Hindawi Limited, a leading disruptor in the publishing industry, faced significant challenges in managing its customer service. The company dealt with four types of customers: authors, editors, reviewers, and readers, each with unique queries and needs. Initially, Hindawi managed support through Gmail, with each staff member having an individual account and email address. However, as the company grew, this method proved ineffective. There was no oversight or reporting on communications, and the shared inbox setup led to unclear ownership of incoming tickets. Customer queries were being passed from one team to another, leading to delays in responses and resolutions. Furthermore, Hindawi operates with a mix of in-house and outsourced customer service teams, which added another layer of complexity to their customer service management.

Iba Cosmetics, an India-based cosmetics company, faced a significant challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a nationwide lockdown in India. The company, which had initially focused on offline retail, had to quickly shift its strategy to e-commerce. This sudden shift brought about a huge increase in the volume of customer queries, which the company struggled to manage efficiently. The company also wanted to replicate the meaningful human interactions that were a hallmark of their offline retail stores. However, the simple chat tool they initially implemented on their website and their WhatsApp Business account were not sufficient to handle the increasing volume of online queries.

Instantprint, the UK’s largest online printer, experienced rapid growth of 136% over the last five years. However, this growth brought challenges in maintaining their high level of customer service. The team struggled with a lack of visibility, unable to establish a single customer view of all communications across channels. This led to duplicated work for agents when a single customer reached out on multiple channels. They also lacked an organized method of tracking the volume or nature of customer queries, making it difficult to identify and address common customer pain points. Furthermore, without a way to track Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores, they had no means to measure the effectiveness of their customer service. Lastly, shared inboxes led to confusion and lack of ownership, as agents had no visibility into who was answering which tickets.

L’Osteria, a renowned restaurant chain with over 120 outlets across 8 European countries, was grappling with an outdated legacy system for managing its IT service delivery. The system's limited capabilities, ongoing maintenance and support issues, and poor user experience were impeding the restaurant chain's growth. The central IT department, which catered to all the restaurants, was inundated with repetitive requests on recurring issues such as WIFI problems and machinery breakages. This resulted in an excessive workload for the IT team and a lack of structure and automation in their operations. The legacy system was unable to support the scale and speed at which L’Osteria was operating, leading to inefficiencies and hindering their ability to provide top-notch service.

The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a prestigious drama school and a regulated awarding organization that offers globally recognized qualifications. The examinations department of LAMDA faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, LAMDA allowed customers to raise queries through tickets on the website or through phone calls. However, with the enforcement of lockdown and the shift to remote work, phone support had to be discontinued. This led to an exponential increase in the number of tickets coming in through Freshdesk, their customer support platform. Additionally, LAMDA had to transition from offline examination centres to online assessments, which led to a surge in queries about the new examination format and test requirements. The situation was further complicated by a reduction in the size of the customer service team due to the pandemic, resulting in each agent having to handle a significantly larger number of tickets.

Mama Money, a rapidly growing tech company specializing in cross-border payments, was facing challenges with their customer support system. They were using Google Sheets to track all customer interactions, which became increasingly cumbersome as the company expanded into new regions and increased their field agent strength to 2500. The company was facing scaling and growth-related issues and needed a solution that could cater to their specific needs. These included identifying new channels for rapid market acquisition, managing the increased volume of customer interactions, and providing a simple and intuitive user interface, especially in markets like West Africa where users were less tech-savvy.

MediusGo, a cloud-based tool developed by Swedish software company Medius, was facing a significant challenge in managing a high volume of customer support tickets. The company was initially using Desk.com from Salesforce as their customer service solution. However, the solution was soon retired, and MediusGo needed to explore alternatives. The company evaluated several solutions, including Salesforce Lightning, Zendesk, Kayako, and Freshdesk. The primary goal was to find a solution that would allow them to be self-sufficient and not rely on consultants for every move. They also wanted to improve the adoption of self-service among their customers to reduce the number of support tickets. The company receives a large volume of support tickets every month, and they wanted to equip their customers with the knowledge and tools they needed to solve their own issues, reducing the need for regular contact.

Blue Bottle Coffee (BBC), a global coffee roaster and retailer, was facing significant challenges with its IT infrastructure. The infrastructure was insecure and distributed among several cloud providers, lacking a DevOps approach. This situation increased the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and slowed down the time to market for their products. BBC aimed to assemble and optimize the disjointed IT-infrastructure elements to increase the security of the entire ecosystem. They also wanted to implement Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to accelerate and facilitate the deployment process by eliminating manual operations. Operational inefficiencies were causing high TCO and slow Time to Market (TTM), keeping BBC’s engineering team occupied with non-strategic tasks. BBC approached Provectus to prepare their IT-infrastructure for AWS migration, optimize and enhance its deployment process, and make BBC’s entire ecosystem more secure, which would allow the company to further spur its expansion, both in the USA and abroad.

