How Middleware Helped MindOrigin Cut Observability Costs by 75%

With Middleware, MindOrigin streamlined its infrastructure management, unified log data to meet regulatory requirements, and reduced observability costs by 75%.

MindOrigin is a FinTech product company specializing in platforms for stockbrokers, investment firms, and banking industries. The company builds bespoke trading applications, investment platforms, payment gateways, connected banking systems, onboarding tools, back-office solutions, and communication platforms. As a white-labeled solution provider, their business relied on three key pillars:

• Maintain Compliance: Ensure that all systems and processes adhere to regulatory requirements and industry standards by conducting regular audits, updates, and adjustments to align with evolving compliance frameworks.
• Ensure Uptime: Guarantee the availability and reliability of our platforms by proactively monitoring infrastructure, addressing potential issues promptly, and minimizing downtime.
• Information Logging and Data Collection: Maintain accurate and comprehensive logs of system activities and collect relevant data to meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs), which is crucial for performance analysis, troubleshooting, and ensuring accountability.

Recognizing the Need for Observability

However, as they delved deeper into the financial sector, they encountered a perfect storm of challenges While compliance and log management were becoming increasingly intricate, their IT systems began growing in scale and complexity, and they faced difficulties in identifying and resolving issues on time. Traditional monitoring approaches lacked the depth and integration to provide real-time, actionable insights across their infrastructure.

But what made this challenge even more formidable was the regulatory requirement imposed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and stock exchanges, which mandated that financial institutions maintain a minimum of six years of data logs, including user actions like order placement and execution. This requirement, designed to ensure transparency and accountability, raised the stakes to an all-time high, and the consequences of non-compliance were dire, making it imperative for MindOrigin to find a solution.

MindOrigin's initial approach to managing these logs through their databases was akin to trying to hold water in their hands. This approach very quickly proved inefficient, as it was difficult to store, manage, and analyze the vast amounts of log data. The sheer volume of log data was overwhelming, making it difficult to store, manage, and analyze.

It was evident that MindOrigin needed a new approach to providing a clearer understanding of its infrastructure by centralizing log management, monitoring system performance, enabling faster issue resolution, and helping it stay on top of regulatory requirements. The question was, what would be the catalyst for this transformation? This question ultimately led them to the concept of observability.

Legacy Observability Solutions Missed the Mark

Before adopting Middleware, MindOrigin explored various observability solutions like Datadog, New Relic, and Signoz to address their monitoring and logging needs.

However, the team found that the interfaces were often overwhelming, making it challenging to extract actionable insights, and the support was frequently inadequate, leading to prolonged resolution times. Furthermore, the pricing models and rigid architectures limited MindOrigin's ability to customize the solutions to their specific requirements, ultimately leading to unsustainable costs and inefficiencies.

These challenges led MindOrigin to search for a more suitable alternative, ultimately adopting Middleware to address its observability needs.

A Turning Point: Discovering Middleware

It was a typical day for Prajwal, browsing through articles on YourStory, when he stumbled upon Middleware . This chance discovery would prove to be a pivotal moment for MindOrigin!

As Prajwal delved deeper into Middleware's offerings, he was struck by the team's immediate support and personalized assistance. What set Middleware apart from other observability solutions was their willingness to listen and understand MindOrigin's unique needs rather than going for the one-size-fits-all approach. This human touch and dedication to customer success left a lasting impression on Prajwal, and he knew that he had found the perfect partner to help MindOrigin overcome its observability challenges.

The implementation process was remarkably smooth, with the Middleware team providing excellent support throughout. One of the key advantages was the ease of integration with Golang, Node.js, and Python, which made it simple to get up and running. Additionally, the learning curve was linear and intuitive, unlike other solutions that had a steep and exponential curve, making it easy for the team to learn and master the platform. This seamless onboarding experience was a significant factor in the overall success of the project.

Middleware's Lasting Impact

Middleware has made a significant difference in MindOrigin's operations, and its impact can be seen in various aspects of the business.

Cost-Effectiveness and Scalability

The choice of Middleware was largely due to its Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

The cost-effectiveness also led MindOrigin to implement observability across its IT infrastructure without budget constraints, improving its operational efficiency and decision-making overall.

Faster MTTR and Improved Uptime

Operational Efficiencies and Strategic Growth

Furthermore, Middleware has yielded significant operational efficiencies for MindOrigin, including a 25% improvement in resource utilization and a 75% reduction in time spent on root cause analysis for infrastructure issues. By streamlining resource allocation and minimizing downtime, MindOrigin has been able to redirect its team's focus toward more strategic and high-impact initiatives.

Overall, the implementation of Middleware had a profound impact on MindOrigin's business, driving cost savings, enhancing its monitoring capabilities, and informing better decision-making.