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As a true cloud-centric company, LivePerson has adopted an agile approach to software development and infrastructure deployment and is a vocal champion of open-source technologies. More than just a technical fashion statement, its investment in agility is a requirement to meet the massive growth it has experienced that has seen revenues jump from $18.5 million in 2004 to over $220 million in 2017. The explosive growth and high demand for its service have been matched by a continual upgrade of the core technologies needed to service millions of chat sessions. “Our platform helps to improve the relationships between consumers and brands and it needs to be reliable, always available and delivered with the highest levels of performance,” explains Yaniv Katz, Director for Data Center Engineering at LivePerson, “This means we are constantly evaluating how we can deliver the best experience while ensuring that we can scale to meet growing demand.” Behind the scenes, the engineering team is continually monitoring around 1 million metrics such as server utilization, memory, connection, latency, and a whole host of other data sets to ensure that the service is running as expected. With data center expansion planned over the next few years, in late 2016, Katz and his teams began examining the possibility of upgrading and optimizing its network architecture to meet future trends. “We always need to be ahead of where our customers want to go,” he explains, “support for new drivers like increased use of video and chatbots are areas that we must cater for and as such the network needs to be able to scale in line with our needs.”

With a steady increase in student enrollment, Walsh University's Office of Information Technology (OIT) realized that their existing controller-based wireless network could not maintain adequate throughput for the growing number of devices connecting to it. This inadequacy was particularly evident in the residence halls, where students experienced connectivity issues, especially during peak evening hours when streaming and gaming activities surged. The IT team, led by Brian Greenwell and Rick Seivert, identified the need for better connectivity to ensure a positive experience for students, whether they were studying, streaming, or gaming. Additionally, security concerns were paramount, as universities have become prime targets for hackers seeking valuable personal identifiable information (PII).

Asteroid aimed to create a new type of Internet Exchange Point (IXP) service that combined better self-service options and automated provisioning while keeping costs down. The challenge was to address longstanding issues in the IXP market, such as slow service setup times and limited self-provisioning capabilities. The goal was to offer a more agile, cost-effective, and customer-friendly IXP service that could scale from 10Gb to 100Gb seamlessly.

In 2011, AIS recognized a shift in customer needs towards more advanced cloud computing solutions. The primary challenges faced by AIS were the need for higher speed to interface compute hosts with storage and the increased complexity of network management tasks. To address these challenges, AIS needed to move to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) with a higher port density. During the vendor selection phase, AIS discovered that some of their customers were already using Arista Networks products in their colocation space. This, along with insights from IT professionals involved in VMware deployments, led AIS to consider Arista Networks for their cloud computing infrastructure.

The Polish National Centre for Nuclear Research and its Świerk Computing Centre needed to improve its core network infrastructure to facilitate the upgrade of its supercomputing resources and provide a more efficient foundation for further growth. The centre was continually looking at technologies to help it harness its vast computing capability and mitigate any technical hurdles to help it deliver its world-class research capabilities. Although currently undergoing a validation process, the installation is likely to be categorized as one of the top 500 most powerful supercomputers in the world and certainly in the top 3 in Poland. The strategic goal is to build a unique science and technology competence centre to support the development of the Polish energy sector and all related fields of science. To meet this aim, an architecture refresh would be required to allow the cluster to scale as needed, but with particular care to avoid any bottlenecks that could impact future performance. One such area of particular concern was the core networking technology that would underpin the centre for the next decade of expansion.

Cyso needed to build a cost-effective cloud platform using OpenStack and required a scalable and high-performance switching architecture to meet its business aims. The company faced the challenge of delivering a public cloud service that could meet critical cost considerations without sacrificing reliability and features. Additionally, the choice of switching architecture was crucial to meet the performance demands of its cloud and enable automation features vital for its self-service ethos. Cyso also needed a robust networking layer to analyze anomalies and act accordingly, especially given the security risks associated with open platforms like OpenStack.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) needed to ensure its network layer was not a bottleneck for advanced research and weather prediction on upgraded supercomputer clusters. The supercomputer generates a huge amount of data which needs to be offloaded to storage and post-processing as quickly as possible. The network cannot be a bottleneck for this process, and it must cope with predicted upgrades or new workloads. In 2010, with the Centre’s existing IBM-based supercomputers due for upgrade, the team began looking at a possible replacement for its current Force 10 based network.

