From Risk to Advantage: How Baubap Transformed Its AWS Cloud into a Secure Innovation Engine
Executive Summary
As organizations accelerate cloud adoption to respond more agilely to market demands, the absence of strong governance on AWS can turn this competitive advantage into an operational risk. The pressure to rapidly launch new products or services can lead to workloads being concentrated in a single account, increasing the risk of a cyberattack that could disrupt multiple lines of business. Without granular roles and a centralized identity repository, organizations are exposed to internal breaches that may result in intellectual property leaks or costly regulatory violations. In addition, limited visibility into spending and improper network resource allocation can cause outages that damage brand reputation and lead to financial decisions that erode margins. In an environment where every team is driving digital initiatives, comprehensive cloud governance is not an expense—it is a strategic investment that ensures growth, innovation, and business resilience.
Clouxter transformed Baubap’s cloud operations with a robust solution based on AWS Control Tower, establishing an automated Landing Zone built on best practices. Using Control Tower Customizations, Clouxter implemented tailored controls that reflect corporate policies, such as restricting unapproved regions and preventing the disabling of security services. With AWS Identity Center, Clouxter precisely aligned AWS permissions with business roles, reducing identity management efforts and access support requests by 75%. In addition, AWS Transit Gateway simplified connectivity with strategic partners,preparing Baubap for agile integrations in a digital marketplace.
This strategy not only strengthened security but also drove operational and financial efficiency. With tagging and compliance policies in AWS Organizations, Baubap now has granular visibility into cloud spend, enabling informed investment decisions. The implementation of Security Hub and custom controls provides 100% visibility into security risks, protecting intellectual property and brand reputation. Remarkably, provisioning new accounts with an automated security baseline was reduced from days to just 15 minutes, allowing Baubap to launch workload segmentation projects more quickly. This comprehensive approach not only addresses current challenges but also establishes a solid foundation for efficient and secure growth—transforming the cloud from an operational risk into a strategic advantage in a competitive market.
The Challenge
A high concentration of workloads within a single AWS account can lead to security, performance, and scalability issues. Without proper segregation, an incident in that account could compromise multiple critical applications. In addition, the lack of isolation makes it difficult to optimize resources and meet regulatory requirements, as different workloads may require varying levels of security and compliance.
The absence of well-defined roles and granular permission policies in AWS can result in excessive access, violating the principle of least privilege. This increases the risk of human error and insider threats, such as unauthorized modifications to critical resources or exposure of sensitive data. The lack of a centralized identity repository further complicates management, leading to inconsistencies and security gaps.
Without proper distribution of connectivity services and a clear cost allocation model, organizations may face network bottlenecks, unexpected costs, and limited visibility. This can result in service disruptions, poorly informed investment decisions, and the inability to accurately attribute costs—hindering financial optimization and strategic planning across multiple teams and projects.
Why Clouxter
Clouxter stood out as the ideal partner to address Baubap’s AWS cloud governance challenges, thanks to its extensive experience in cloud services—particularly in high-impact AWS governance projects. Its track record includes successful engagements in account restructuring, role and policy definition, and cost optimization for companies across multiple industries, demonstrating its ability to manage complex environments.
As a recognized AWS Partner, Clouxter has achieved distinctions that validate its deep expertise on the platform. Its consulting team, composed of professionals with multiple AWS certifications in areas such as architecture, security, and cloud finance, ensures top-tier technical guidance aligned with industry best practices.
Baubap particularly valued Clouxter’s end-to-end approach, which spans from strategic consulting to ongoing operations. This capability enables a seamless transition from governance framework design to implementation and long-term maintenance. Additionally, Clouxter’s local presence in Mexico facilitates close communication and a deep understanding of the business and regulatory context—key factors in Baubap’s decision.
The Solution
Clouxter addressed Baubap’s challenges by implementing a robust cloud governance solution based on AWS Control Tower. This enabled the establishment of an automated Landing Zone that incorporates AWS best practices, ensuring a solid and compliant foundation from the outset. Using AWS Organizations, Clouxter hierarchically structured accounts, facilitating workload and environment segregation.
For granular policy management, Clouxter leveraged the power of AWS Control Tower Customizations, a solution that significantly extends Control Tower’s native capabilities. This made it possible to automatically define and enforce compliance rules through the deployment of highly specific, customized controls tailored to Baubap’s unique needs—such as restricting unapproved AWS regions, preventing the disabling of security services, and implementing account “anti-hijacking” protections.
Identity and access management was centralized using AWS Identity Center (formerly SSO), providing a single identity repository. Clouxter delivered a permission set structure fully aligned with the company’s functional organization, based on business roles and their direct interaction with AWS services, enabling centralized role-based access control (RBAC) across all accounts.
For distributed connectivity within the new multi-account environment, the implementation of AWS Transit Gateway provided an efficient connectivity model to centralize and simplify communication with strategic business partners.
This comprehensive solution not only resolved immediate challenges but also established a secure and scalable foundation for future cloud growth.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of Clouxter’s cloud governance solution transformed Baubap’s AWS operations, delivering measurable and substantial benefits:
Cost Optimization: With tagging and compliance policies enforced through AWS Organizations and Control Tower, Baubap achieved granular visibility into cloud spending.
Robust Security: By using Security Hub, GuardDuty, and Inspector—along with custom Control Tower controls—a strong security posture was established. Baubap now has 100% visibility into resources that pose potential risks to data security.
Simplified Identity Management: Centralization with AWS Identity Center resulted in a 4:1 reduction in identity management, shifting from four identities per account to a one-to-many model. This change not only enhanced security but also reduced access-related support requests by 75%, significantly easing the IT team’s workload.
Operational Agility: With Control Tower and its Account Factory, provisioning new accounts was accelerated from days to just 15 minutes. This increase in agility also enabled Baubap to launch new workload segmentation projects in an orderly manner and with an automated security baseline—something that previously would have taken weeks.
Beyond resolving immediate challenges, this approach established a solid foundation for efficient, secure, and cost-effective cloud growth.
About Baubap
Baubap is an innovative Mexican fintech startup founded in 2018 that has stood out in the digital lending market. The company focuses on offering short-term microloans through its mobile application, providing a fast and accessible solution for individuals who need immediate liquidity. With a simplified application process and AI-driven lending decisions, Baubap has successfully served a segment of the population often underserved by traditional banking. Its success is reflected in its rapid growth, having issued more than one million loans and raised over $120 million in debt financing. Baubap continues to expand and explore new financial products to strengthen its position in the competitive Latin American fintech market.
About Clouxter
At Clouxter, we enable organizations on their journey toward cloud adoption and consolidation. Our focus spans DevOps, Migration, Security, and Analytics, providing the key building blocks for a strong cloud strategy. We have extensive experience across industries such as Media, Public Sector, Financial Services, ISVs, and Startups.