MTN-logo-10

Modernizes and Secures Enterprise Application Landscape on Microsoft Azure to Enable Scalable, Resilient, Cloud-Native Digital Services

Rearchitecting MTN Ghana’s enterprise applications into a secure, scalable, and cloud-native Azure platform using AKS, microservices, and modern DevOps to improve agility, resilience, and service delivery across critical digital systems.

THE CHALLENGE
THE SOLUTION
THE impact
THE CHALLENGE

Legacy Monolithic Systems Limiting Digital Growth

MTN Ghana's critical Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operations Support Systems (OSS) were built on legacy and monolithic architectures, limiting scalability, deployment agility, and performance across its growing digital services ecosystem

  • 1Legacy BSS/OSS systems constraining operational agility
  • 2Monolithic architecture preventing rapid service delivery
  • 3Performance and scalability constraints on high-traffic platforms
Data centre professionals working
THE SOLUTION

A Fully Governed Zero Trust Security Architecture

Reliance Infosystems modernized and rearchitected MTN Ghana's enterprise application ecosystem under Project Nephos — migrating critical workloads into a secure, containerized microservices environment on Microsoft Azure.

  • 1AKS-powered microservices for elastic enterprise workload scaling
  • 2Automated CI/CD pipelines via Azure DevOps and GitHub
  • 3Zero Trust security with Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Sentinel
Data centre professionals working
THE IMPACT

Business Impact

Project Nephos delivered measurable transformation across MTN Ghana's enterprise application landscape.

  • 1Modernized 9+ enterprise applications including MADAPI, myMTN Next-Gen, MTN One, Ventas, and others.
  • 2Improved application availability through multi-AZ resilient architecture.
  • 3Improved system performance through caching and optimized database architecture.
Data centre professionals working

9+

Enterprise Apps Modernized

$2M

Revenue (USD)

23

Azure Technologies

6

Delivery Phases

CASE STUDY overview

Microsoft 365 Security and Zero Trust Architecture

MTN-logo-10

Industry

Telecommunications

Country

Ghana

Nomination Category

Data Security & Governance | Security

MTN Ghana, a leading telecommunications and digital services provider in West Africa and part of the MTN Group, partnered with Reliance Infosystems to modernize and rearchitect its enterprise application ecosystem under Project Nephos.

The initiative focused on transforming critical Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operations Support Systems (OSS), alongside key customer-facing and enterprise platforms, into a modern Azure-based cloud architecture.

The solution enabled MTN Ghana to migrate from legacy and monolithic systems into a secure, scalable, and containerized microservices environment, improving performance, operational resilience, and delivery speed across its digital services ecosystem.

"Together, these services enabled MTN Ghana to transition into a modern, secure, and scalable cloud-native enterprise platform."

How Microsoft Technologies Enabled the Outcome · Reliance Infosystems Reliance Infosystems <

Zero Trust Capabilities Enabling Secure Tenant Separation

Capabilities
AKS & Containers
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Modernization
Microservices
Microservices Architecture Enablement
Environments
Multi-Environment Deployment Model
Traffic & Networking
Global Traffic Management and Networking
Data & Caching
Data and Caching Layer Modernization
API & Integration
Secure API and Integration Layer
Security
Security and Governance Framework
DevOps
DevOps and Automation
Hybrid Connectivity
Hybrid Connectivity and Networking Architecture
AKS and Containers
AKS & Containers
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Modernization

AKS was implemented as the core container orchestration platform for enterprise workloads, enabling microservices deployment, scaling, and lifecycle management across multiple applications.

Microservices Architecture
Microservices
Microservices Architecture Enablement

Legacy applications were replatformed and refactored into distributed microservices, improving scalability, maintainability, and deployment flexibility.

Multi-Environment Deployment
Environments
Multi-Environment Deployment Model

Dev, SIT, UAT, and Production environments were implemented with standardized governance and deployment pipelines.

Global Traffic Management
Traffic & Networking
Global Traffic Management and Networking

Azure Front Door and Application Gateway with WAF enabled secure global routing, traffic distribution, and protection for high-traffic applications.

Data and Caching Layer
Data & Caching
Data and Caching Layer Modernization

Azure Database for PostgreSQL, MySQL Flexible Server, Cosmos DB (MongoDB API), and Azure Cache for Redis improved transactional performance and reduced latency.

Secure API and Integration
API & Integration
Secure API and Integration Layer

Azure Service Bus, API-led architecture, and containerized integration services enabled reliable communication between systems and third-party platforms.

Security and Governance
Security
Security and Governance Framework

Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Key Vault, and Azure Policy ensured a secure-by-design and compliant cloud environment.

DevOps and Automation
DevOps
DevOps and Automation

Azure DevOps and GitHub enabled CI/CD automation, GitOps practices, and standardized release management across all environments.

