Smooth Scaling: System Design for High Traffic

Queue-it

Smooth Scaling: System Design for High Traffic focuses on all things scalability, reliability, and performance. Tune in for expert advice on how to scale systems, control costs, boost availability, optimize performance, and get the most out of your tech stack. Host Jose Quaresma is the VP of Technical Engagement at Queue-it, working on the frontlines with some of the world’s biggest businesses on their busiest days, from Ticketmaster to Zalando to Home Office U.K. He’ll be joined by experts across industries, uncovering how major organizations design, build, and deploy systems that remain reliable at scale.

  1. Running High-Traffic Product Launches at Build-A-Bear with Art Huggard

    FEB 3

    Running High-Traffic Product Launches at Build-A-Bear with Art Huggard

    In this episode of Smooth Scaling, José Quaresma sits down with Art Huggard, former VP of E-Commerce at Build-A-Bear, who transformed the company's online presence from a crashing website to a $70 million business over eight years. Art shares his unconventional path from chemical engineering to e-commerce leadership at Bass Pro Shops, Hudson's Bay, and Build-A-Bear. He reveals how the company went from website crashes every hour during the 2016 holiday season to successfully managing viral product launches like Baby Yoda that sold out in four hours. Art discusses Queue-it's virtual waiting room for handling extreme traffic spikes, real-time system tuning during flash sales, and the importance of balancing technical infrastructure with guest experience. The conversation covers cloud scalability challenges, order management bottlenecks in Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and what it takes to handle 300+ orders per minute. The episode illustrates how preparation and cross-industry lessons can turn unpredictable demand into business success. Episode page ---(00:00) - Welcome to the Smooth Scaling Podcast (01:03) - From Chemical Engineer to Ecommerce Leader (05:01) - How Early Ecommerce Got the Experience Wrong (07:30) - Walking Into a Website That Was Crashing (09:56) - Why Build-A-Bear Isn't Just a Toy Company (12:03) - Using AI to Remove Bottlenecks and Ship Faster (14:43) - COVID, Baby Yoda, and Sudden Demand Spikes (16:05) - What 300 Orders a Minute Really Looks Like (22:38) - Finding the Real Bottlenecks in the Stack (25:29) - From Ammunition to Baby Yoda: Cross-Industry Lessons (27:57) - Book Recommendations and Professional Advice (30:32) - What Scalability Really Means Art Huggard is a leading expert in Digital Commerce. He has helped many well known brands such as Build-A-Bear, Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats, Hudson Bay and others move from chaos to High Growth. He has a keen understanding of the entire customer ecosystem including Web, Order Management, CRM, Loyalty and Digital Marketing. Known for building high performance teams Art has been an excellent mentor to many at the companies where he has worked. Most recently Art has formed Gateway-Commerce (www.gateway-commerce.com) where he provides fractional consulting to companies looking to make significant improvements to how they serve their guests.  This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo. © Queue-it, 2026

    32 min
  2. Database Scaling at Intercom: Aurora, PlanetScale & Incident Response with Engineering Director Ryan Sherlock

    JAN 13

    Database Scaling at Intercom: Aurora, PlanetScale & Incident Response with Engineering Director Ryan Sherlock

    In this episode of Smooth Scaling, José Quaresma talks with Ryan Sherlock, Director of Engineering at Intercom, about the realities of scaling databases in a fast-growing SaaS product. Ryan shares Intercom’s journey from a single MySQL database through Aurora, proxies, and per-customer scaling patterns—and what eventually pushed the team toward PlanetScale. The conversation also explores Intercom’s heartbeat-based approach to incident detection and response, focusing on customer impact rather than infrastructure metrics. Episode page ---(00:00) - Intro and episode overview (01:14) - Early scaling pains: systems going down every day (02:56) - Database evolution: MySQL, caching, Aurora, and ProxySQL (07:36) - Tens of billions of rows and the table Intercom couldn’t migrate (09:07) - Intercom’s multi-region architecture and the EU region (10:59) - Why Intercom moved from Aurora to PlanetScale (Vitess) (15:12) - PlanetScale in practice: shards, VTGate, and zero-downtime upgrades (22:39) - Heartbeat metrics and automated incident response (30:03) - AWS outage case study: DynamoDB failure and real-time recovery (34:17) - Incident mitigation lessons: “I’m now a web box” and VTGate limits (41:40) - Rapid fire questions: books, career advice, and scalability mindset Ryan Sherlock is Senior Director of Engineering at Intercom in Dublin, where he leads the core technologies and infrastructure groups that power Intercom’s AI first customer service platform. Through talks and writing on the Intercom engineering blog, he shares practical playbooks on scaling infrastructure and engineering enablement, running high leverage incident response, and using heartbeat metrics to tie reliability directly to real customer outcomes rather than just server graphs. Outside Intercom, he serves on the board of the Rails Foundation, helping steward the future of the Ruby on Rails ecosystem. Before moving into tech leadership, Ryan spent several years as a professional cyclist, an experience he wrote about in “Why you should have skin in the engineering game”, and that still shapes how he thinks about risk, ownership, and reliability in software. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2026

