FinXP’s cloud-native DevOps transformation

Innowise helped FinXP modernize its financial services infrastructure by migrating legacy PHP-based APIs and applications to a cloud-native architecture.

11 apps

moved from VMs to Azure App Service

100%

Infrastructure as Code

FinXP’s cloud-native DevOps transformation

Industry Fintech

Employees 50+

Region Malta

Services Azure DevOps consulting, Cloud infrastructure modernization

Client since 2024

Client overview

Summarize article with AI

FinXP is a European payments fintech founded in 2014. FinXP helps businesses manage incoming and outgoing payments through IBAN accounts, card issuing, and SEPA Direct Debit. It also offers clearing services, payout solutions, and omnichannel payment gateways.

FinXP is registered with the European Payments Council for SEPA payments, works with SWIFT, and is a principal member of Mastercard. The company is licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority.

Challenge

FinXP needed to modernize the infrastructure that supported its payment services while keeping ongoing operations stable. The main work focused on reducing manual effort, improving security, and preparing the system for cloud-native growth.

Core financial services depended on infrastructure that was hard to scale and maintain.
Manual infrastructure work made delivery less predictable and slowed down changes.
Limited project documentation complicated knowledge transfer and long-term maintenance.
Tasks were often discussed verbally, which reduced transparency in planning and prioritization.
Weak process structure made it harder to manage technical debt and future modernization work.
Security gaps created extra risk for a fintech company operating in a regulated environment.
The internal team needed support with newer DevOps practices, Kubernetes, and containerized deployments.

Legacy PHP applications and APIs made the system more difficult to support, extend, and migrate.
Some infrastructure components ran on older hosting environments and required migration to Azure.
Several cloud resources were outdated, unused, or poorly documented.
Some environments were configured manually, which increased the risk of inconsistencies.
Deployment processes relied on manual actions, which made releases harder to reproduce and control.
Some infrastructure components used public IP addresses, which required additional attention to network isolation, access control, and security hardening.
NATS.io required setup, configuration, and integration with microservices.
Kubernetes infrastructure needed a more secure private setup before broader production use.
Monitoring and logging covered only part of the system, which made troubleshooting harder.
Legacy PHP applications had integration issues with Oracle databases in the new Azure environment.
FTP-based message transfer and Office 365 email delivery created operational issues that required investigation and fixes.

Secure cloud migration

Solution

Innowise joined the project to support FinXP’s infrastructure modernization, improve DevOps practices, and help the client move toward a more secure cloud-native architecture.

Infrastructure assessment and planning

At the start, our DevOps engineer reviewed FinXP’s existing infrastructure, active services, application dependencies, and audit findings. This helped the team move from a broad modernization goal to a practical plan with clear priorities, risks, and next steps.

To focus on the areas that had the greatest impact on stability and future migration, our specialist:

Reviewed existing cloud resources, active services, and application dependencies to understand how the systems interacted and where modernization could create risks.
Analyzed the external audit findings and translated them into practical infrastructure tasks the engineering team could address step by step.
Identified outdated, unused, or poorly documented resources, which helped clarify what needed to be migrated, cleaned up, or kept in place.
Supported infrastructure planning for payment services and API-based applications, with a focus on secure access, scalability, and easier maintenance.
Improved technical documentation in SharePoint so FinXP’s team could track infrastructure decisions, transfer knowledge, and support future changes with less dependency on individual engineers.

Azure and Kubernetes infrastructure setup

FinXP wanted to move toward a more scalable Azure-based architecture. Innowise helped prepare Kubernetes infrastructure that could support microservices, future API migration, and stronger control over cloud environments.

To establish a strong foundation for cloud-native deployment, our team:

Deployed a test Azure Kubernetes cluster so the client could validate the target architecture before moving more services into Kubernetes.
Supported the migration of selected infrastructure components to Azure, helping FinXP reduce fragmentation across hosting environments.
Prepared Kubernetes infrastructure for microservices, which gave the client a foundation for scaling services and managing deployments in a more structured way.
Reviewed older cloud resources and helped define migration priorities, so the team could focus on the systems that mattered most for stability and modernization.
Worked on a private Kubernetes configuration with stronger security controls, helping meet the client’s fintech requirements and reduce unnecessary exposure.
Helped minimize reliance on public access points across infrastructure components to make the future environment safer and easier to govern.

