Lucas Dall'Occhio

I collaborated with the lead software developer to design and implement a highly available AWS infrastructure for a client’s suite of services, following AWS best practices.

I played a key role in designing and building a containerized platform using Docker, working closely with the development team to containerize their application and transform it into a fully cloud-native solution. Additionally, I implemented full CI/CD pipelines for both infrastructures, using Terraform and software releases, ensuring efficient and automated deployment processes. This project enabled the client to deploy a new account creation feature for their animation app on a robust and scalable cloud infrastructure.

A large enterprise company needed an AWS expert to do cost audits and optimize its cloud expenses. I analyzed their cost structure and over 25 accounts in three different regions and proposed large optimization projects focusing on cost centers and AWS services. We optimized the expense of over 15 different AWS services like EC2, EBS, S3, Athena, RDS, DynamoDB, and more; it involved hundreds of teams and required a lot of coordination to move forward.

An extensive analysis of reserved instances and savings plans was needed, and many purchases were made to optimize the computation of resources consumed. After a semester of work, many services were shut down, rightsized, or adjusted in their configurations, which meant a nearly $1 million reduction in expenses.

I led the assessment of our client's CI/CD pipelines, identifying failure points and problematic deployments. I designed a resilient, seamless new architecture that accelerated developers' release cycles. Utilizing AWS Well-Architected Framework guidelines, I created a multi-account landing zone and deployed the new infrastructure using Terraform and Terraform Cloud for fully automated, human-free deployments. The client's entire infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines were codified by the project's end, facilitating an easy handover. I also added new environment isolation and GitOps features, enhancing the developer experience.

I led a consulting team for a healthcare software firm, overseeing the migration of over 200 applications from on-premises to the cloud. This extensive project involved several months of on-site work in Chicago, coordinating with a team spread across three different countries and time zones. I set up a HIPAA-compliant, cross-region infrastructure using cloud and security best practices along with state-of-the-art tools. This enabled continuous delivery and fully automated disaster recovery processes, ensuring robust and secure operations.

I assisted a US-based fintech company in migrating from on-premises data centers to AWS. After assessing their stack and needs, I designed a highly available landing zone in AWS using the Well-Architected Framework. The infrastructure was entirely managed with Infrastructure as Code, and the application was re-engineered and re-platformed to run on Kubernetes. All deployments were automated through CI/CD pipelines.

Additionally, I was tasked with cost reduction and successfully reduced AWS bills by up to 60% by leveraging Spot Instances and ARM64-based worker nodes on our Kubernetes clusters. This approach optimized resource utilization and significantly cut operational costs, demonstrating my ability to deliver efficient and cost-effective solutions in cloud environments.

Overall, the project involved a complete transformation of the client's infrastructure, enabling scalable, resilient, and cost-effective operations in the cloud while maintaining high performance and availability.

A SaaS for insurance companies needed expertise and advice on cloud best practices. I was the primary engineer assigned to the client, having to review their stack and services. I designed and delivered a well-architected landing zone based on the fundamental pillars of the framework, such as security, reliability, and operational excellence. The ecosystem relied on serverless applications and EC2 static workers. A part of the process consisted of providing continuous integration and delivery to improve the cadence of the development process and ease the operational overhead. Containerizing vital business logic components were key to improving the QA and testing phases and providing high availability and fault tolerance capabilities in key components. Designing a SOC2-compliant infrastructure was an essential piece of the project.

A startup about to launch its NFT marketplace needed an experienced DevOps professional. I designed and implemented a resilient environment using AWS best practices. I created a multi-account landing zone with a multi-tier, highly available network layout. The applications were re-platformed from ECS to EKS and adapted to run on Kubernetes using Helm charts. Each application had dedicated CI/CD pipelines to build and release code continuously. The entire environment and infrastructure were developed using Terraform, adhering to best practices to deliver a fault-tolerant, highly available, cost-effective solution.

By implementing a multi-account structure, I ensured isolated and secure environments for different stages of development. The Kubernetes clusters provided scalability and resilience, while the CI/CD pipelines facilitated rapid and reliable deployments. This approach enabled the startup to focus on its core business and be confident in the stability and efficiency of its underlying infrastructure. The project highlighted my ability to deliver robust, scalable, and automated solutions in cloud environments, which is critical for supporting a dynamic marketplace's rapid growth and demands.