AWS Modernization: Transforming Healthcare App into Serverless Powerhouse

Business Challenge

Slow Access to Older Reports and Large PDFs: The platform struggled with slow retrieval times for older medical reports and large PDF documents, impacting workflow efficiency for medical professionals.

Increasing Storage Costs: Unstructured file management led to escalating storage costs, making it difficult to maintain cost-effective operations while scaling.

No Automated Archival Strategy: The lack of an automated archival system meant that all data was stored in expensive primary storage, regardless of access frequency.

Manual Database Backups: The manual backup process was time-consuming, error-prone, and lacked the reliability needed for critical healthcare data.

Limited Visibility into Storage Growth: Without proper monitoring and analytics, the organization had limited insights into storage growth patterns and optimization opportunities.

Voxel required a scalable, durable, low-maintenance, and cost-optimized storage layer that could support thousands of PDF reports, workflow files, logs, and metadata generated daily by medical practitioners.

Solution Overview

Eternal Web Pvt. Ltd. redesigned Voxel using a serverless, storage-optimized architecture on AWS. The solution leverages a comprehensive set of AWS services to deliver a HIPAA-compliant, cost-efficient platform.

• Amazon S3 – Primary Storage Layer: Stores all medical reports, PDFs, images, workflow exports, and logs. Multiple buckets based on data classification (reports, logs, attachments, exports). Active data stored in S3 Standard; archival data automatically transitions to Glacier Deep Archive (90 days). Block Public Access, SSE-S3 encryption, and categorized prefixes for performance.
• Amazon RDS MySQL – Metadata Storage: Stores patient metadata, workflow status, and audit history. Automated backups (7 days) and Point-in-Time Recovery enabled. Single-AZ, cost-optimized deployment with encryption at rest configured to match existing requirements.
• Serverless Compute Layer – AWS Lambda: Handles all logic for report processing, uploads, and workflow automation. Zero EC2/EKS usage; completely event-driven compute. IAM roles use strict least-privilege, scoped per function.
• API & Delivery Layer: Amazon API Gateway (HTTPS) for all API access. CloudFront accelerates download of frequently accessed reports and assets. End-to-end TLS enforced for secure data transmission.
• Backup & Recovery: RDS MySQL uses automated backups and Point-in-Time Recovery for fast database restoration. S3 requires no separate backups due to inherent multi-AZ durability. CloudWatch Logs retained for operational recovery and audit visibility.
• Archival Strategy: Lifecycle policies automatically transition data older than 90 days to Glacier Deep Archive, significantly reducing storage costs while maintaining data accessibility.

Security & Compliance

• IAM roles follow least privilege principles
• No public access to storage buckets
• HTTPS enforced end-to-end
• S3 server-side encryption enabled
• Access logging enabled where applicable
• CloudTrail logs captured at the account level
• HIPAA-compliant architecture ensuring patient data protection

Measurable Results

65% S3 Storage Cost Reduction after implementing Glacier Deep Archive lifecycle rule

Near-Zero Maintenance Overhead due to serverless architecture and lifecycle automation

Faster Report Retrieval using S3 + CloudFront content delivery network

Increased Reliability due to RDS automated backups and Point-in-Time Recovery

Improved Operational Visibility via CloudWatch Logs and monitoring

Enhanced Security & Compliance with HIPAA-compliant architecture and comprehensive access controls