Shop Direct expands IBM cloud deployment
London – U.K. digital department store retailer Shop Direct is moving to a hybrid cloud model, hosted by IBM, to increase flexibility and quickly respond to changes in demand as it grows. IBM’s cloud will underpin the delivery of a suite of analytics, mobile, social and security offerings that will enable Shop Direct to improve its customers’ online shopping experience while empowering its workforce to collaborate more easily and improve productivity.
IBM will deliver services utilizing a range of technology platforms that enable Shop Direct to continue building its leadership in a digital and mobile world. The agreement focuses on improving the company’s customer experience in two distinct areas.
First, the use of a hybrid cloud infrastructure will provide capacity on demand so that Shop Direct can react to market changes quickly and support digital initiatives for its strategic agenda, such as a more personalized customer experience. Secondly, IBM will provide new, enhanced end user services for Shop Direct employees and partners across a broad range of devices to improve satisfaction as well as productivity aligned to key business processes such as order taking and fulfillment. These end user services include new desktops and laptops along with secure mobile device management and support for tablets and smartphones to support a mobile workforce.
“As the U.K. and Ireland’s leading multi-brand digital retailer, we’re looking to tap IBM’s cloud computing expertise to allow us to innovate and add value to both the experience we deliver to customers and the working experience we offer our people,” said Andy Wolfe, Shop Direct CIO.
IBM teams will work as part of Shop Direct’s IT organization. The hybrid cloud model will enable Shop Direct to seamlessly scale to support peaks in demand when online traffic spikes, while only paying for the infrastructure that it needs. IBM MobileFirst Protect will underpin mobile productivity to enable secure access for Apple and Android devices.