Institution Snapshot
BÆRSkin is a direct-to-consumer brand holding company that launches and scales offers online through performance marketing, with in-house creative and tech teams. They operate remotely, with contributors from operating from 19 countries around the world. Their brands include BÆRSkin, one of the most sold hoodies in america and Hyper Arch Motion, an orthopaedic line of sneakers.
Challenges Leading to Control Plane Exploration: BÆRSkin embarked on their journey seeking reliability and scalability in ecommerce operations due to challenges with unstable vendor relationships and downtime affecting revenue. They turned to Control Plane for a scalable, reliable, and multi-cloud solution.
Control Plane Features That Stood Out: 99.999% Availability and ultra-low latency for all end-users; PCI Compliance with comprehensive audit trail and fine-grained access control; 24/7 technical support; Flexibility to mix-and-match any combination of backing services from AWS, GCP, and Azure without dealing with credentials and complex IAM policies.
Problem
Rethinking Resilience in E-commerce
In the dynamic realm of e-commerce, BÆRSkin encountered a series of challenges that prompted a strategic reassessment of their operational landscape. One of the primary hurdles they faced was the instability stemming from vendor relationships. Downtime issues and a lack of reliability from e-commerce providers led to significant revenue disruptions, forcing BÆRSkin to reevaluate their technological infrastructure.
The e-commerce sector places a premium on high availability and reliability. For BÆRSkin, the pivotal moment came when they decided to part ways with a vendor that failed to provide the stable foundation crucial for seamless online transactions. Recognizing the critical importance of a robust and scalable solution, they embarked on a journey to build an in-house infrastructure that could meet their specific needs. The imperative was not only to address existing challenges but also to proactively position themselves for future growth and global expansion.
Scalability and global accessibility became non-negotiable criteria in their search for an ideal solution. Traditional e-commerce providers were falling short of meeting these requirements, leading BÆRSkin to explore alternatives that could provide a more resilient foundation. The decision to delve into the capabilities of Control Plane was born out of the need for an internal developer platform that guaranteed reliability and scalability.
“The decision to delve into the capabilities of Control Plane was born out of the need for an internal developer platform that guaranteed reliability and scalability.”
Solution
Secure Scalability & Reliability
Control Plane's SLA of 99.999% High Availability
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) were a crucial KPI for BÆRSkin. Control Plane positively impacted BÆRSkin's daily operations by enabling them to host services in multiple regions with 99.999% availability and ultra-low latency boosting their customer trust. The ability to operate on multiple clouds enhanced overall reliability, addressing the company's concerns about potential outages and disruptions.
Responsive Support and Implementation Ease
The journey with Control Plane was not just about technology; it was about partnership. BÆRSkin commended Control Plane's support team for their responsiveness and unwavering assistance throughout the implementation process. The platform's user-friendly interface and straightforward implementation process ensured a seamless transition, minimizing disruptions to daily operations.
“Control Plane positively impacted our daily operations by enabling us to host services in multiple regions with 99.999% availability and ultra-low latency - enhancing our customer trust.”
PCI Compliance and Security Assurance
Security is paramount in e-commerce, especially when dealing with luxury and lifestyle products. Control Plane's PCI compliance out of the box provided BÆRSkin with a robust security framework, streamlining their adherence to industry standards. This not only fortified their defenses against potential threats but also eliminated the need for cumbersome compliance procedures.
Multi-Cloud Flexibility
One of Control Plane's standout features was its support for multi-cloud deployment. BÆRSkin harnessed this capability to diversify their cloud strategy, ensuring resilience and mitigating risks associated with relying on a single cloud provider. The multi-cloud flexibility empowered BÆRSkin with a strategic advantage in managing their digital infrastructure.
Holistic Infrastructure Management
Control Plane's holistic approach to infrastructure management stood out as a differentiator. By providing an internal developer platform, Control Plane empowered BÆRSkin with cloud-native maturity without the exhaustive investments typically associated with achieving such a status. The platform streamlined complex processes, offering a single pane of glass for managing multiple environments and enhancing overall observability and security.
Summary
The partnership's success lay in the precise alignment of Control Plane's capabilities with BÆRSkin's aspirations. The platform's high availability, as evidenced by a remarkable SLA of 99.999%, addressed one of BÆRSkin's pivotal concerns - ensuring uninterrupted service to their global customer base. This achievement not only met industry standards but exceeded them, reinforcing BÆRSkin's commitment to reliability and customer trust.
This case study is also available as a PDF.
Download PDF
