Introduction

The Challenge

The company faced several challenges as it planned the migration of its Odoo ERP system to the cloud. Firstly, they needed a solution that complied to ISO27001 & ISAE3402 standards to meet stringent security requirements. This was crucial for safeguarding their data and ensuring compliance with international security norms. Secondly, the company required a rapid deployment capability for their ERP to minimize downtime and maintain business continuity. This need for speed extended to the critical areas of backup and recovery, which had to be automated to ensure that the system could quickly recover from any data loss incident, thus supporting their daily operations without significant disruption. These challenges necessitated a robust, compliant, and efficient cloud solution.

The Solution

The solution involved deploying Odoo 16 on a Kubernetes/OpenShift platform, with PostgreSQL as a managed service to handle databases, backups, scalability, and maintenance. A GitLab CI pipeline was established to package the application into Docker containers and deploy it across various stages, including test, pre-production, and production. The pre-production environment mirrored production, using data from the latest backup to ensure the reliability of the restore process. The platform fully managed Odoo’s operations, with 24x7 on-call operations to handle scaling, monitoring, alerting, and resource limits.

Implementation Process

• Requirements Analysis: Analyze software needs and compliance requirements for ISO27001.
• Odoo Operations Architecture: Design a cloud architecture for Odoo that enhances security and efficiency.
• Container Image Customization: Adapt the Odoo container image to meet specific business and compliance requirements.
• CI Pipeline Engineering: Develop a CI pipeline for automated testing and deployment across multiple stages (test, pre-production, production).
• Testing and Deployment: Extensive testing is performed to ensure functionality and compliance. Automate deployment to reduce downtime and errors.
• Operations Documentation: Create runbooks detailing operational procedures and emergency responses.
• Automated Backup and Recovery: Set up automated systems for data backup and fast recovery to support daily operations.

Results Achieved

• Streamlined Development Process: Enhanced productivity and accelerated deployment cycles through optimized workflows.
• Faster Deployment Cycles: Quicker turnaround times for new features and updates, keeping the company competitive in a fast-paced market.
• Enhanced Security Measures: Elevated security protocols meet high standards for privacy and compliance.
• Improved Scalability: Cloud infrastructure allows for easy scaling, supporting growth without compromising performance.
• 24x7 SLA: Continuous operational support with a commitment to rapid response times enhances reliability and customer satisfaction.
• Enhanced System Reliability: Overall improvements in system stability ensure consistent user experiences.

Lessons Learned

The project highlighted several challenges and learning opportunities:

• Achieving high availability while maintaining strict security and privacy was complex.
• Integrating Odoo, traditionally a file-focused application, into a modern cloud infrastructure that favors object storage presented challenges.
• Resource management for CPU and RAM required significant customization to align with both Odoo's needs and Kubernetes' resource management capabilities.