E! had long relied on a legacy Akamai-powered service for image management, with images uploaded via an outdated FTP-based cron job. This system, known as SAGE, had become a bottleneck for efficiency and was flagged as a security risk by their cybersecurity team. Previous efforts to migrate to Cloudinary had stalled, leaving E! in need of Econify’s expertise to modernize its infrastructure.

1. Complete the migration to Cloudinary
2. Replace the outdated SAGE system to improve security and eliminate dependencies on legacy workflows.
3. Implement a new image uploading and editing infrastructure
4. Support a phased migration by maintaining temporary compatibility with Akamai.

We developed an image-upload Lambda service in Go, enabling uploads to both Akamai and Cloudinary for a smooth transition. Then we built a new S3-based upload flow using pre-signed URLs to overcome GraphQL limitations. We also implemented robust logging and alerting in Scalyr to track desynchronization issues between Cloudinary and E!’s database. The work we undertook ensured editors could upload and edit images directly in NEON, eliminating the need for SAGE.

E! now has a modern, high-performing image management system that improves workflows and security while reducing reliance on outdated technology.