Engineering simulations are a critical part of designing and assessing infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, and aircraft. However, the industry-standard technology, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), is computationally intensive and often unfeasible for large-scale 3D simulations. These simulations require large amounts of RAM, often exceeding the capacity of a desktop workstation, and can take hours or even days of computation time. This is particularly problematic when time is at a premium and engineers need to perform hundreds or thousands of simulations for a piece of critical infrastructure. Additionally, attempts to integrate simulations within university courses have been unsuccessful due to the complexity of the tools.

Alcide, a cloud-native security leader, was facing challenges in securing complex and distributed cloud stacks for organizations. The modern cloud deployment was intricate with numerous moving parts and shifting parameters, making it difficult to operate and secure. The traditional security protocols were not sufficient for the evolving technology standards and the convenience of the cloud. Alcide aimed to provide a complete security solution specifically designed for cloud-based infrastructure, but the process of provisioning new clusters was manual and time-consuming, taking up to 2-3 days. This was a significant drain on their resources and time, which were already limited.

Allthecooks, a social media platform for cooking enthusiasts, faced the challenge of managing a rapidly growing user base. The platform, which allows users to find, rate, comment on, and post their own recipes, had to process hundreds of thousands of simultaneous API requests whenever popular chefs updated their content. The company, which started with just three part-time engineers and no external funding, needed a scalable and reliable infrastructure to support its growth. The challenge was not just about speed, but also about scalability. As the user base grew, the need for a more robust backend processing architecture became evident. Cost was also a significant concern as the company was using its savings to build the platform.

Alma, a fintech startup based in France, was founded in 2017 with the aim of providing an easy-to-use payment service that guarantees instant payment to retailers while allowing customers to pay in installments. The 'buy now, pay later' model, while beneficial for retailers in terms of increased conversion rates, larger basket sizes, and improved customer satisfaction, also posed significant risks. Retailers had to bear the burden of chasing debts and the possibility of late or cancelled payments. In France, such schemes were only viable for larger enterprises with extensive working capital and large credit lines. Smaller businesses were unable to afford the financial risks or secure the same level of support from their banks. Alma sought to address this challenge by developing an installment payment platform that would be accessible to a wide range of retailers and customers.

Alquería, a Colombian conglomerate of over 24 companies with more than 4,000 employees, faced significant challenges in integrating teams across different cities and locations into a collaborative environment. The company aimed to increase its digital employee base, further digitize its processes, enhance collaboration and productivity in internal processes, and improve security levels to reduce information leaks. The main obstacle to growth was identified as technological barriers, which needed to be broken with cloud solutions for the company to scale. The challenge was to incorporate tools that did not exceed the limit of what was possible, while efficiently allocating licenses and resources for each employee role.

Alto, a ride-hailing company founded in 2018, operates with a unique business model where all drivers are W-2 employees and the company owns all the cars. This approach is designed to provide a safe, clean, consistent, and high-quality experience for every passenger. However, the company faced challenges in maintaining efficiency and competitiveness due to its smaller size compared to more established ride-hailing companies. One of the key issues was imprecise pickup points, which often led to delays and customer complaints. Drivers were often directed to incorrect locations, requiring extra driving time or contact with the customer to determine the proper pickup point. Additionally, the company had to manually input custom areas, locations from which riders frequently request a pickup that are not necessarily on the map yet. This process was time-consuming and inefficient.

Apiiro, a cloud-native application security platform, was faced with the challenge of providing complete visibility of all application components to security and development teams. This was crucial in order to map the application attack surface and proactively remediate critical risks before releasing to the cloud. The complexity of security issues was increasing as software development accelerated and businesses used agile models to deploy more apps at a faster rate. Traditional application security tools were proving ineffective in improving a company's security posture due to the intricate combination of multiple factors that contribute to risks. Furthermore, Apiiro needed to ensure near-perfect uptimes to deliver resilience and grow its business on Google Marketplace.

Arab Bank, a leading financial institution in the Middle East, recognized the need to innovate and modernize its services to maintain its market position and attract new customers. Despite its strong presence in the market, the bank faced challenges in responding quickly to the growing consumer market and the small and midsize enterprise (SME) sector. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where Arab Bank operates, has a largely unbanked population, with a significant portion interested in new digital tech capabilities. The bank also had to deal with legacy systems and applications, which made it difficult to release new features and functionalities frequently. Furthermore, Arab Bank had to navigate regulatory constraints such as data residency rules in the countries where it operates.