    46 min
  3. Infrastructure as the Product: Designing Data-Heavy Systems with Product VP Maria Petrova

    12/16/2025

    Infrastructure as the Product: Designing Data-Heavy Systems with Product VP Maria Petrova

    Infrastructure is often treated as a backend concern, but in practice it shapes how users experience a product. In this episode of Smooth Scaling, Product VP Maria Petrova explores what it means when infrastructure becomes the product, looking at real-world, data-heavy systems where decisions around compute, data resolution, scheduling, regions, and cost directly impact scalability and user experience. The conversation dives into scaling beyond the MVP, balancing accuracy with performance, and why both engineers and product managers need to think carefully about infrastructure trade-offs when operating at scale. Episode page ---(00:00) - Welcome to the Smooth Scaling Podcast (01:02) - Infrastructure Is the Product (And Why It Shapes UX) (05:34) - Performance, Databases, and Why Compute Matters Again (07:27) - How TWAICE Scales Battery Analytics With Sensor Data (10:44) - What TWAICE Optimizes (And What It Doesn’t) (14:38) - What Product Managers Must Understand About Infrastructure (20:32) - Supermetrics: Multi-Cloud, Compliance, and Customer Expectations (25:01) - Cutting Compute Costs at TWAICE Without Losing Accuracy (32:05) - Principles for Building Scalable Data Products (34:48) - Rapid Fire: Books, Advice, and What Scalability Means Maria Petrova is a product leader known for scaling data-driven platforms and building high-performing product teams.With over a decade of experience across AdTech, eCommerce, and green tech, she’s led teams at Supermetrics, Zalando, Smartly.io, and now TWAICE, where she’s shaping AI-powered energy intelligence solutions. Maria is also the founder of Value Lab, a consultancy that embeds expert product talent into growing teams. She’s passionate about building products that truly solve customer problems at scale. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    40 min
  4. Queue-it’s Virtual Waiting Room System Design with Product Architect Moji Sarooghi

    12/02/2025

    Queue-it’s Virtual Waiting Room System Design with Product Architect Moji Sarooghi

    In this episode, Moji Sarooghi, Distinguished Product Architect at Queue-it, breaks down the design principles and distributed systems behind Queue-it’s virtual waiting room. He explains how the team handles massive traffic spikes, upholds strict first-in, first-out fairness on request, and maintains reliability at a scale that would overwhelm most platforms. Moji also covers the shift from server-side integrations to Edge compute, how Safety Net protects against unexpected peaks, and why simplicity and failure-oriented design drive every architectural choice. A clear, technical exploration of scaling responsibly when millions depend on your system. Episode page ---(00:00) - Intro (01:34) - Visitor Flow: How the Waiting Room Works (03:24) - Edge vs. Server-Side Connectors (06:10) - Why Edge Improves Simplicity & Security (07:12) - Preventing Queue Bypass Attempts (09:14) - Connector Types & Verification Logic (12:04) - Safety Net: Automatic Peak Protection (14:54) - Scheduled Waiting Rooms + Safety Net (17:19) - FIFO at Scale (18:57) - Estimating Wait Times at Scale (20:40) - Designing for Reliability & High Traffic (24:38) - How Outflow Is Calculated (29:07) - Queue-It Token & Visitor Verification (31:02) - Cookies & Secure Access (32:35) - Key AWS Services in the Architecture (34:57) - Future: Multi-Cloud, Edge, & Bring Your Own Proxy (37:59) - Outro Mojtaba Sarooghi is a Distinguished Product Architect at Queue-it. Moji was one of the company’s first employees, starting his journey as a software developer over 10 years ago. He is highly experienced with AWS services, product and architectural design, managing developer teams, and defining and executing on product vision. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    39 min
  5. Trustpilot’s Journey From Monolith to Event-Driven with Engineering VP Angela Timofte

