This interview was originally published by deOndernemer on October 6, 2022.

Buckaroo is among the top 3 payment providers in the Netherlands and is known for going the extra mile. Their extensive payment platform supports a diverse range of clients. “If a client needs a specific feature, we’re often willing to make an exception — provided it offers a general benefit to all our customers.”

This customer-first approach recently received a boost through the acquisition of Sepay, putting mobile POS payments within reach. But one of the most significant recent projects is the migration to a cloud-based infrastructure. Jan Willem Mannaerts, Head of Engineering, shares insights on this transformation and how cloud specialist CloudNation helps Buckaroo shape a renewed platform.

Online payments via Buckaroo started back in 2005. Originally Dutch, the company has grown into one of the country’s leading payment service providers. Today, it serves over 15,000 businesses in e-commerce and subscription models. Mannaerts (40) has been with Buckaroo for over a decade, starting as a software developer, becoming lead developer, and now returning to his roots in IT infrastructure. “After all these years, I’ve developed a strong connection to the platform.”

“That would be the transition to a cloud infrastructure. As Head of Engineering, I’m responsible for our current datacenters and the new platform we’re building. We’re phasing out our datacenters and are currently migrating to AWS. It’s a highly rewarding project because of its complexity — and I love complex challenges. Well, let’s call it an exciting opportunity instead!”

“We’re a 24/7 business, so any migration must happen with minimal downtime. That requires detailed planning, testing, and understanding of the AWS ecosystem, which is still relatively new for us. The main difference between running your own software in a private datacenter and using a provider like AWS is the availability of managed services. These allow you to simplify many of the components you previously had to manage yourself.”

“As a PSP, security is crucial. When operating in the cloud, your entire infrastructure is essentially online. If someone gets access to an admin account, they could access everything. Fortunately, AWS offers built-in security services that help us secure and monitor our platform. Our AWS setup is security-first by design. With encryption, multifactor authentication, and a 'least privilege' access model, it’s arguably much safer than running your own datacenter.”

“Because in a private datacenter, you have to manage every system yourself. Keeping everything secure and up to date takes time, and requires constant monitoring for vulnerabilities. It’s resource-intensive. AWS automates much of this, including security. That’s why we’re making the move to the cloud.”

“CloudNation is closely involved in our project. We’re co-creating the new platform by pairing one of their experienced developers with a Buckaroo developer. That way, knowledge transfer happens continuously and we’re learning about new AWS services and best practices as we go. Once the migration is complete, our team will be equipped with solid AWS expertise — it’s training and building at the same time.”

“They’re professional, responsive, and flexible — just like us. If we want to approach something slightly differently, that’s never a problem. They play an advisory role while actively helping us implement the plans. A great team to work with.”

“Possibly. Our primary goal is to make our development process more efficient, which will free up time to build exciting new features. AWS also provides machine learning and AI services, which could offer opportunities in the future. I’m confident we’re building a stronger product together.”