NATS.io implementation

FinXP selected NATS.io to support communication between microservices. Innowise helped prepare the messaging infrastructure and worked with the client’s developers during integration.

To help the team implement and test a more scalable approach to service communication, we:

Installed and configured a test NATS.io cluster to give developers a working environment for early integration.
Created the supporting infrastructure for NATS.io, so the messaging layer could fit into the broader Kubernetes-based architecture.
Prepared Helm-based configuration for NATS.io deployment, making future setup easier to reproduce and maintain.
Helped developers connect their services to the messaging layer and checked how those services behaved outside local environments.
Tested microservices in the cluster environment, which helped reveal issues that did not appear during local development.
Troubleshot integration issues as services moved toward Kubernetes, helping the team keep modernization work on track without blocking developers.

Legacy application migration and Azure Web App setup

FinXP still relied on legacy PHP applications that supported active business processes. These services had to remain stable as the company moved toward a modern architecture, so the migration needed a careful approach.

To keep legacy systems operational while moving them closer to the new architecture, our team:

Moved the UAT environment to Azure Web App, giving FinXP a more manageable platform for acceptance testing.
Set up automated deployment for the UAT environment to reduce manual release steps and improve update consistency.
Configured legacy PHP applications in the new Azure setup, helping the client keep older services operational during the transition.
Supported integration between legacy applications and Oracle databases, which helped protect business continuity during infrastructure changes.
Set up FTP connectivity and resolved message transfer issues, removing blockers that affected data exchange.
Helped investigate email delivery issues related to Office 365, supporting stable communication from application-related workflows.

DevOps automation with Terraform, Helm, and CI/CD

The client’s deployment processes still required manual work. Innowise started introducing automation across infrastructure and application delivery to make environments easier to reproduce and releases easier to control.

To successfully replace one-off manual actions with repeatable DevOps practices, our engineer:

Started developing Terraform scripts for new APIs, laying the groundwork for infrastructure-as-code (IaC) across future environments.
Prepared IaC practices to make configuration changes easier to review, reproduce, and track.
Created and adjusted Helm charts for Kubernetes workloads, so deployments could follow a more consistent structure.
Planned API deployment in Kubernetes, connecting infrastructure automation with the client’s broader API modernization roadmap.
Supported the move toward more mature CI/CD pipelines, helping the team reduce reliance on manual deployment steps.
Introduced repeatable deployment practices to help FinXP scale delivery as more services move into Kubernetes.

Security-focused infrastructure improvement

Security remained a major priority because FinXP operates in fintech. Innowise supported infrastructure changes aimed at safer access, stronger isolation, and better control over cloud resources.

To strengthen security and access control at the infrastructure level, our specialist:

Planned private Kubernetes infrastructure to support a more secure model for running financial services.
Supported VPN-based access to client systems, helping the team maintain controlled entry points into the infrastructure.
Helped improve network isolation across cloud environments, eliminating the risks associated with broad system exposure.
Reduced public exposure of infrastructure components, which aligned the architecture with stricter security expectations.
Supported certificate-based access practices to add another layer of control over infrastructure access.
Updated and configured SonarQube across all repositories, expanding its use from partial coverage to broader code quality and security control.
Added Snyk to strengthen vulnerability detection across project dependencies and support earlier issue discovery in the development flow.
Contributed to discussions around cybersecurity monitoring, DevSecOps, and Azure security, helping FinXP shape the next stage of its security roadmap.

Monitoring, logging, and audit support

As more services moved toward Kubernetes, FinXP needed better visibility into infrastructure behavior. Innowise supported audit-related improvements and helped the client prepare a stronger monitoring and logging approach.

To give the client a clearer view of infrastructure health and support future security audits, we:

Reviewed gaps in monitoring and logging to understand where troubleshooting could become difficult.
Supported audit-related infrastructure improvements, helping the client turn assessment findings into concrete technical actions.
Worked with existing monitoring tools for core services, so the team could continue tracking important infrastructure behavior during modernization.
Configured Log Analytics and Azure Monitor to give the team broader visibility into cloud resources, application behavior, and infrastructure events.
Set up Azure Managed Grafana with dashboards, giving FinXP a more convenient way to track service health and infrastructure metrics.
Configured alerting workflows in areas with limited or missing notifications to help the team respond to infrastructure issues faster.
Supported the selection of ClickHouse for log collection, giving the client a path toward more structured log storage and analysis.
Prepared the infrastructure for better troubleshooting, especially as services move from older environments to Kubernetes.
Helped create a clearer view of enterprise infrastructure through network diagrams, which supported planning, communication, and future maintenance.