    11/18/2025

    Trustpilot’s Journey From Monolith to Event-Driven with Engineering VP Angela Timofte

    In this episode, Angela Timofte, former VP of Global Engineering at Trustpilot, shares the decade-long journey of evolving Trustpilot’s architecture from a monolith to an event-driven, serverless-first platform. She reflects on the technical and organizational shifts that made it possible—from early trade-offs and nano-services to guardrails, templating, and chaos engineering. Angela also discusses the role of AI in engineering productivity, why staying small matters, and what scalability really means across tech, teams, and leadership. A thoughtful, candid look at modernizing systems for long-term resilience. Episode page ---(00:00) - Welcome & Episode Introduction (01:14) - What a Monolith Really Is (03:15) - Why Starting With a Monolith Made Sense (04:52) - The Breaking Point: When Scale Hit Hard (07:21) - Baby Monoliths & Early Decomposition (11:13) - The Shift to Serverless First (13:21) - Guardrails, VM Alerts & Tech Stack Choices (21:17) - Microservices to Nano Services: The Trade-offs (25:47) - Traffic Peaks, Auto-Scaling & Stress Testing (33:05) - Staying Small by Design: Team Structure & Conway’s Law (36:28) - The Impact of AI in Engineering & New Beginnings (43:28) - Rapid-Fire: Books, Advice & Defining Scalability (46:19) - Wrap-up Angela Timofte is a technology leader known for transforming organizations for scale and impact. As former VP of Global Engineering & Applied AI at Trustpilot, she led both the engineering and data science functions, driving the company’s shift from monolithic systems to scalable, event-driven, cloud-native architecture and drove a major transformation going from maintenance to value creation across the engineering organization. An AWS Serverless Hero and international speaker, she’s recognized for her work on scalability, data infrastructure, and high-performance engineering culture. Today, Angela advises companies through her consultancy, Atim Advisory, and is building a new tech venture. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    47 min
  6. Navigating ISO 27001 and Multi-Cloud with Security Architect Gabor Sivók

    11/04/2025

    Navigating ISO 27001 and Multi-Cloud with Security Architect Gabor Sivók

    In this episode, Gabor Sivók, Cloud Security Architect at Queue-it, shares a practical look at what it takes to secure large-scale systems in today’s cloud environments. He walks through Queue-it’s journey to ISO 27001 certification, the real trade-offs between security and performance, and how security practices adapt in multi-cloud setups. Gabor also weighs in on the growing role of AI in security operations—and why the best security work often stays invisible. A grounded conversation for anyone working at the intersection of reliability, scalability, and security. Episode page ---(00:00) - Intro & welcome to the Smooth Scaling Podcast (02:58) - AWS GameDay: Security through gamification (06:31) - The journey to ISO 27001 certification (09:34) - Balancing scalability, reliability & security (12:49) - What TLS really means for secure communication (15:29) - Moving from AWS to multi-cloud security (18:31) - How AI is changing cloud security (20:27) - The endless game of attackers vs. defenders (22:44) - Advice for starting a security career early (24:11) - Wrap-up & closing message Gabor Sivók is a Cloud Security Architect at Queue-it, where he leads security efforts across the R&D organization. With a background in infrastructure and compliance, he played a key role in Queue-it’s ISO 27001 certification and now focuses on securing multi-cloud environments at scale. Gabor works closely with platform engineering teams to embed security into architecture decisions while balancing performance, resilience, and risk. He’s also an active participant in the security community, keeping pace with emerging threats and tooling through Discord, Reddit, and bug bounty networks. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    25 min
  7. Mastering MACH Architecture & Orchestration with Sezin Cagil of Dr. Martens & the MACH Alliance

    10/21/2025

    Mastering MACH Architecture & Orchestration with Sezin Cagil of Dr. Martens & the MACH Alliance

