Some companies can go decades without an upgrade because the business is running just fine. But “just fine” might still mean legacy technology is holding you back from explosive growth. A golf company has provided specialist golf simulators for individuals and golfing centers for more than two decades. But after a change in ownership, the on-premises technology that had been running the simulations for so long had to be reevaluated.
In the client’s own words, they had to “upgrade 26 years’ worth of technical debt.” They were sitting on top of a mountain of data that was either siloed in unconnected simulators or under-utilized. Their current on-premises approach kept the company from seizing the value of that data, which was often replicated across a vast web of conflicting systems and versions. While there were 3,000 simulators operating, only about 800 were actually connected to the platform. Getting those simulators connected to a cloud-based system, expanding the overall number of simulators, and extending the value of the data for each customer was essential to reach their strategic goals. Provoke provided the guidance and ideas the client needed to guide them through the Microsoft Azure cloud journey.
“We’re very impressed with the way Provoke is not pushing us to do things we don’t want to do, teaching us things we don’t know, and driving us towards the future of business. With Provoke, we feel like we’re their only client.”
~Client chairman
Keys to Success
Core technical problem was identified, then solved fast
Provoke quickly identified that Linux was running in a data center, and it had to be moved elsewhere to get the project started. Older versions of Linux wouldn’t run in Azure and had to be upgraded to get the project off the ground.
Designed tools that supported key business goals
Once Provoke gained a good understanding of how the client wanted to leverage its data, it built a custom Azure-based API. Using that API, the team created a single, clean dataset of information that is delivered securely in real-time to mobile devices, simulators, and websites. The silos have been torn down!
Designed a solution for long-term value
While the client was eager to get something live as soon as possible because their legacy systems needed to be moved before the data center that hosted the solutions shut down. Provoke made sure they understood that taking a phased approach would in the end result in a better and more foundational long-term solution.
Results
- Seamless, headache-free migration to Microsoft Azure platform.
- Helped develop client’s own internal expertise.
- Incorporated Power BI and Azure Analytics for better data analytics.
- Limited downtime.
- Flexibility for further Azure integrations.
