Migrating the Platform to PostgreSQL Under Compliance Constraints

A key client at Workwise required that the platform run on AWS infrastructure and meet ISO certification standards. The existing database was MongoDB, which did not fit cleanly into the client's required AWS deployment model. The decision was made to migrate to PostgreSQL.

Kushal led the migration. The shift was not just a database swap; it required re-architecting the data layer to take advantage of PostgreSQL's relational model, particularly for the approval workflow and permission tables that were already in design at the time.

The ISO certification requirement added a second constraint: all data needed to be end-to-end encrypted, and the infrastructure had to meet strict security standards. This shaped how the team designed the storage layer, what data was persisted directly versus encrypted at rest, and how the overall infrastructure was hardened.

The migration changed how the team thought about database decisions going forward. PostgreSQL became the default, and the compliance requirements became a standing input into infrastructure and schema design rather than a one-time constraint.