Case Study: 50% AWS Cost Reduction for a Food Delivery Company
Through a Well-Architected Framework Review
Executive Summary
A popular, fast-growing food delivery company faced critical operational challenges, including frequent system crashes during peak hours and escalating, spiraling, unpredictable AWS cloud costs. Their existing infrastructure, despite being expensive, could not reliably handle the dinner rush, impacting revenue as well as customer trust. KTM One was engaged with the company to diagnose and resolve these issues. By conducting a comprehensive AWS Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR), we identified massive infrastructure overprovisioning and application-level inefficiencies. Our solution involved code and query optimization, infrastructure rightsizing, and architectural hardening. The engagement resulted in a 50% reduction in monthly AWS costs, 100% platform uptime during peak traffic, and a scalable, resilient architecture poised for future growth.
About the Client
The client is a leading player in the competitive food delivery market. Their platform connects thousands of users with hundreds of restaurant partners daily, processing a high volume of transactions, particularly during peak lunch and dinner hours. Their success depends on a seamless, reliable, and fast user experience.
The Challenge: Spiraling Costs and Critical Failures
Despite their rapid growth, the client's cloud infrastructure had become a significant liability. They faced two primary business challenges:
The platform experienced frequent crashes and performance degradation during crucial business hours, leading to lost orders, negative reviews, and brand damage.
A "brute force" approach of adding expensive servers failed to fix root causes, leading to a spiraling AWS bill and a financially unsustainable model.
The core technical issues were unknown, and the team was trapped in a reactive "firefighting" mode. They needed a strategic partner to diagnose the underlying problems using a proven, structured methodology.
The Blueprint for Excellence: The AWS Well-Architected Framework
The key to solving these challenges lies in a methodology designed by AWS itself: The Well-Architected Framework. It is a set of guiding principles and best practices developed by Amazon to help cloud architects build the most secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient infrastructure possible.
The Six Pillars of a Strong Cloud Foundation
Run and monitor systems to deliver business value and continually improve processes.
Protect information, systems, and assets while delivering business value.
Ensure a workload performs its intended function correctly and consistently.
Use computing resources efficiently to meet system requirements.
Avoid or eliminate unneeded cost or suboptimal resources.
Minimize the environmental impacts of running cloud workloads.
Uncover Hidden Risks with a Well-Architected Framework Review (WAFR)
A WAFR is not an audit; it's a collaborative process where certified experts work with you to:
- ✔Assess your current architecture against AWS best practices.
- ✔Identify potential risks, security gaps, and areas of overspending.
- ✔Provide clear, actionable recommendations for improvement.
The result is a comprehensive roadmap to enhance your architecture, ensuring it's not only stable and secure today but also scalable for tomorrow's challenges.
The Solution: A Strategic, Framework-Driven Approach
With this proven framework as our guide, KTM One's engagement was structured in two distinct phases:
Phase 1: Diagnosis via the WAFR Process
- Step 1 (30 Mins): Initial Discovery to understand pain points.
- Step 2 (2 Hours): Deep-Dive Workshop using the AWS Well-Architected Tool.
- Step 3 (60 Mins): Findings & Strategic Roadmap presented.
Key Findings: Massive Infrastructure Overprovisioning & Application/Database Inefficiencies.
Phase 2: Remediation Strategy
- Infrastructure Rightsizing: Replaced oversized instances with a lean, cost-effective configuration.
- Architectural Hardening & Monitoring: Re-architected key components and implemented robust monitoring.
Outcome: Moved from reactive firefighting to proactive management.
The Results: A Landmark Business Transformation
The strategic, framework-driven approach delivered remarkable and measurable results that transformed the client's business operations.
This project is a clear testament to the power of the AWS Well-Architected Framework, proving a review is a high-return investment in financial health, stability, and future growth.
About KTM One
KTM One specializes in robust end-to-end delivery of fintech, cloud, and VAS solutions. Our team of certified experts helps businesses build and maintain secure, scalable, and cost-effective cloud infrastructure.
Facing Similar Challenges with Cloud Costs and Reliability?
Contact KTM One today to schedule your AWS Well-Architected Framework Review and start your journey to a more efficient cloud.
Email us at: biz@ktm.one