For families facing food insecurity, every minute matters. Groceiess2Go, a program by Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, allows individuals and families to order groceries online and schedule convenient pickup times, creating a faster and more dignified way to access healthy food.
The Groceries2Go platform was custom designed and built by Counterpart to meet Gleaners’ unique operational needs and user experience goals. Behind that experience is technology that must be reliable, secure, and ready from day one. As Gleaners prepared to launch the new Groceries2Go platform, EXOS was engaged to lead the Azure platform strategy, ensuring the environment could support a successful public launch and deliver a seamless experience for users.
Challenge
Launching a new public-facing application came with high expectations and high stakes. Gleaners wanted to guarantee that their Azure environment could support the anticipated volume of users placing orders online without delays or downtime. The goal was simple but critical: deliver a smooth and dependable experience for every family that needed to log in, place an order, and pick up their groceries.
Because Groceries2Go was a custom-built application developed by Counterpart, EXOS needed to account for more variables than a traditional hosted platform. This included understanding how users moved through the application, how data flowed between services, and how performance might need to be adjusted as real-world usage patterns emerged. In addition to performance, the application required secure authentication and HTTPS across all endpoints, with integration to Azure for centralized user management and protection of sensitive data.
Approach
EXOS led the Azure infrastructure planning, performance validation, and launch readiness, working closely with Gleaners and coordinating with Counterpart as the application development partner to ensure the infrastructure aligned with the application’s architecture and user workflows.
This collaboration allowed EXOS IT to proactively analyze and fine-tune the Azure environment based not only on infrastructure requirements, but also on how the custom-built Groceries2Go application behaved under real-world conditions. Performance tuning and troubleshooting were treated as critical components of the launch, alongside the application itself.
- Azure Infrastructure Optimization: Hosted on Azure App Service with a PremiumV3 tier and integrated with Azure SQL Database and Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN) for optimized data management and faster content delivery.
- Custom Scaling Configuration: Implemented a tailored scaling schedule in Azure App Service to automatically adjust resources during high-demand periods.
- Application Insights Integration: Enabled detailed monitoring to track performance, detect potential issues, and ensure responsive user experiences.
- Diagnostic Logging: Configured a 90-day log retention policy to provide visibility into system health and simplify future maintenance.
- Proactive Communication Plan: Gleaners staff are set up for future success with dashboards and training alerts so non-technical teams can respond quickly.
To further support the project’s success, EXOS was onsite throughout launch weekend, ready to assist with any technical issues and ensure a seamless rollout.
Results
The project ensured that the Groceries2Go web application launched with the stability and performance required to serve its users effectively.
- Guaranteed reliable performance during peak launch periods
- Improved visibility through real-time monitoring and insights
- Hands-on support during go-live, with EXOS onsite to ensure immediate issue resolution
- Streamlined maintenance through automated scaling and centralized logging
By validating and strengthening the Azure environment prior to launch, and providing onsite assistance during go-live, EXOS helped Gleaners deliver a seamless, reliable online experience that supports their mission to serve the community.
Future Outlook
Technology plays a quiet but critical role in helping nonprofits like Gleaners meet growing community needs. With Groceries2Go now operating on a secure, scalable Azure platform, the organization can focus on its mission rather than its infrastructure.
As demand continues to rise, the platform’s flexibility allows Gleaners to expand its reach, onboard new users, and adapt to future programs without disruption. This engagement demonstrates how EXOS works alongside application partners like Counterpart, applying deep cloud expertise to custom-built platforms to ensure performance, security, and reliability when it matters most.