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Orion implemented a robust DevOps platform built on GitLab. This enabled automated CI/CD pipelines, Azure Infrastructure provisioning, secure configuration management, and intelligent traffic orchestration through F5 BIG-IP.

The customer is a leading global telecommunications technology provider supporting large-scale messaging and network infrastructure environments, delivering mission critical communication services.

Challenge

As the customer expanded its cloud-native infrastructure and Kubernetes-based deployment environments, several operational and engineering challenges emerged:

  • Inconsistent and largely manual deployment processes across Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) environments.
  • Limited automation and lack of standardized CI/CD workflows impacted deployment speed, consistency, and scalability.
  • The provision of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) environments was manually triggered via Terraform modules.
  • The MMSC components were manually configured via the Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MMSC) GUI.
  • Managing dynamic configuration parameters such as IPs, URLs, timers, and runtime variables required extensive manual effort.
  • Application deployment changes required corresponding F5 updates, creating operational dependencies and delays in service availability.
  • Restricted access to F5 infrastructure required all changes to be executed through APIs and automation frameworks.
  • Existing Ansible playbooks and TCL-based iRules required optimization to improve maintainability and operational efficiency.
  • Testing, approval workflows, and deployment governance lacked seamless integration within the deployment lifecycle.

Solution

Orion Innovation designed and implemented a comprehensive DevOps and F5 automation framework tailored for telecom-grade infrastructure environments.

The solution combined CI/CD enablement, Kubernetes deployment automation, secure configuration management, F5 orchestration, and integrated testing workflows into a unified operational model.

CI/CD Automation and AKS Enablement

A scalable deployment framework was developed using GitLab to automate deployment workflows for MMSC applications running on Azure Kubernetes Service.

Key capabilities included:

  • Setup the GitLab platform from scratch to enable automated deployments to the Azure Kubernetes
  • Developed a multi-stage pipeline framework for provisioning of infrastructure, deployment of MMSC and configuration of MMSC components.
  • Automated the provisioning of the complete Azure environments for MMSC with Terraform and GitLab pipelines
  • Developed automated GitLab CI/CD pipelines for deployment of Docker images stored in Azure Container Registry for MMSC
  • Standardized release versioning, tagging, and release note management for Docker images and Helm charts.
  • Configuration-driven deployment management for environment-specific variables, including IPs, URLs, and runtime parameters.
  • Secure configuration and secrets management using Azure Key Vault.
  • Integrated approval gates and deployment validation workflows within CI/CD pipelines.
  • Enabled automated fresh installs, version upgrades, and patch deployments across AKS environments.
  • Automated notifications for deployment approvals, validation checkpoints, and post-deployment activities. 

Test Harness Integration and Deployment Governance

To strengthen release governance and testing automation, the deployment pipelines were integrated with the client’s proprietary testing environment.

Key enhancements included:

  • Test Harness trigger integration directly within CI/CD workflows.
  • Automated testing approval gates post-deployment and configuration.
  • Supporting technical documentation, including ERS, HLD, LLD, Design Documentation, MOPs, and operational procedures for engineering teams.

F5 Automation and Traffic Orchestration

To modernize network traffic management and improve operational agility, Orion enhanced the customer’s existing F5 BIG-IP automation framework.

Key capabilities included:

  • Validation and optimization of existing TCL-based iRules.
  • Enhancement of automation workflows using F5 iControl APIs and Ansible-based orchestration.
  • Review and modernization of playbooks for dynamic traffic routing and load balancing updates.
  • Automated synchronization between application deployment changes and F5 configuration updates.
  • Enabled automated F5 configuration deployment workflows using packaged .tar-based configuration updates.
  • Workflow analysis and validation across deployment, traffic management, and infrastructure components.
  • Established structured workflow and change management processes for F5 configuration updates.
  • Implemented operational backup workflows, including UCS and qkviews snapshots for configuration recovery and auditing.
  • Technical recommendations to improve long-term scalability, maintainability, and operational governance.

Impact

The modernization initiative delivered meaningful improvements across deployment automation, operational efficiency, network performance and infrastructure governance:

  • Deployment Efficiency & Standardization
    Standardized CI/CD workflows significantly improved deployment consistency of MMSC across AKS environments while reducing dependency on manual operational activities. Automated deployment orchestration accelerated release readiness and improved operational reliability across distributed engineering teams.
  • Infrastructure Automation
    Automated provisioning of Azure environments with Terraform Infrastructure as Code significantly improved the speed of new environment provisioning and orchestration with CI/CD pipelines streamlined the process.
  • Security and Governance
    Integrated approval gates, secure secrets management, and automated notifications strengthened deployment governance and enhanced operational visibility throughout the release lifecycle.
  • F5 Traffic Management Optimization
    Automated synchronization between application deployments and F5 configuration changes improved application accessibility and reduced operational overhead associated with manual traffic management updates.
  • Scalability & Maintainability
    Modernized Ansible playbooks, optimized iRules, and standardized automation workflows established a scalable operational model capable of supporting future infrastructure growth and evolving deployment requirements.
  • Future-Ready DevOps Foundation
    The engagement established a cloud-native automation foundation positioned to support future enhancements, including intelligent operations, AI-driven monitoring, and advanced deployment orchestration capabilities.
  • Network Performance & Service Reliability
    Automation of F5 traffic management workflows and synchronized configuration updates improved network responsiveness, reduced configuration inconsistencies, and enhanced overall service reliability across distributed telecom environments.

tELECOM, Media Technology

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