Process improvement and team support

Innowise also helped FinXP improve day-to-day engineering practices. Our DevOps engineer supported the client’s team with recommendations, mentoring, troubleshooting, and hands-on support during service integration.

To turn daily technical work into a more structured modernization effort, our engineer:

Joined daily technical meetings to align on priorities, discuss blockers, and keep infrastructure work connected to development tasks.
Shared infrastructure recommendations with technical stakeholders, helping them choose practical improvements instead of short-term fixes.
Mentored the client’s DevOps engineer on DNS, containers, and deployment tasks to strengthen the internal team’s cloud-native skills.
Supported developers during API testing and service integration, helping them adapt services to the new infrastructure.
Assisted in creating Postman collections for new API checks, which made testing more organized and easier to reproduce.
Investigated database connection issues during API testing and removed blockers before they could slow down integration work.
Recommended improvements for documentation, task tracking, and DevOps processes, giving the client a more transparent way to manage technical change.

Technologies

Security and access management

VPN, certificate-based authentication, private IP addressing, Darktrace

Development and API modernization

PHP, Go, microservices, Postman

Containerization and orchestration

Docker, Kubernetes, Helm

Cloud and infrastructure

Azure, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Web App, Azure VPN Gateway, Microsoft Entra ID, virtual machines

Messaging and integration

NATS.io, FTP, Office 365, Oracle databases, REST API

CI/CD and code quality

GitHub Actions, SonarQube

Monitoring and logging

Grafana, ClickHouse

Infrastructure automation

Terraform, Helm charts

Team

Senior DevOps Engineer

Results

Project duration

July 2024 – Ongoing

The project is still ongoing, but FinXP has already gained a stronger foundation for cloud-native infrastructure, safer operations, and more predictable DevOps processes.

FinXP received a clearer modernization path for its core API infrastructure, with Kubernetes, Azure, NATS.io, Terraform, and Helm forming the basis for future growth.
The move from older hosting environments to Azure reduced infrastructure fragmentation and made the setup easier to manage.
The test Azure Kubernetes cluster gave the client a practical basis for moving microservices from manual or VM-based setups to containerized deployment.
The NATS.io setup created a foundation for more reliable communication between microservices as the client continues its API modernization.
The UAT migration to Azure Web App made the testing environment more stable and prepared it for automated deployment.
The integration of legacy PHP applications with Oracle databases helped the client keep existing business-critical services running during modernization.
The shift toward private Kubernetes infrastructure and VPN-based access reduced security risks linked to public infrastructure exposure.
Terraform and Helm work started moving the client away from manual infrastructure changes toward repeatable, version-controlled deployments.
Improvements to monitoring, logging, and audit-related infrastructure gave the client better visibility into system behavior and future security needs.
Documentation and process recommendations made technical work easier to track, share, and maintain across the client’s team.
Mentoring for the client’s DevOps engineer helped the internal team handle DNS, containers, and deployment tasks with more confidence.
Day-to-day troubleshooting across FTP, Office 365, certificates, and cluster behavior helped remove operational blockers and keep modernization work moving.
Security checks became broader and more systematic thanks to SonarQube configuration across repositories and Snyk-based dependency scanning.
Infrastructure visibility improved with Log Analytics, Azure Monitor, and Azure Managed Grafana dashboards.
Incident response became more structured through alerting workflows in areas where notifications were previously limited.

Secure cloud migration

Related cases

Contact us

Book a call or fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you once we’ve processed your request.

Name

Company

Phone

Message

Send us a voice message

Attach documents

Upload file

You can attach 1 file up to 2MB. Valid file formats: pdf, jpg, jpeg, png.

By clicking Send, you consent to Innowise processing your personal data per our Privacy Policy to provide you with relevant information. By submitting your phone number, you agree that we may contact you via voice calls, SMS, and messaging apps. Calling, message, and data rates may apply.

You can also send us your request
to contact@innowise.com

What happens next?

Once we’ve received and processed your request, we’ll get back to you to detail your project needs and sign an NDA to ensure confidentiality.

After examining your wants, needs, and expectations, our team will devise a project proposal with the scope of work, team size, time, and cost estimates.

We’ll arrange a meeting with you to discuss the offer and nail down the details.

Finally, we’ll sign a contract and start working on your project right away.