Case Studies

Challenge

Real-time voice features needed speech recognition with domain-specific vocabulary accuracy, strict latency budgets, and predictable GPU costs. Off-the-shelf transcription APIs could not meet all three requirements at once, so I built the engine.

Solution

• Built a custom ASR engine on NVIDIA Parakeet (hybrid TDT+CTC), served from a NeMo container
• Implemented decoder-level context biasing: a CTC word spotter grafts domain vocabulary into decoding, with per-word timings and confidence reporting
• Migrated the encoder to bf16 behind strict evaluation gates: word-error-rate, biasing, and false-rejection parity, plus a live A/B on banked audio
• Added TitaNet speaker embeddings (~12ms) for speaker-aware features
• Built a restart-proof audio capture bank for continuous training data collection

Results

• 1.6x throughput on the same GPU (RTFx 257 to 404)
• p50 round-trip latency near 106ms through the serving gateway
• Roughly 2GB of GPU memory freed per instance
• Accuracy parity verified before rollout via live A/B on banked audio

Challenge

Over-provisioned AWS infrastructure with high operational costs and inefficient resource utilization.

Solution

• Implemented autoscaling policies for predictable user patterns
• Refactored RDS configuration to Aurora with reserved instances
• Created automation pipelines for on-demand developer resources
• Executed migration from RightScale to AWS

Results

• Over $100,000 in annual AWS cost savings
• $30,000+ immediate savings from RightScale licensing elimination
• Cut key page response times from roughly 2 seconds to 100ms
• Reduced developer maintenance overhead
• Improved resource utilization efficiency

Challenge

Default AWS VPC configuration inadequate for security compliance requirements.

Solution

• Designed compliant, modern cloud network architecture
• Implemented advanced VPC and subnet configurations
• Created segregated public and private subnet environments
• Established comprehensive security group configurations
• Implemented WireGuard VPN and site-to-site VPN tunneling

Results

• Achieved SOC2 compliance requirements
• Enhanced network security posture
• Enabled secure office-to-cloud connectivity

Challenge

Unstable legacy hosting led to frequent crashes, manual deployments, and inefficient resource use. The front-end codebase had diverged across multiple applications, slowing development and complicating maintenance. Delivered from inside the team as an embedded principal engineer.

Solution

• Replatformed legacy hosting onto containerized, auto-scaling infrastructure (AWS ECS on Fargate)
• Built branch-based CI/CD pipelines for reliable, automated releases
• Secured infrastructure with VPN-only access, private subnets, and centralized controls
• Unified a diverged legacy React codebase onto a single modern architecture
• Managed third-party data-protection assessments and internal audits
• Deployed CDN edge routing for improved global performance

Results

• $60,000+ annual AWS savings
• Stable, scalable containerized infrastructure
• Consistent, modernized front-end stack
• Stronger security posture with segmented access
• Third-party data-protection audits passed