Project 04 · US Public Sector · Cloud Design
A Grant-Tracking System for a US Public Transport Agency
A large US public transport agency needed to track the federal grant money it receives and spends. I designed the cloud setup for the app on Microsoft 365 and Azure. The main challenges were keeping each department's data separate and safe, controlling exactly who could open what, and meeting strict government rules for tracking public money.
01 The task
When a public agency receives money from the federal government, it has to show exactly where every dollar goes. Different grants have different rules. Different teams handle different grants. And auditors can ask, at any time, for a full and honest record of who did what and when.
The agency needed one app to track all of this — but with a hard requirement: each grant's data and each department's data had to be kept apart and protected. A user from one program should never be able to see another program's records. At the same time, the system had to be always available, because the work does not stop. My job was to design the cloud setup that makes all of this true and provable.
In government work, "trust me, it's fine" is not enough. The system has to be built so that keeping data separate, limiting access, and recording every action are built into the design — not added later and not optional. That is what an auditor checks.
02 Keeping each program's data separate
The core of the design is a clear separation map. Each grant program gets its own protected space in Microsoft 365 and Azure, with its own data store and its own access rules. Data from one program cannot cross into another. Think of it as separate locked rooms in one building, instead of one big open room.
Separate spaces
Each program gets its own protected area, so data never mixes.
Clear borders
Strong borders between areas stop data from crossing over.
Right access
People only get into the areas their role allows.
Safe links
When areas must share, they do so only through checked, secure links.
This "separate rooms" design is the same idea behind strict US public-sector and high-security cloud setups. It limits the damage if anything ever goes wrong: a problem in one program's area stays in that area and cannot spread to the others.
03 Deciding who can open what
On top of the separate spaces sits a clear access map: a simple table of "this role can do these things to this data." Access is given by job role, not to people one by one, so it is easy to manage and easy to review. Everyone gets the least access they need to do their job — and no more.
| Role | Can see | Can do |
|---|---|---|
| Program manager | Only their own program | View and edit their program's records |
| Finance reviewer | Spending across programs | View totals and approve, but not edit source records |
| Auditor | The full record and history | View only — cannot change anything |
| System admin | Settings, not grant content | Manage accounts and access, with every action logged |
Splitting roles this way means no single person can both spend money and approve their own spending. That separation is a basic rule for handling public funds, and here it is built right into the system.
04 Safe connections and staying online
The app also needs to talk to other systems — for example, to pull in spending data or send reports. Those connections are made through secure, checked links (APIs), where each side proves who it is and only the allowed data passes through. Nothing connects directly to the sensitive data store without going through these checks.
- Always available. The design uses backups across more than one location, so if one part fails, the system keeps running.
- Checked connections. Every link between systems proves its identity first and is limited to the exact data it needs.
- Data stays in bounds. The setup keeps data in the regions and accounts that government rules require, and does not let it drift elsewhere.
- Encrypted everywhere. Data is protected both while stored and while moving between systems.
05 A full record for audits
Because this is public money, the system keeps a full, honest record of every important action: who opened a record, who changed it, who approved spending, and when. This record is kept safe so it cannot be quietly edited later. When an auditor asks "show me what happened," the answer is ready and complete.
Separate spaces, role-based access, secure links, and a full record are exactly what a government auditor looks for. Designing them in from the start means the agency can prove it is handling federal money correctly — not just say so.
06 Why this experience matters
This project shows the level of trust and care US public agencies require. The same skills — keeping data separate, controlling access by role, connecting systems safely, and keeping a full record — are exactly what data-protection laws like GDPR and KVKK ask for too. It is the background I bring to my newer work, including KVKK Shield for the Turkish market.
Need a system auditors can trust?
I design cloud setups where strong security and clear records are built in from day one.
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