The Joint Border Analytics (JBA) team at NZ Customs Service is a cross-agency unit focused on uncovering insights related to border risks through advanced analytics and collaborative intelligence.
Their ability to scale and innovate was limited by existing infrastructure and operational models, despite their analytical expertise and ambitious mission. While operating independently from NZCS central IT, JBA needed to maintain enterprise-grade security and compliance while working with diverse data domains such as cargo, passengers, mail, and open-source intelligence to address critical challenges like methamphetamine smuggling, revenue leakage, passenger flow analysis, and darknet intelligence. Innovation was hampered by siloed work practices, manual environment setups, security constraints hindering tool usage, potential non-compliance due to workarounds, and scalability issues tied to personal hardware limitations.
Enterprise Infrastructure Uplift
Data Analytics Enablement
Secure Cloud Deployment
Engaged by the NZCS CIO, GHOST6 provided an end-to-end infrastructure modernization to enable the JBA team to operate at enterprise scale without sacrificing agility or security. This included:
The new infrastructure enabled the JBA team to move away from local execution on individual machines to a collaborative, scalable platform, improving knowledge sharing and team efficiency
Automated environment setup and deployment processes significantly reduced manual effort and the potential for errors, freeing up analysts to focus on core tasks.
Automated security measures integrated into the development pipeline reduced the risk of policy violations and strengthened overall security posture.
The implementation of CICD pipelines and a scalable cloud platform accelerated the pace of innovation, allowing for quicker iteration and deployment of new analytical capabilities.
This project provided NZ Customs with a modern, secure, and scalable analytics infrastructure, empowering the JBA team to more effectively leverage data to address critical border security challenges. By removing technological barriers and automating key processes, GHOST6 enabled NZ Customs to enhance its analytical capabilities, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen its border protection efforts.