Driving success for a leading retail company

Exceptional quality. Unique designs. Affordability. Our client is a European variety chain store boasting enviable tradition. With over 700 active stores worldwide, the company caters to numerous countries, including  Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Span, Qatar, Mexico, France, etc. 

The challenge: data processing and cloud infrastructure maintenance

The client required software engineers with strong domain experience to integrate with their different teams and work on several projects. Their primary focus was on:

• Data processing
• Cloud infrastructure and platform maintenance

In the process, they needed a team that understood their technologies. A reliable co-creator that would actively participate in discussions, offer expertise, and recommend new technologies and solutions. And, that is where Vega IT stepped in, providing them with all of the necessary roles, skills, and knowledge.

The team: three teams working independently

Our engineers are divided into three separate teams that operate independently from each other in terms of communication and domain expertise.

The first team: data engineering

The first team consists of five data engineers. They handle integrations between systems and connect two different components in the system. We write scripts and transfer data from one end-point to the other. Additionally, we take care of data storage by ensuring the information is transparent and available to everyone within the organization. Those are large amounts of data that, in some cases, can also be considered Big Data. 

The second team: cloud infrastructure and platforms

The second team is made up of three DevOps engineers. Unlike the first team which works on new solutions and innovation, the second team focuses on the maintenance of the existing infrastructure. Their primary task is the maintenance of the security and monitoring services, as well as the data consolidation layer (DCL) service. Those are the three main services that existed even before we started working with the client. The members of this team collaborate with other teams in order to facilitate their jobs. 

The third team: web UI 

Finally, the third team specializes in front-end development and consists of three web UI developers.

Vega IT – the firepower on different projects

Reliable tech partners. Tactical co-creators.

Vast domain experience. Extensive technical knowledge. A leading retail company was looking for a reliable tech partner. And, Vega IT has been their firepower since the very beginning of our collaboration. We serve as a reliable extension of their team. 

Let’s take an example of the data engineering team. Initially, the client hired us to take care of their predefined processes and technologies. However, as Vega IT’s team members proved to be a good fit and experienced tech partners, we gained greeted autonomy. 

As co-creators, we participate in decision-making, identify problems, and propose new areas of improvement. We also recommend the best technical solutions for the client and take care of their implementation.  

Extensive domain experience and technical knowledge

The client’s entire infrastructure is based on the cloud. That is why they required top-notch engineers with extensive experience with cloud technologies. 

One of our tasks is the selection and implementation of different cloud technologies. We decide which AWS services will be used, who will use the services, and what is the end results of using that service. We also take care of maintenance and propose the best solutions for it. 

The challenges: limitations of the cloud

One of the main problems both the DevOps team faced was the limitations of the cloud. For example, the DevOps team typically collaborates with other teams to detect the problem and identify its cause. 

On the other hand, the data team engineering struggled with optimization issues while writing processes in Python. These processes are executed within a specific time interval, and it is necessary to write sufficiently optimized code to meet those existing constraints.

We have also experimented with different programming languages to achieve the desired results.

Solutions: simplifying and streamlining the client’s processes

The cloud infrastructure and platforms team

In the section above, we explained that the DevOps team participated in the selection of AWS services, setting the goals for these services, and determining the best maintenance practices. 

One of their primary tasks is the maintenance of the infrastructure that helps their teams. This team has also been working on the development of the central infrastructure.

We use Backstage, the Spotify product, in order to track teams, the services they work on, and what those services are for. Today, the entire process is automated. New projects can be made within the client’s infrastructure in a few clicks. That is a centralized information hub, Service Catalogue, where all documentation is stored. The primary goal of the DevOps team is to come up with solutions that will save the client’s team time and effort. 

Data engineering team

Our task is to synchronize the data that is stored on the client’s services. We do that through various integrations that connect data among those services. Everything we do is stateless and serverless. 

Proactive client support

We provide the client with regular maintenance and support services. For example, the DevOps team provides round-the-clock, 24/7 support. 

The full tech stack

AWS services

• Database: DynamoDB, Aurora, RDS, Redis
• Data Warehouse: Redshift
• Storage: S3
• Cache: Redis Elasticache
• Pub-Sub: SimpleNotificationService(SNS),
• Queue: SimpleQueueService(SQS),
• Serverless: Lambda, ECS, AWS Glue, EMR