Revolutionizing Maryland’s Human Services IT Infrastructure: MD THINK’s Database Resilience and HA Advancements

As a Database Administrator for the State of Maryland, Sudheer Kolla played a pivotal role in the development of MD THINK (Maryland Total Human-services Integrated Network), a cloud-based shared services platform designed to break down traditional silos between state agencies. This initiative enabled integrated access to critical human service programs, including those administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, and the Department of Health.

MD THINK revolutionized service delivery by offering a unified cloud-based infrastructure that enhanced data-sharing, streamlined program operations, and improved efficiency across agencies. The initiative focused on providing secure and scalable access to eligibility determination, financial management, and resource allocation, leading to significant cost savings and improved service reliability for Maryland.

One of Sudheer's key contributions was the design and implementation of a high-availability PostgreSQL database architecture with a 3-node cluster, ensuring seamless operations even in the event of a node failure. By implementing automated failover mechanisms and load-balancing strategies, Sudheer reduced downtime significantly, allowing uninterrupted user access to critical services such as eligibility enrollment and child support administration.