How JustCrossed Slashed AWS Costs by 80% and Stabilized Their Mobile App in Just 6 Weeks

Industry: Social Networking / Technology
Company Size: Startup
Region: United States
Website: www.justcrossed.com

Introduction

JustCrossed is an AI-powered, location-based networking app that intelligently connects users to the most relevant professional contacts nearby. The app empowers users to forge meaningful relationships in real time—whether at conferences, coworking spaces, or events.

But as with many early-stage startups, rapid growth exposed foundational cracks in their cloud infrastructure and DevOps practices.

That’s when JustCrossed turned to Borealis Solutions.

The Challenge

Despite having a great product vision, JustCrossed was held back by several technical challenges:

• An inefficient AWS setup inherited from a previous vendor was driving up cloud costs.

• A lean budget and tight delivery schedule made cost control a top priority.

• No in-house expertise in AWS or DevOps.

• Developers lacked a structured CI/CD pipeline, delaying feature releases.

• The mobile pipeline was unstable, causing user experience issues.

Why JustCrossed Chose Borealis

They needed a team that could hit the ground running—fast. Borealis was chosen for our:

• Proven ability to optimize AWS under tight timelines and budgets

• Resourceful engineers with deep expertise in DevOps and cloud architecture

• Meticulous approach to workflow design, documentation, and developer enablement

• Strong track record of delivering measurable impact quickly

Our Approach

In just six weeks, we delivered a comprehensive modernization engagement tailored to JustCrossed’s constraints and goals:

1. AWS Cost Optimization

• Audited all cloud resources and identified redundancies

• Eliminated waste and right-sized remaining infrastructure

• Achieved over 80% reduction in AWS monthly spend

2. CI/CD & Developer Workflow Enablement

• Built a full CI/CD pipeline with clear deployment processes

• Enabled reliable, traceable code delivery across environments

• Trained developers on best practices to maintain speed and quality

3. Monitoring, Testing & Stability

• Deployed advanced monitoring and alerting tools

• Ran load, stress, and performance testing on APIs

• Reinforced system stability for production-grade reliability

4. Mobile Pipeline Overhaul

• Diagnosed and resolved issues in the mobile app CI flow

• Improved performance, reducing bugs and boosting user satisfaction

5. Security & Compliance

• Applied granular IAM policies and permission boundaries

• Secured deployment workflows and protected sensitive data

6. Documentation & Developer Training

• Delivered infrastructure diagrams, runbooks, and documentation

• Conducted live training to upskill internal developers on DevOps and AWS fundamentals

The Results

JustCrossed came away from the engagement with tangible improvements across every area:

• ✅ 80%+ AWS cost savings, freeing up budget for growth

• ✅ Stabilized mobile app, improving reliability and UX

• ✅ CI/CD pipeline in place, accelerating developer velocity

• ✅ Proactive monitoring, allowing faster issue resolution

• ✅ Secure, compliant infrastructure, ready for scale

• ✅ Fully delivered in 6 weeks, ahead of schedule

“We were blown away by the value and thoroughness Borealis Solutions provided. They transformed our AWS environment and DevOps processes rapidly, allowing us to scale efficiently and cost-effectively. Their talent and resourcefulness truly set them apart.”
— JustCrossed Leadership Team

What’s Next

With a solid foundation now in place, JustCrossed is moving forward with:

• Continuous cloud cost monitoring and optimization

• Enhancing their AI-driven networking algorithms

• Scaling infrastructure to handle growing user demand