Sky Italia needed a large-scale routing system within its Milan facility to deliver mission critical SDI over IP network infrastructure. Sky Italia supports more than 150 of its own channels and following a reorganisation, the Italian operation would also handle all signal contribution for Sky Deutschland from operations centres in Milan and Rome. Sky Italia already transports individual feeds and multiplexed streams between the two locations but faced with the burden of handling signal contribution between Milan and Munich, Sky Italia needed to migrate to a large-scale routing system distributed across several floors within the Milan facility. To meet the future evolution towards an all IP based production and broadcast environment including IP-based disaster recovery, Sky Italia decided to design the system around an IP switching core using high capacity data centre switches. However, the new IP environment also needed to connect to legacy SDI systems within the Milan facility. The ultimate goal was to leverage the speed and scalability benefits of IP, while achieving the same level of switching quality as a traditional baseband router.

Schuberg Philis needed a flexible switching architecture to support its 'Cloud Pods' and create a mission-critical cloud for its customers. The company operates under a 100% principle, ensuring product quality, customer satisfaction, and openness. With nearly 500 customers, including major banks and supermarket chains, Schuberg Philis required a robust infrastructure to meet the high demands of its clients. In 2011, as cloud computing was gaining traction, Schuberg Philis recognized the need for agility and flexibility offered by cloud solutions. However, their customers were conservative and hesitant about public cloud adoption. Therefore, Schuberg Philis embarked on a project to build its own Mission Critical Cloud, setting stringent security and performance criteria to meet their high standards.

Following the UK's agreement in 1996 to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, AWE's work must be completed without actual test firing of weapons. This poses enormous technical and engineering challenges, necessitating high performance computing (HPC) systems for simulation, modeling, design, plasma physics, materials science, and hydrodynamics. AWE has invested significantly in its HPC capability, operating several supercomputing platforms. The demands on networking are significant, requiring cutting-edge technology to manage the high volume of calculations and data generated.

The latest development is Multiplay’s hybrid cloud orchestration platform that helps publishers to cost effectively provision and scale multiplayer environments to meet peaks and troughs in demand while delivering the best possible gamer experience. As Tom Penrose, team lead for systems at Multiplay says, “Spending £50 on a brand new game and not being able to get online is just an awful experience for players and publishers are recognising that this type of situation is going to damage their brands.”\n\n“However, setting up and running potentially hundreds of game servers so that everything is in place on game launch day is a major CAPEX expenditure and risk, It’s sometimes hard to gauge demand for a new title and where it’s going to be coming from across the globe” says Penrose, “Games also evolve with new patches and mods that push and pull player numbers – even time of day is a critical factor.”\n\nAs a company that has spent 20 years working in the area of multiplayer infrastructure, Multiplay has built a number of tools to help provision and manage servers; both for itself and third party customers. The culmination of its development work is its hybrid cloud orchestration platform. The system is used to provision game servers across either its estate of bare metal servers co-located at data centres across the world or to spin up virtual servers in private clouds. The system is highly automated and dynamic allowing servers to be brought online during periods of demand and then released back into the pool as demand ebbs.

Leonix faced significant challenges with data replication between sites due to its old legacy network switches and storage equipment. The existing infrastructure exhibited unacceptable levels of latency and throughput constraints, which became problematic as traffic volumes and the number of virtual machines grew. With an expected annual growth of around 30%, Leonix needed a new network and storage architecture to ensure service availability and scalability. The company approached several solution providers and technology vendors to find a reliable and scalable solution that could grow with their business.

AutoTrader.com faced significant challenges with their sales force's efficiency. The Advertising Consultants (ACs) spent many hours daily gathering information to prepare for meetings and presentations with auto dealers. They relied on spreadsheet printouts and laptops, which often led to delays in responding to dealer queries. This inefficiency not only consumed valuable time but also risked losing potential opportunities. The ACs had to access multiple websites, excel sheets, and reports, making the process time-consuming and cumbersome. The need for a more streamlined and efficient solution was evident to improve the sales force's productivity and responsiveness.

