Case Study
How UST helped a global entertainment data and services company retain a key client and reduce operating costs
OUR CLIENT
Founded more than a century ago, this company has grown to become a global leader in consumer behavior analytics, generating approximately $5 billion in annual revenue. With services like media market ratings, audience segmentation, and competitive intelligence, its clients use the data insights to predict consumer trends, uncover new opportunities, and optimize advertising.
THE CHALLENGE
Developing a cost-effective high-volume replication data integration tool
The entertainment data and services company used a third-party high-volume replication (HVR) tool to manage the flow of data between its cloud application database and the on-premise database of a prominent, high-profile client. During annual contract renewal negotiations, the cost of the HVR tool surfaced as a point of discussion. The high-profile client didn’t want to pay for third-party license and support fees for the data replication service despite the data integration tool being vital for its business operations.
To meet its customer’s need for a more cost-effective HVR data tool, they engaged with UST to develop an alternative, lower-cost, in-house data replication solution.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Delivering an integrated, reliable, automated data replication solution using AWS technologies
UST’s data engineering team designed and deployed a data replication solution that is fully integrated with the analytics company’s cloud application product suite. The tool captures application changes and generates an XML file for each data change. The XML files are encrypted using the pretty good privacy (PGP) method and sent to an SFTP server. The XML files are then decrypted and imported into our client’s customer’s on-premise database. The same process occurs from the customer’s database to the analytics company’s application database, creating a continuous cycle of data exchange between the two businesses.
To design the solution, we conducted a thorough analysis of the data replication processes and mapped fields to capture the flow of information to and from the company’s cloud database. From there, we integrated the entertainment data and services company’s application database with AWS S3, a cloud object storage solution, an SFTP server, and PGP encryption and decryption capabilities using a private key. Workflow scheduling automated the continuous data flow process. Thorough testing authenticated the data replication process and ensured the automation workflow would not impact application performance. Finally, we integrated a notification system to alert users if a data synchronization failure occurs.
The company now has an integrated data replication solution, replacing the third-party tool. The solution satisfied the need of its prominent customer for a more cost-effective alternative and helped the company successfully renew the contract, demonstrating its dedication to customer satisfaction.
THE IMPACT
Annual cost savings, a 67% productivity boost, and a satisfied customer
What started out as a cost optimization initiative to satisfy a major customer became a transformation project that has significantly benefited the global entertainment data and services company and its customer. The solution enabled the company to completely eliminate the third-party data replication vendor and its license and maintenance fees. The legacy third-party solution required five servers, and the new in-house data solution only needs three servers, contributing to additional annual cost savings.
From a performance perspective, the new data replication solution has proven to be a winner as well. When a data workflow error occurs, the new solution only requires 10 minutes of manual re-processing time, down from 40 minutes with the previous solution, contributing to a 67% increase in productivity.
The analytics company also has more insight and control over the process. When issues occasionally arise, its IT team can resolve them faster since it no longer has to engage with a third-party support team, enhancing client experiences.
RESOURCES
https://www.ust.com/en/our-partners/aws/legacy-modernization
https://www.ust.com/en/insights/migration-of-data-warehouse-to-aws