Application and Database Migration to Oracle Cloud

The CWC Story

Central Water Commission is a premier Technical Organization of India in the field of Water Resources and is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development. It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required. Central Water Commission CWC is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India. The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings namely, Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing. Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time Member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India and comprising of number of Organizations responsible for the disposal of tasks and duties falling within their assigned scope of functions.

Background and Challenge

CWC was operating a collocated Data Centre. The servers included a mix of Oracle Database and MySQL Database servers to maintain the data, which comprises different management portals, and dynamic data to keep a complete track of their product range, clients, and research related to various portals of CWC such as Budget Management, Bio Data, Dharma Portal, Epams, and E-flow.

Although CWC had sufficient resources to manage their existing IT needs, they encountered several critical issues such as data latency, system downtimes, and difficulty in scaling their infrastructure. Their zeal for full digitization to address challenges such as high availability and scalability of their application servers and databases globally, for assisting their clients in meeting ongoing and developing needs, encouraged CWC to move to cloud services for these management portals to address advanced digital needs and challenges.

Proposed Solution

CWC aims to migrate its mixed Oracle Database and MySQL Database environment to Oracle Cloud to address issues like data latency, system downtimes, and scalability challenges. The migration plan will ensure high availability, improved performance, and enhanced scalability to meet current and future demands.

Migration Strategy(Lift and shift)

1. Design: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Design: Architect the target OCI environment, including:

Virtual Cloud Network (VCN)
Subnets
Security lists and rules
Load balancers
Database instances

Database Design:

Oracle Database: Oracle Database Migrated to Instances.

MySQL Database: MySQL databases migrated to OCI Managed MySQL.

2. Migration Execution

Pre-Migration Testing:

Test the OCI environment setup.
Validate network connectivity and security configurations.

Database Migration:

Oracle Database:

Use Oracle Data Pump for data migration.

MySQL Database:

Use MySQL Shell’s Dump and Load Utility or MySQL Workbench.

3. Tools and Services

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Core cloud platform.

Oracle MySQL Database Service: Managed database service for MySQL.

Oracle Data Pump: Data export and import utility.

Oracle Cloud Monitoring: Real-time monitoring and alerts.

By migrating to Oracle Cloud, CWC achieved improved data access speeds, reduced downtime, and enhanced scalability. This transition supports their goal of full digitization, ensuring their systems are robust, secure, and capable of meeting evolving business demands. The proposed migration strategy focuses on minimizing disruptions and ensuring a seamless transition to the cloud environment, empowering CWC to better serve their clients globally.

Outcome

The migration of CWC’s Oracle and MySQL databases to Oracle Cloud successfully addressed the critical issues of data latency, system downtimes, and scalability challenges. The transition facilitated enhanced performance, high availability, and seamless scalability, aligning with CWC’s digital transformation goals.

Key Outcomes

1. Reduced Data Latency:

Real-Time Data Access: Migrating to Oracle Cloud enabled real-time data access across all CWC’s global locations, significantly reducing data latency.
Optimized Network Performance: Oracle Cloud’s global network infrastructure ensured optimal data transmission speeds, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency.

2. Scalability and Performance:

Elastic Scaling: The cloud environment allowed CWC to dynamically scale resources based on demand, ensuring that the infrastructure could handle growing data volumes and user loads without performance degradation.
Performance Optimization: Advanced performance tuning and optimization techniques, coupled with Oracle Cloud’s high-performance computing capabilities, led to improved database and application performance.

3. Enhanced Security and Compliance:

Advanced Security Measures: Oracle Cloud Guard and Oracle Data Safe provided comprehensive security monitoring and management, ensuring that CWC’s data and applications were secure.
Compliance Adherence: The migration ensured that CWC’s IT environment complied with industry standards and regulatory requirements, enhancing trust with clients and stakeholders.

4. Operational Efficiency:

Streamlined Management: Oracle Cloud’s centralized management tools simplified IT operations, reducing the administrative overhead and allowing CWC’s IT team to focus on strategic initiatives.
Proactive Monitoring: Real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities helped in early detection and resolution of potential issues, minimizing disruptions and maintaining high service levels.

5. Support for Digital Transformation:

Modernized IT Infrastructure: The migration to Oracle Cloud modernized CWC’s IT infrastructure, supporting their goal of full digitization and enabling the development and deployment of innovative solutions.
Agility and Innovation: The cloud environment provided the agility needed for rapid deployment of new features and services, fostering innovation and improving CWC’s competitive edge.

Quantitative Benefits

50% Reduction in Data Latency: Achieved through optimized cloud infrastructure and real-time data access capabilities.
99.99% System Uptime: Ensured by Oracle Cloud’s high availability and redundancy features.
30% Cost Savings: Realized from reduced infrastructure maintenance costs and efficient resource utilization in the cloud.
25% Improvement in Application Performance: Due to advanced performance tuning and high-performance computing capabilities of Oracle Cloud.