After the merger of Campofrio Spain and the Smithfield group in Europe, Campofrio Food Group aimed to transform its operations from a country-specific approach to a global perspective. The IT department needed to consolidate resources and manage finances more effectively. The challenge was to provide executives with real-time access to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across all functional areas and geographical locations. The goal was to reduce costs, speed up product market entry, and support all business areas efficiently.

In 2009, Ceva Santé Animale faced the challenge of empowering their sales representatives with a robust, multi-platform solution that could work seamlessly across various devices without the need for a VPN. The goal was to enable sales reps to create reports based on data filtered to their specific country, role, and responsibilities. Additionally, the solution needed to provide quick access to CRM, ERP, and sales data both online and offline, ensuring that sales reps could maximize their limited time with clients and avoid the inefficiencies of updating CRM tools at the end of the day.

With an extensive product portfolio to manage, DeRoyal was challenged to track orders, sales, and production data effectively. Most tracking was done using spreadsheets of one kind or another, supplemented by the occasional homemade system or static, hardcopy report. Those needing information had to ask the data owner to conduct the analysis and create the report. As a result, requests often took days to turn around, if they were answered at all. This left DeRoyal managers to make business decisions that were too often based on old or anecdotal information.

eHarmony needed to enhance its customer engagement and marketing analysis capabilities to improve user experience and drive business growth. The company required a solution that would allow executives to monitor key performance metrics on-the-go, enabling timely decision-making. Additionally, eHarmony sought to understand how website visitors interacted with their sites, analyze prevalent trends, and identify what drives visitors to subscribe. This necessitated a reliable platform that could provide actionable and near real-time information from a multi-terabyte data warehouse.

At the start of 2008, the GUESS BI team wanted to support its mobile workforce by delivering timely information to their RIM BlackBerry devices. Officials at GUESS wanted to be sure that its executives and corporate directors at headquarters, and regional directors in the field were receiving critical information, regardless of their location. To this end, GUESS selected MicroStrategy to develop a mobile business intelligence initiative that delivered operational information to end users’ smartphones. Instead of receiving cumbersome Excel spreadsheets, the sales force could open up a PDF document on their BlackBerry devices, get a quick snapshot of the business, and make immediate decisions that impact sales and revenue growth. But, GUESS knew it wasn’t going to stop there, and decided to deliver that insight to the iPad.

Lloydspharmacy faced the challenge of having multiple 'versions of the truth' in their data, leading to inconsistencies and inefficiencies in their reporting and decision-making processes. They needed a single source and repository for enterprise-wide data to improve data management, analysis, and reporting. Additionally, they aimed to expand the enterprise data user community to include Operations and Finance departments, providing benefits to a wider audience and improving Management Accounts production and output. The objective was to enhance decision-support reporting for senior and operational management, making it faster and more efficient.

The winter of 2012 saw hospitals around the country, including NHS Forth Valley, facing challenging capacity issues as patient demand and the complexity of cases increased sharply for a variety of demographic reasons. With a much larger volume of patients, and a strict ‘seen within four hours’ waiting policy, it was crucial for NHS Forth Valley to allocate beds, in the most efficient way possible, to cope effectively with demand and patient flow. Previously, NHS Forth Valley was required to undertake a ward by ward check of bed and flow status. This was not only time consuming and inefficient but often by the time it had been completed, the staff would find that the provision of beds around the hospital had changed, leaving the reports out of date. This highlighted the need for real-time information to allow clinicians and service managers to monitor capacity and flow across the system and focus efforts on areas of building pressure. NHS Forth Valley wanted a clear, easy-to-understand system that would allow staff to see whole system capacity, flow and access in near to real time.

Nickleby, a leading facilities management company in the UK and Ireland, faced the challenge of managing a large, distributed workforce of remote engineers, many of whom are independent contractors. The company needed to ensure high standards of service across a customer's entire property portfolio, which required detailed monitoring of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). The existing Business Objects platform was not flexible enough to meet the dynamic data analysis needs of Nickleby and its customers, leading to the decision to seek a more adaptable Business Intelligence (BI) solution.

