How ATech delivered mission-critical cloud hosting for Seqwater during cyclone threat

As the looming threat of Tropical Cyclone Alfred teased Southeast Queenslanders, Seqwater and a prominent local council were all faced with a surge in online traffic as residents and stakeholders sought urgent updates. 

Brisbane-based ATech’s secure and resilient cloud hosting infrastructure ensured mission-critical websites remained online, delivering real-time information when it mattered most.

Seqwater, Queensland’s bulk water supply authority, relies on ATech to keep its corporate website online, especially during emergency events. 

Accurate and timely water quality updates, dam level monitoring and flood mitigation information are essential for public safety.

Before partnering with ATech, Seqwater’s website faced potential downtime during high-traffic periods. ATech’s cloud hosting solution, built from state-of-the-art Queensland data centres, delivers a secure, scalable platform that now ensures millions of users could access real-time updates without service interruptions. 

Cyclone Alfred presented unique challenges to Seqwater, providing critical safety information relating to dam levels and potential spilling, as well as drinking water quality information to millions of disaster affected residents.

From 7 to 11 March, ATech’s Enterprise Drupal Platform for Seqwater handled over 1.41 million page views (9.35 million requests), with a peak throughput of 9,600 page views (~67,480 requests) in 15 minutes, ensuring that critical water network safety information was available to the public. 

“The smooth transition to ATech’s hosting was a game-changer for us. The reliability and resilience of the platform have allowed us to focus on delivering critical water updates to our stakeholders without worrying about website outages,” Seqwater digital and creative team leader Joel Knights said. 

A prominent local council also depends on ATech to keep its corporate website operational 24/7. 

The website acts as a vital communication channel for emergency updates, road closures, flood maps, waste collection changes and essential services.

During severe weather events, online traffic spikes dramatically. The approach of Cyclone Alfred corresponded to a significant increase in traffic with SEQ residents looking to stay safe and informed, but ATech’s scalable and robust hosting platform handled the demand seamlessly, ensuring the local council’s residents had uninterrupted access to life-saving information. 

From 4 to 11 March, ATech’s Enterprise Drupal Platform for the local council handled over 10.1 million page views (189.4 million requests), with a peak throughput of 42,100 page views (~900,000 requests) in 15 minutes.

ATech’s proprietary cloud hosting platform delivers local data sovereignty being hosted in Queensland, it ensures compliance with privacy principals, enterprise grade security, support, high availability and real-time scalability.