    In this episode, Sezin Cagil, Head of Unified Commerce Technology at Dr. Martens and MACH Alliance ambassador, shares hard-won insights on implementing and scaling MACH architecture in real-world environments. She explores how to approach modular migrations, manage complex vendor ecosystems, and prepare systems for high-traffic events. Beyond the tech, Sezin highlights the importance of team readiness, operational maturity, and aligning architecture with business needs. A must-listen for anyone navigating composable commerce or modern retail infrastructure. Episode page ---(00:00) - Intro Intro & What MACH Really Means (02:27) - How Sezin Accidentally Joined the MACH Movement (03:56) - From Monoliths to MACH: The Shift in Retail Tech (08:18) - Shopify, Complexity & When MACH Fits (11:04) - Inside a MACH E-commerce Architecture (14:52) - Aligning Tech Decisions with Business Needs (18:30) - Moving from Monolith to MACH: Benefits & Pitfalls (21:43) - Start Small: The Right Way to Transform (26:21) - Preparing for Traffic Peaks & Vendor Alignment (33:38) - The Queue-it Story: Handling Surprises in Peak Events (37:41) - Defining Scalability—Sezin’s Final Take Sezin Cagil is Head of Unified Commerce Technology at Dr. Martens, leading the teams through digital transformation and supporting omnichannel strategy. With expertise in agile delivery, composable architecture, and MACH principles, she drives seamless customer experiences across digital and retail channels. Previously, she led digital delivery at Selfridges and Costa Coffee, scaling international eCommerce platforms. As a MACH Alliance Ambassador, Sezin advocates for modern, modular technologies and contributes to industry thought leadership. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    39 min
  8. Hype Event Protection: How Akamai & Queue-it Stop Bots at Scale, with Ilia Bromberg & Martin Larsen

    10/07/2025

    Hype Event Protection: How Akamai & Queue-it Stop Bots at Scale, with Ilia Bromberg & Martin Larsen

    In this episode of the Smooth Scaling Podcast, Ilia Bromberg (Akamai) and Martin Larsen (Queue-it) explore the evolution of bots, the growing complexity of detecting them, and the real-world impact on hype events like product drops and ticket sales. They introduce Hype Event Protection, a new joint solution from Queue-it and Akamai, designed to level the playing field for genuine users. The discussion covers technical approaches to bot mitigation, performance optimization, and the importance of layered defenses for high-demand online events. Episode page ---(00:00) - Welcome & Guest Introductions (01:01) - Why Bots Are a Problem (04:06) - Good Bots vs. Bad Bots (07:49) - How Bots Have Evolved (11:42) - Bots Move Into E-commerce (13:10) - Residential IPs and Hidden Networks (15:42) - What Is a Hype Event? (18:46) - Why Queue-it and Akamai Partnered (22:20) - Fairness, Trust & Brand Reputation (28:36) - How Hype Event Protection Works (35:59) - Preparing for Big Events (44:34) - Real Results from Beta Customers (46:42) - How to Get Started & Wrap-Up Ilia Bromberg is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Akamai Technologies with nearly 30 years experience helping organizations secure and scale their digital environments. A seasoned leader in web and application security, he has been named Akamai’s Solutions Engineer of the Year and has earned multiple hackathon and innovation awards. He holds CISSP, CCSP, and GWAPT certifications and specializes in WAFs, bot management, API security, DNS, and zero trust technologies.  Martin Larsen is a Distinguished Product Architect at Queue-it. Starting as a software developer, Martin was one of the company’s first employees. He played an instrumental role in building the foundations of Queue-it and is heavily involved in activities including the design, architecture, testing, and deployment of the virtual waiting room, as well as defining and executing on product vision. This podcast is hosted by José Quaresma, researched by Joseph Thwaites and produced by Perseu Mandillo.  © Queue-it, 2025

    49 min
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Smooth Scaling: System Design for High Traffic focuses on all things scalability, reliability, and performance. Tune in for expert advice on how to scale systems, control costs, boost availability, optimize performance, and get the most out of your tech stack. Host Jose Quaresma is the VP of Technical Engagement at Queue-it, working on the frontlines with some of the world’s biggest businesses on their busiest days, from Ticketmaster to Zalando to Home Office U.K. He’ll be joined by experts across industries, uncovering how major organizations design, build, and deploy systems that remain reliable at scale.

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