Hybrid Connectivity
Hybrid Connectivity
Hybrid Connectivity and Networking Architecture

Hub-and-spoke architecture enabled secure segmentation of workloads with centralized governance and controlled hybrid connectivity.

Enterprise Security Outcomes Enabled by Microsoft Technologies

01

Scalable Digital Platform

AKS enabled elastic scaling of mission-critical applications during peak demand periods.

02

Improved Application Performance

Caching and optimized database services significantly reduced latency and improved transaction throughput.

03

Faster Time-to-Market

CI/CD pipelines enabled rapid deployment cycles across multiple enterprise applications.

04

Enhanced Security Posture

Zero Trust architecture and centralized monitoring improved threat visibility and reduced exposure.

05

Improved Operational Resilience

Multi-AZ deployment improved availability and reduced risk of service disruption.

06

Standardized Cloud Operating Model

Unified DevOps and architecture governance improved consistency across all workloads.

Business Impact

Project Nephos delivered measurable transformation across MTN Ghana's enterprise application landscape.

9+

Enterprise Apps Modernized

$2M

Revenue (USD)

23

Azure Technologies

6

Delivery Phases

Modernized 9+ enterprise applications including MADAPI, myMTN Next-Gen, MTN One, Ventas, and others
Improved application availability through multi-AZ resilient architecture
Improved system performance through caching and optimized database architecture
Improved security posture through Zero Trust and centralized monitoring
Reduced operational friction through containerized workloads and microservices architecture
Enabled elastic scaling for high-traffic digital platforms across Ghana's national telecom infrastructure
Reduced deployment cycles from manual processes to automated CI/CD pipelines
Established standardized Dev, SIT, UAT, and Production environments
Enabled secure API-driven integration across internal and external systems
Strengthened foundation for future digital innovation and service expansion

Approach and Delivery Methodology

Reliance Infosystems followed a structured Cloud Architecture Review Board (CARB) methodology across six delivery phases.

01

Assessment and Discovery

Analyzed legacy BSS/OSS systems, application dependencies, and performance constraints.

02

Cloud Architecture Design

Designed a hub-and-spoke Azure landing zone with security, networking, and governance controls.

03

Application Modernization

Replatformed and refactored applications into microservices and containerized workloads using AKS.

04

DevOps Enablement

Implemented CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps and GitHub for automated deployment across environments.

05

Security and Integration Layer

Integrated identity, API management, and secure connectivity using Entra ID, Service Bus, and hybrid networking.

06

Testing and Optimization

Conducted performance validation, load testing, and environment stabilization before production cutover.

Microsoft Technologies Used

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Virtual Machines & Scale Sets

Azure Front Door

Azure Application Gateway (WAF)

Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server

Azure Database for MySQL Flexible Server

Azure Cosmos DB (MongoDB API)

Azure Cache for Redis

Azure Service Bus

Azure API Management

Azure Container Registry

Azure DevOps

GitHub

Microsoft Entra ID

Azure Key Vault

Azure Policy

Azure Firewall

Azure Private Link & Private Endpoints

Azure DNS Private Resolver

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Microsoft Sentinel

Azure Monitor

Azure Blob Storage

How Microsoft Technologies Enabled the Outcome

01

Azure Kubernetes

Azure Kubernetes Service enabled scalable microservices deployment across enterprise applications, improving agility and performance under peak demand.

02

Azure Front Door

Azure Front Door and Application Gateway ensured global traffic optimization and secure access to customer-facing platforms.

03

Azure databases

Azure databases and Redis caching significantly improved transaction speed and reduced application latency.

04

Azure DevOps and GitHub

Azure DevOps and GitHub enabled automated CI/CD pipelines, reducing release time and improving deployment consistency.

05

Microsoft Defender

Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel strengthened security visibility and enabled proactive threat detection across workloads.

Partner Value and Expertise

Reliance Infosystems delivered deep expertise in enterprise cloud architecture, microservices modernization, and telecom-scale Azure deployment.

Reliance Infosystems delivered deep expertise in:

1

Enterprise cloud architecture and Azure landing zone design

2

Microservices and containerized application modernization

3

Telecom-scale AKS workload engineering

4

API-led integration and hybrid connectivity

5

DevOps automation and GitOps implementation

6

Security architecture and Zero Trust design

Winner Summary

MTN Ghana partnered with Reliance Infosystems to modernize its enterprise application landscape using Microsoft Azure. The transformation rearchitected critical BSS and OSS systems into scalable microservices hosted on Azure Kubernetes Service, enabling improved performance, operational resilience, and faster service delivery. The solution established a secure, cloud-native foundation with automated DevOps, global traffic management, and advanced security controls, positioning MTN Ghana for continuous digital innovation and scalable growth.

mtn ghana partner