ARIGATOBANK Inc., a Tokyo-based financial services business, operates a platform called kifutown that connects donors with those in need of financial aid. The platform has grown significantly, handling over 2,000 donation projects as of March 2022. However, the company faced challenges in managing sudden traffic surges, particularly due to the influence of high-profile shareholder Yusaku Maezawa. A single social media post from Maezawa could lead to a significant increase in traffic, posing a challenge to the platform's infrastructure. The company needed a solution that could handle these traffic surges without impacting availability and latency. Additionally, ARIGATOBANK wanted to maintain development speeds and quality while undertaking progressive development, which required clear delineation of responsibilities and efficient operation of the application server.

In Indonesia, the fishing industry has traditionally been fraught with challenges. Fishermen relied on traditional knowledge to predict weather patterns and locate prime fishing grounds, leaving much of their catch and sales to chance. The increasing impact of climate change further complicated these predictions. Additionally, fishermen in remote villages were dependent on middlemen to sell their catch, store, and transport the fish to larger markets. This process often resulted in lower income for the fishermen. Furthermore, the fishing industry was largely paper-based, slowing down the flow of information and making it difficult to trace seafood from the fishermen to the consumer. Exporting fish abroad was a complex process due to the paperwork and logistics involved, which many fishermen did not understand. Lastly, only 25% of fishermen in rural villages used smartphones due to limited power supplies and low digital literacy, posing a significant challenge to digitizing the industry.

ATB Financial, a crown corporation of the province of Alberta, operates in a highly competitive financial services space. To retain its competitive advantage, ATB launched a bold transformation initiative to reimagine the way banking products and services could be delivered. However, the company faced several challenges. Remote employees often experienced connectivity and performance issues with the corporate VPN, which limited their productivity. Legacy office tools did not foster innovation and often slowed business processes, delaying the company’s ability to deliver new services and respond to customer needs. The ATB banking operations team also struggled with workflows and lost files in public folders, a common issue with legacy office applications.

Augmented Human Lab, a research center at Auckland Bioengineering Institute, was faced with the challenge of inspiring curiosity for science in children, particularly those who lacked confidence in science subjects. The lab's founder, Suranga Nanayakkara, wanted to create a fun computer interface that could become an extension of a child's curiosity and imagination. This led to the birth of the Kiwrious project, which aimed to make science playful and exciting by using plug-in sensors that capture environmental phenomena. However, to spread the Kiwrious mission, especially in disadvantaged schools, Suranga needed powerful cloud solutions to free up his small team from mundane tasks such as server maintenance, enable unlimited scaling power, and protect the identity of pupils with world-class cloud security.

Autofleet, a leading solution provider for fleet and mobility operators, was faced with the challenge of offering its customers a platform that was secure, reliable, and scalable. The company provides solutions for asset-heavy fleets and mobility operators to optimize their operations and launch new on-demand ride services. The comprehensive and modular nature of the company’s solutions meant that reliability, security, and performance were crucial to its operations. Failures and downtime could have a negative impact on their customers' core businesses. Furthermore, the company needed to be able to scale at will and with little notice. Whenever Autofleet signed a new client, the platform was immediately subjected to high volumes of extra traffic, which posed a significant challenge.

Autonom8, a US and India-based enterprise workflow management software business, aimed to help clients reduce costs and improve customer interactions through automation. The company provides a low-code SaaS platform that includes components like A8Studio, a chat platform, and an analytics module. However, the changing customer demands of enterprises, the rising cost of building software with experienced developers, and the need for customer journeys to evolve due to changing consumer habits and regulations posed challenges. Autonom8 initially deployed on a multinational cloud service, but the decision to opt for a microservices architecture that enables individual services to scale independently while running in a containerized environment demanded high-quality container orchestration. Furthermore, many of Autonom8's clients were financial institutions in India, legally required to retain data within the country's borders.

Avanza, a leading business process outsourcing (BPO) provider in Spain, faced several challenges in its operations. The company, which offers a wide range of services from retail operations to human resources to call center support, had to maintain efficiency while dealing with the cyclical nature of the BPO sector and tight margins. With over 7,000 employees spread across six countries, Avanza struggled with collaboration and communication, largely due to its outdated email platform that led to siloed working and the burden of maintaining its own servers. Furthermore, Avanza wanted to incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence into its business solutions, but its existing IT infrastructure was not equipped to handle these advanced technologies. The company was at a crossroads in 2016, deciding whether to continue with its current platform or explore new options.

Avocados Don Goyo, a leading exporter of fresh Hass avocado, was facing significant operational challenges due to its reliance on on-premises infrastructure. The company's servers were located in rural areas, making them vulnerable to inclement weather and recurring power outages. This resulted in stressful situations for employees who feared potential damage to equipment and subsequent data loss. The company's access to its SAP systems was heavily dependent on weather conditions, which hindered its ability to manage operations effectively and explore new business opportunities. As a company aiming for scalability and international expansion, Avocados Don Goyo realized that relying solely on on-premises infrastructure was no longer viable. They needed to transition to a more agile cloud technology that could provide full availability of its SAP systems, regardless of weather conditions.

AVROTROS, a Dutch radio and television broadcaster, was facing challenges in engaging its audience through online media and mobile apps due to the limitations of its existing infrastructure. The broadcaster's infrastructure was not optimized for the scale that popular mobile apps work at, leading to outages and users being locked out of the app. This was a significant issue as AVROTROS aimed to foster a deeper connection with its audience by using every channel available. Additionally, AVROTROS had outsourced its back-end and was totally dependent on its suppliers, leading to stability issues and outages. The broadcaster needed a next-generation infrastructure to engage and retain its audience with next-generation apps and gain greater control and visibility into its infrastructure management.

Ayoconnect, a SaaS company based in Southeast Asia, aimed to provide an open finance platform for developers to deliver a range of financial products to their customers. However, the company faced challenges in launching the platform on a cloud environment due to regulations requiring Indonesians' financial and transactional data to stay within the country. The domestic cloud service provider they initially used could not fully meet Ayoconnect's requirements, leading to performance and stability issues. Furthermore, the company needed to transition from a business-to-consumer model to a business-to-business model, which required standardization and visibility to solve issues created by multiple infrastructure types and API formats across financial services.

Banlinea, a Colombian fintech company, was in search of robust technologies to leverage data for its digital transformation and online sale of financial products. The company aimed to change people's lives by helping them make better financial decisions. To achieve this, it needed to understand users' behaviors using digital tools. However, it was critical for Banlinea to have a robust infrastructure that provided the necessary security and certifications to assure its customers. The company also needed the ability to scale its products globally and required new data analysis tools to detect patterns from people's behaviors to develop products that meet their financial needs. Furthermore, Banlinea needed a technology that was not limited to a single type or brand, allowing for versatility, capacity, and scalability regardless of the increasing number of simultaneous customers. Business challenges included quick responsiveness in the development of its products, timely delivery of information, and a high level of security.

Bareksa, an Indonesian fintech startup, was founded in 2013 with the mission to provide investment opportunities to the rapidly growing middle class in Indonesia. However, as the popularity of the platform grew, Bareksa found itself struggling to scale services during spikes in customer demand. This was a significant issue for a startup that relied on speed and 100% reliability to succeed. Additionally, its engineering team was spending a significant amount of time on DevOps tasks, such as provisioning servers and managing databases, leaving little time for creating innovative fintech solutions to grow the business. Bareksa was operating in a monolithic on-premise environment, with physical servers and a self-managed database, which was proving to be inefficient and time-consuming.

BasisAI, a company that helps enterprises accelerate AI adoption, faced several challenges in its mission to deploy responsible AI applications. The company needed to ensure that the AI systems it helped develop were free of biases, which could potentially lead to loss of consumer trust if certain groups of customers were favored over others due to AI system biases. The process of taking AI from code to production required a tight collaboration between data scientists and DevOps within an organization, which could be complex and time-consuming. Additionally, managing the infrastructure for machine learning operations (MLOps) was a significant burden, particularly in terms of resource allocation and dealing with traffic spikes. BasisAI also needed to ensure robust monitoring of AI models to prevent downtime and manage cloud consumption costs. Finally, ensuring data privacy and security was crucial, especially for customers in regulated industries.

Banco de Crédito e Inversiones (Bci), one of Chile’s largest banks, faced the challenge of meeting the changing expectations of its employees and customers who were increasingly comfortable using internet-based tools and services. The traditional ways of banking did not resonate with the younger workforce, particularly the millennials, and the bank needed to evolve to meet their changing expectations. The bank also aimed to get closer to its increasingly digitally engaged customer base. To do this, Bci decided it needed a digital transformation that would bring interactions between employees and with customers closer to their more intuitive digital experiences with consumer apps. The bank also needed greater support for working off-site, including finding ways to replace in-person and telephone meetings with simple, reliable videoconferencing. Bci also hoped to move beyond email as the means for sharing and document collaboration.