Seaco’s existing information and reporting system, based on SAP Business Warehouse, contained a vast quantity of data. However, extracting the statistical overviews and general trends that the executive team needed was time-consuming and required specialist knowledge of the SAP system. It was also difficult to present these figures in an easy-to-understand format. The company wanted a system that could present general trends and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a simple, graphical form. It needed to be quick and easy to use and instantly available, including if the executive team was logging on outside the network. This would allow them to pick up headline messages about the company’s performance at the airport or on the way to a meeting, making best use of their iPads.

Senheng® Electric faced significant challenges with their existing ERP system, which struggled to handle the large volume of reports required by the business. The system's inefficiency led to frequent system hangs, impacting network performance and causing frustration among users who had to make critical business decisions based on outdated information. Additionally, sharing metric reports with top suppliers was nearly impossible under the existing system, further complicating operations.

Sonic Automotive, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, needed to ensure that executives and management had 24-7 access to daily business tracking metrics via a mobile platform. The company aimed to achieve mobility by investing heavily in Apple mobile technology, deploying iPads and iPhones to the executive team, regional management, and dealership management. In March 2010, Sonic began identifying potential partners to assist with the development of mobile apps that would enable their business processes and provide a platform to bring mobile business intelligence and reporting to the leadership. After a failed pilot with another provider, Sonic reached out to MicroStrategy to explore the potential benefits of mobile apps.

Like all communications companies, maximising profitability and efficiency is vital to Telefónica UK as it faces greater competition in the market, customers’ growing use of data and the move to 4G. The company’s vital marketing, sales and service and finance reports were created through a combination of Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel. This method was limited in terms of speed and the amount of data being processed, since the files became large and slow relatively quickly. Company data was also disparate, with individual reports independently created by various ‘cottage industries’ all around the organisation. To give the business a single source for fast, accurate and detailed insight to help inform decision-making, Telefónica UK decided to implement a new system based on a single Teradata warehouse.

Coach began using business intelligence solutions some twenty years ago after an investment in SAP. Reporting required both IT and business users to manually stitch together information. The level of detail available was limited, and the report creation process was time-consuming. Without the flexibility of reporting and ability to increase user self-sufficiency, Coach decided that it was necessary to make a platform switch. Coach has an organizational culture where individuals want to immediately answer any question when asked. This was not easily supported by carrying around large binders full of disparate information. However, making the mental leap to a new solution was not easy for everyone. They had to give them a comfort level that any tool they chose would be able to answer those same questions.

Due to the sovereign debt crisis, Novo Banco acquired a large volume of real estate assets. Managing these assets was challenging as field sales managers had to use multiple tools to access pictures, details, and financial data. This fragmented approach was inefficient and time-consuming, necessitating a more streamlined and centralized solution.

The Container Store faced the challenge of needing actionable, consistent, and timely reporting for their store leadership team. They had been relying on email and spreadsheets for reporting, which was not efficient or effective. The executive team identified gaps in store reporting as the greatest opportunity for improvement and innovation. They needed a solution that could provide comprehensive sales and payroll performance analysis, and also optimize personnel schedules based on current trends and predictive analysis.

In 2012, the City of Austin’s Financial Services Department received national recognition for an integrated financial portal that provided citizens and staff access to detailed information about the city’s financial operations. Despite this, internal users struggled to access the data they needed. The city’s databases consisted of a combination of home-grown ERP systems and other custom applications, making the process of integrating data for ad hoc reporting extremely time-consuming. This redundancy in user requests for similar types of reports caused the IT department to shift their focus from systems management to answering specific user questions. Every departmental group was attempting to do BI on their own, which was costly from both a maintenance and service perspective. The City of Austin decided it was necessary to look into purchasing an existing off-the-shelf analytics platform.

Using MicroStrategy, Dixons Carphone developed a dynamic sales dashboard to provide simple, accurate reporting tools that users could access from one place. It was critical for the project’s success to have staff adopt and widely use the new tools. However, employees were spread across local branches in all European countries. They spoke a number of different languages and needed to use the dashboard in different ways. Continued support was necessary to remind users of any parts of the training.