Building a Scalable Backend for Institutional Market Data Operations

We developed a robust Directus-based backend system for Algoseek, enabling dynamic content management, real-time search, and analytics observability. Hosted on AWS, the platform is tailored for flexibility, scalability, and secure management of quantitative market data assets.

industry

Banking & Finance

Services

Backend Development, Cloud Deployment, API Integration, Workflow Automation

Introduction

Algoseek, a data solutions provider for quantitative trading firms, needed a powerful backend system to manage content operations, user access, and observability at scale. The client wanted to migrate from legacy structures and gain granular control over publishing, roles, and analytics — all while maintaining high performance and security.

The project goals included:

A modular CMS with reusable content structures for faster publishing.
Role-based access and approval workflows to improve editorial governance.
Real-time keyword search for articles and knowledge base content.
Complete hosting setup on AWS with performance and security monitoring.
Integration with analytics and observability tools (Amplitude, New Relic, Clarity).

The Challenge

Developing a CMS for financial and data-heavy operations introduced unique complexities:

Flexible Yet Secure Content Architecture: Designing reusable modular content without creating schema conflicts.
Multi-Language & SEO Readiness: Preparing infrastructure for localization and high-performance SEO indexing.
Backend Observability: Implementing detailed performance monitoring through custom New Relic integration.
Search Optimization: Enabling instant search with Typesense while ensuring real-time sync from Directus content updates.

Our Approach

7Span engineered a fully customized Directus backend, prioritizing scalability, modularity, and analytics observability.

Modular Content System

Built a reusable content block architecture that allows editors to create or update pages 40% faster with no developer intervention.

Advanced Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Configured multi-role workflows for admins, editors, and reviewers to ensure governance and secure publishing.

Typesense-Powered Real-Time Search

Integrated Typesense for lightning-fast, accurate search across blogs and knowledge base content.

AWS Infrastructure Setup

Deployed Directus on AWS EC2 with S3 for media storage and RDS for structured data ensuring full control and high availability.

Observability & Monitoring

Configured API health and query monitoring using New Relic, paired with Microsoft Clarity and Amplitude tracking for user behavior insights.

Build Scalable CMS & Data Platforms with 7Span

Whether it’s for financial data, content operations, or analytics workflows — we design high-performance backends built for scale, security, and adaptability.

7Span’s implementation of Directus exceeded our expectations — the system is flexible, fast, and fully under our control. It’s the perfect blend of performance, security, and scalability.

Amanda Shen/ Product Manager

The Impact

The new system transformed Algoseek’s backend operations into a highly efficient, secure, and analytics-ready infrastructure — empowering their content and engineering teams alike.

60%

Faster content updates through modular, reusable content components.

100%

Content governance achieved with secure role-based workflows and publishing controls.

Higher throughput with AWS auto-scaling during peak usage.

50ms

Query response time powered by optimized edge caching and Typesense indexing.

Making IT Possible