Driving Vodafone Greece's CoreIT modernization journey, I designed, setup a team and implemented the CELL platform.

CELL platform is a Kubernetes-based middleware, aiming to accomodate Vodafone Greece's CoreIT enterprize needs, and modernize the Core IT legacy stack using modern technologies.

Project Overview

• Designed and implemented CELL (Componentized Enterprise Logical Layer), a microservices-based architecture for Vodafone Greece.
• Leveraged the TMForum Open Digital Architecture (ODA) blueprint to modernize complex Core IT systems.
• Addressed operational bottlenecks and improved scalability, efficiency, and reusability of microservices.

Key Achievements

1. Automation:
   • Eliminated manual API deployment tasks with Kubernetes Operators, reducing setup time from 2 weeks to 3 seconds.
   • Achieved seamless scaling and regression testing with cluster replication in 16 minutes.
2. Release Management:
   • Solved conflicts in microservices updates by bundling them into reusable, independent CELL Components.
   • Minimized cross-team dependencies using the InnerSource collaboration model.
3. Technology Integration:
   • Developed Kubernetes Operators and used Terraform for infrastructure orchestration and ArgoCD for application deployment.
   • Adopted Apisix Gateway for API exposure and Keycloak for authentication, ensuring secure and scalable API management.

Technical Highlights

• Microservices Development: Used Quarkus for Java-based microservices with Kubernetes-native capabilities.
• Declarative Infrastructure: Standardized deployments using Helm Charts and ODA Component YAML for Kubernetes environments.
• Reusable Architecture: Created a plug-and-play system for deploying microservices across clusters with no additional configuration.

Tech Stack

• Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Terraform, ArgoCD
• API Gateway: Apisix, Keycloak
• Programming Languages: Java (Quarkus), YAML
• CI/CD: Helm, Kubernetes Operators

Results

• Reduced manual operations, saving time and improving efficiency across development and deployment workflows.
• Enhanced scalability and modularity, enabling quick adaptation to evolving business needs.
• Boosted team productivity by decoupling responsibilities and enabling parallel progress.

Public & Media

CELL has been presented during Athens Kubernetes Meetup 22 - you can watch the recording here: