Office Depot migrates data infrastructure to the cloud
Office Depot is enabling an uninterrupted flow of real-time data across its enterprise.
The specialty office products retailer, a subsidiary of The ODP Corp., is partnering with real-time data connectivity and integration solutions CData to modernize its data infrastructure in the cloud without eliminating its existing analytics processes.
In recent years, Office Depot has become an increasingly data-driven organization with thousands of internal users across its merchandising, retail, and supply chain divisions utilizing real-time business data. The company needed a flexible, scalable data storage solution that would enable line-of-business users to easily access and analyze their data.
To meet these needs, Office Depot migrated its data to the cloud and leveraged CData to provide real-time data connectivity. After moving its data from a legacy on-premises data warehouse to the Snowflake cloud-based data platform, Office Depot needed to connect the data to its existing SSAS multidimensional MDX analytics cubes.
To get the data connected and reporting processes running smoothly, Office Depot deployed real-time data CData drivers as an out-of-the-box solution to connect its Snowflake data with its existing analytics cubes. According to the retailer, this saving its internal IT team months of custom development work re-engineering the cubes to work with Snowflake.
Office Depot cites benefits from the rollout including business units now having undisrupted access to real-time data in their preferred analytics platform. Supply chain leaders can monitor performance and fill-rate of their supply-chain-as-a-service initiative, while retail store managers can view their store’s sales compared to others in the district, and analysts can develop performance reports faster to enable better-informed business decisions.
“CData offered a drop-in replacement — nothing had to be redesigned. We could simply reconfigure the cubes to get them working” said Terry Campbell, Office Depot senior IT manager. “CData was really a hidden gem for us to find the technology to allow us to move forward.”
“We’re happy to provide Office Depot with solutions to support their growing data needs,” says Amit Sharma, CEO and co-founder of CData. “Together with our partner Snowflake, we can assist enterprises like Office Depot to easily modernize their data strategy and enable everyone across the organization to make better-informed business decisions.”
The ODP Corporation operates approximately 1,000 Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores.
H&M develops cloud-based backbone
In another recent example of a retailer cloud-enabling its data environment, global fast-fashion chain H&M Group is partnering with Google Cloud to leverage the platform’s data analytics capabilities and global enterprise in an effort to enhance its customer experience and supply chain operations.
This cloud-based enterprise data backbone will include a core data platform, data product, and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities. H&M also plans to establish of a new data mesh to make all types of data and events more accessible from multiple sources, including in-store, online, and third-party brands and suppliers.