DataStax Helps IHS Markit Power Digital Catalog to Deliver Exceptional Customer Experience

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 4, 2016) -

• DataStax Enterprise and Microsoft Azure power IHS Markit's Parts Content Factory, a digital catalog containing 500 million parts and components for everything from smartphones to satellites
• Required a highly scalable NoSQL database platform able to unify a disconnected mix of relational databases
• Selected DataStax Enterprise for its scalability and performance, and powerful analytics and search capabilities

DataStax, the leading provider of database software for cloud applications, today announced that IHS Markit, a worldwide data and analysis enterprise, uses DataStax Enterprise (DSE) along with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to improve performance and increase revenue opportunities by unifying and automating its electronic parts database, the Parts Content Factory, into a single, powerful system.

Click to tweet: .@DataStax helps IHS @Markit power digital catalog to deliver exceptional customer experience ow.ly/QqYR304P9Hw

A Factory in the Cloud
IHS Markit's Parts Content Factory powers a variety of services, including a Bill of Materials Intelligence Tool used by a variety of users in roles such as component engineering, quality engineers, supply chain management, marketing, global data managers, regulatory compliance officers and procurement. Using the tool, IHS Markit customers can quickly and accurately identify alternate component sources, optimize spend on electronic components, identify preferred manufacturers, and track and maintain regulatory compliance across the globe.

The IHS Markit Parts Content Factory needed to be powerful, fast, and dependable, however the company encountered a challenge when managing the associated data across a disparate and disconnected mix of relational databases. In order to efficiently deliver full life cycle services, analytics and data, IHS Markit needed to create a comprehensive digital catalog and unify the database in a single system.

DataStax Enterprise Provides Scalability, Search and Analytics Capabilities
IHS examined NoSQL distributed databases and determined that the DSE architecture would work the best with its datasets. With DSE's massively linear scalability, ring based clusters, wide columnar and CQL interface, DataStax Enterprise, built on Apache Cassandra™, won out over competing NoSQL technologies such as Apache Hadoop(R) and Apache HBase™. With DSE, IHS Markit can operationalize the growth of the Parts Content Factory to support temporary spikes in usage or business growth, whether it's organic or acquisition-based.

"We knew that to turn a list of 500 million parts and components and several billion pieces of related content into actionable information and insight, we would need a highly scalable framework," said Graham Lammers, Director of Product Development and Delivery, IHS Markit. "We reached out to DataStax for guidance to help us choose the data model that fit our needs and chose DataStax Enterprise for its search, analytics and data-visualization capabilities. Running DSE on Azure was a natural choice as early POCs testing performed well and both companies worked together to ensure our project success."

With a powerful, stable, high-performance search and analytics capability, the Parts Content Factory performs reliably from one query to the next and from one user to the next. DSE, running on Microsoft Azure, enables IHS Markit to collect, validate, and distribute almost a full terabyte of content, converting it to value for their customers. Customers are then able to find the parts and insights they need, while IHS Markit increases revenue opportunities, and employees do more in less time and at a lower cost.

"We strive to efficiently deliver dependable technology that enables our partners to optimize business processes with customers, including the way they deliver their services," said Andrea Carl, Director of Communications of Cloud+Enterprise at Microsoft. "Through a joint vendor strategy with DataStax, IHS Markit unified their database with DataStax Enterprise and Microsoft Azure, improving IHS customers access to the data and insights they use daily."

"Our goal is to enable IHS Markit to focus on business innovation instead of system maintenance," said Matt Rollender, VP, Cloud Strategy, DataStax. "Through our strategic collaboration with Microsoft Azure we have been able to achieve this goal and ensure that IHS Markit remains focused on providing an excellent experience to their Fortune 500 enterprise customers without worrying about re-architecting their system every three years."

Since utilizing DSE for their database needs, IHS Markit has experienced significant improvements, including:

• Increased revenue opportunities due to more reliable performance
• Enablement of database team to do more in less time at a lower cost
• More transparent and predictable costs
• Reduced system maintenance time enabling increased business innovation
• Leapfrog capabilities that deliver more value and keeps pace with the business

To download a copy of the IHS Markit case study click here.

About DataStax  
DataStax, the leading provider of database software for cloud applications, accelerates the ability of enterprises, government agencies, and systems integrators to power the exploding number of cloud applications that require data distribution across datacenters and clouds, by using our secure, operationally simple platform built on Apache Cassandra™.

With more than 500 customers in over 50 countries, DataStax Enterprise is the database technology of choice for the world's most innovative companies, such as Netflix, Safeway, ING, Adobe, Intuit, Target and eBay. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., DataStax is backed by industry-leading investors including Comcast Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Meritech Capital, Premji Invest and Scale Venture Partners. For more information, visit DataStax.com or follow us on @DataStax.

About IHS Markit
IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world's leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2016 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.