Modernizing Mission-Critical Applications in AWS
The Challenge
A federal law enforcement agency needed to modernize aging applications and infrastructure while maintaining the security, availability, and operational requirements of mission-critical systems.
The environment included legacy mainframe and on-premises applications, aging database technologies, and workloads with federal security requirements ranging from Low to High impact. The agency was moving applications into AWS and expanding its enterprise cloud platform, but modernization required more than migrating workloads. Applications had to be assessed, secured, tested, authorized, and integrated into a cloud environment that could support ongoing operations and future development.
The agency also needed to improve the speed and consistency of infrastructure provisioning while maintaining strong governance and security controls.
KITC's Role
KITC provides cloud engineering, cybersecurity, application modernization, DevSecOps, and quality assurance support across the agency's enterprise cloud program.
Our team supports the AWS-based Enterprise Cloud Platform used to provision and operate cloud infrastructure for agency applications. KITC performs infrastructure provisioning, environment configuration, cloud operations, security engineering, deployment support, and ongoing platform improvements.
Automation is a key part of the platform. KITC supports automated infrastructure provisioning and governance, helping standardize how cloud environments are configured and deployed. This work has reduced deployment timelines by 40% while maintaining the security standards required for federal workloads.
Moving Legacy Applications to the Cloud
KITC has supported the migration and modernization of more than 30 mission-critical legacy applications from mainframe and on-premises environments to modern cloud solutions.
The work includes applications transitioning from legacy DB2 databases and on-premises Java platforms to cloud-based architectures. KITC supports the infrastructure, application migration, security integration, deployment, and DevSecOps activities required to move these systems into AWS.
KITC also supports enterprise application modernization using Salesforce, helping transition legacy business processes into integrated digital workflows. The team provides development, integration, testing, and deployment support as these applications move away from fragmented legacy processes.
Quality assurance is built into the modernization work. KITC develops and executes test plans and test cases, validates requirements, documents and tracks defects, supports User Acceptance Testing, and verifies that identified issues are addressed before deployment or production use.
Securing High-Impact Federal Systems
KITC provides cybersecurity and Information Assurance support for systems ranging from Low to High impact, including FISMA High workloads.
The team supports the complete Assessment and Authorization lifecycle, including security control assessments, risk assessments, vulnerability scanning, system hardening, remediation and POA&M management, continuous monitoring, security documentation, and ATO execution and sustainment.
KITC supports approximately five ATO decisions each year, giving the agency ongoing cybersecurity support as systems are modernized, changed, and introduced into the cloud environment.
One FISMA High system presented a particularly demanding authorization challenge. The agency required a 100% assessment of the system's security controls within a compressed timeframe. KITC guided agency leadership and technical teams through the assessment, clarified requirements, addressed knowledge gaps, coordinated completion of the required control assessments, and helped the agency achieve its ATO within the required timeframe.
The Results
30+ mission-critical applications modernized. KITC has supported the migration and modernization of more than 30 applications from legacy mainframe and on-premises environments to modern cloud solutions.
40% faster deployment timelines. Automated provisioning and governance reduced deployment timelines by 40%, improving the speed and consistency of cloud deployments.
Approximately five ATO decisions supported annually. KITC provides ongoing A&A and cybersecurity support across systems with varying impact levels, helping the agency maintain authorization and audit readiness as its technology environment changes.
FISMA High ATO achieved under a compressed schedule. KITC helped complete a 100% security control assessment for a FISMA High system and supported successful authorization within the timeframe established by agency management.
Integrated modernization support. KITC's responsibilities span cloud infrastructure, application migration, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Salesforce development, and quality assurance, allowing modernization activities to progress across interconnected technical workstreams.
Supporting an Ongoing Modernization Program
KITC continues to support the agency's enterprise cloud environment and application portfolio as additional systems move away from legacy infrastructure.
The team's responsibilities span both the cloud platform and the applications operating within it, from infrastructure provisioning and security engineering to application migration, testing, authorization, and ongoing cloud operations. This gives KITC an active role throughout the modernization lifecycle rather than at a single stage of the migration.
