3. OpenSearch Migration & FedRAMP / GovCloud Compliance
Overview
Directed the architectural migration of legacy search clusters to managed AWS OpenSearch within strict FedRAMP Moderate and AWS GovCloud federal regulatory environments. Architected a highly resilient dual-write pipeline using AWS SQS message queues and Python to index hundreds of millions of threat logs concurrently across legacy Elasticsearch and target AWS OpenSearch clusters with zero production downtime. Enforced rigorous FedRAMP compliance controls including FIPS 140-2 encryption, automated snapshot lifecycles, and fine-grained IAM access control via Terraform. Engineered OpenSearch Index State Management (ISM) policies to transition aging log indexes through hot, warm, and cold storage tiers, cutting infrastructure storage expenditures by 35% while preserving instant search availability.
Challenge
Migrating production search infrastructure to managed AWS OpenSearch within an AWS GovCloud environment required zero data loss, strict adherence to federal regulatory security baselines (FedRAMP Moderate), and minimal downtime during cutover.
Approach
- Architected a highly resilient dual-write pipeline using AWS SQS message queues, allowing both legacy Elasticsearch and target AWS OpenSearch clusters to receive indexing events simultaneously.
- Enforced FedRAMP Moderate baseline requirements, including FIPS 140-2 encryption at rest and in transit, VPC endpoint isolation, and least-privilege IAM policies with AWS KMS customer-managed keys.
- Configured OpenSearch Index State Management (ISM) to automate rollover, shrink, and transition of indexes from hot NVMe nodes to warm and cold storage tiers.
- Developed automated data-validation and count-reconciliation scripts in Python to confirm document parity between clusters prior to final DNS switchover.
Outcome
Successfully cut over search workloads in AWS GovCloud with zero document loss and no production downtime, while achieving full compliance verification under FedRAMP audit criteria.