rated company for seven consecutive years, chose Tech Innovations to implement its New Distribution Capability (NDC). Given ANA’s stature, our solution needed to be scalable, secure, and high-performing. The vast scope of this project necessitated a comprehensive cloud solution.
Designing the System
Creating a robust NDC solution required a complex network of systems, services, and personnel connected globally. Tech Innovations aimed to deliver not only exceptional customer experiences but also empower airline users to access necessary systems and information from any location, department, or technical background.
ANA’s internal systems, housed in their data center, required seamless interaction with components across Tokyo, Frankfurt, and Ireland. By leveraging AWS services like VPC Peering and AWS Transit Gateway, Tech Innovations ensured smooth connectivity among these systems. To facilitate effective communication and optimize delivery processes, we employed distributed teams situated in Ireland, Spain, Poland, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
Tech Innovations crafted the architecture with the assistance of AWS Solutions Architects in both Europe and Japan, validating our architectural choices and offering insights on the best methods to reach our objectives. Their expertise was particularly beneficial for development, testing, and deployment phases.
Navigating Unforeseen Disruptions
Like many, we were unprepared for the magnitude of upcoming changes and the importance of a cloud-based development and delivery approach. The pandemic brought unprecedented turmoil to the airline sector. With a few insights into the situation unfolding in China and Hong Kong—thanks to our 17 airline clients in China—we watched as global travel came to a halt almost overnight.
Tech Innovations had pledged to ANA that the NDC program would go live in March 2020, right in the midst of a worldwide crisis. Traditionally, our team had a strong onsite presence during customer launches, but the pandemic meant no one from Tech Innovations could travel to Tokyo for the transition. The pressing question was whether we could execute this remotely, with both teams working from home. No one had attempted a remote launch before, and we had no prior experience to rely upon. However, factors such as a strong client relationship, well-organized teams, and the AWS distributed development model gave us confidence in achieving the go-live.
An interesting aspect during this remote transition was the increased demand for operational insights and analytics. Face-to-face meetings and emails were insufficient for both teams. Using AWS Elasticsearch Service during the launch allowed both Tech Innovations and ANA to access critical logs and metrics, ensuring confidence in data regarding:
- NDC API performance (throughput, response time)
- Third-party supplier performance, like Skyscanner
- A reliable error dashboard
Collaborating Amidst Chaos
Unexpected benefits arose from our initial architecture and approach, which had been designed pre-pandemic. Thanks to our collaboration with AWS, Tech Innovations implemented stateless architecture, Auto Scaling groups, and container technologies, allowing our AWS-based solutions to adapt dynamically to varying traffic levels. As we witnessed drastic fluctuations in airline demand during the pandemic, our solution proved adept for the new realities of air travel.
All our international clients were hosted across various AWS Regions, enabling Tech Innovations teams to manage these environments from home. Our experience with AWS instilled confidence that the ANA project’s go-live had a promising chance of success. The partnership between the ANA team, Tech Innovations, and the robust AWS infrastructure led to the delivery of a remarkable solution that not only weathered the pandemic but thrived in the “new normal.”
I want to express my gratitude to the teams at Tech Innovations, ANA, and AWS, who navigated these challenging times while working from home. This achievement was remarkable given the circumstances.
Looking Ahead
So, what lies ahead? Primarily, our focus will be on integrating more distribution partners and expanding inventory. Like the broader travel sector, we are preparing for the surge in travel demand that is already emerging, looking beyond just the immediate horizon.
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