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At AWS Innovate EMEA 2024, Eurail and Xebia came together to present a compelling business case on modernization. Eurail, known for its popular European train passes, partnered with Xebia to embark on a digital transformation journey. By leveraging AWS technologies and expertise, the collaboration aimed to modernize Eurail’s data platform, ensuring scalability, reliability, and innovation readiness. This session highlighted the transformation, challenges, and outcomes of this collaboration.
Eurail’s Vision and Challenges
Eurail provides customers with the freedom to explore Europe by train, using a mobile app that delivers digital tickets and journey planning tools. However, as Solutions Architect Daniel Vijge explained:
"Our on-premises data warehouse lacked capacity to handle the growing volume of data, especially during peak seasons. This limited our ability to process and analyze data effectively, which impacted both operations and customer experience."
Eurail recognized the need for modernization, moving beyond just migrating systems to the cloud. They sought a partner who could guide them through this transformation, ensuring alignment with future business needs.
The Partnership with Xebia
Xebia, an AWS Premier Partner, has worked with Eurail since 2019. Initially supporting AWS environment management and financial services, Xebia extended its collaboration to include a full-scale modernization of Eurail’s business intelligence (BI) infrastructure.
Key Steps in the Journey:
- Workshops and Discovery: Xebia conducted workshops with Eurail’s technical and business stakeholders to understand goals, challenges, and data sources.
- Proof of Concept (POC): A POC was developed to showcase the potential of a modern BI platform using AWS services.
- Data Lake Implementation: A centralized data lake is currently being built on Amazon S3, ensuring accessibility and scalability for various teams.
- Enablement and Training: Continuous enablement sessions were provided to Eurail’s teams to build their cloud capabilities.
The Technical Approach
The modernization focused on creating a unified data platform while addressing key challenges like real-time data ingestion and historical data consistency. AWS services, including Amazon S3, AWS Glue, and DynamoDB, played pivotal roles.
Highlights of the Solution:
- Centralized Data Lake: Raw data was stored on Amazon S3, providing flexibility for further processing and analysis.
- AWS Glue: Used for schema discovery and data cataloging, enabling structured and semi-structured data processing.
- Real-Time and Historical Data Integration: Combined real-time updates with historical data for comprehensive insights.
“This solution acts as a template for future integrations, making it easier for us to incorporate new data sources and use cases,” said Daniel Vijge.
Outcomes and Benefits
The collaboration between Eurail and Xebia delivered significant organizational and technical benefits:
- Scalability and Performance: The new platform can handle peak-season data loads seamlessly.
- Enhanced Customer Insights: Predictive analytics powered by centralized data help Eurail anticipate customer needs and optimize services.
- Cultural Transformation: The modernization journey fostered a data-driven culture within Eurail, empowering teams to leverage data effectively.
Katerina Tashoska, AWS Architect at Xebia, emphasized:
"From day one, we implemented best practices to ensure scalability, security, and reliability, setting the foundation for future innovation."
A Template for Innovation
With the centralized data platform in place, Eurail is now exploring advanced use cases, including AI-driven recommendations and improved customer forecasting. This collaboration underscores the transformative potential of combining technical innovation with cultural change.
"This journey is not just about technology but also about shifting mindsets and processes across the organization," added Ronnie Bagan, Global AWS Growth Lead at Xebia.
Conclusion
Eurail’s partnership with Xebia demonstrates how AWS-driven modernization can unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth. By embracing a holistic approach to cloud transformation, Eurail has set a benchmark for leveraging data to enhance customer experiences and operational efficiency.
For organizations seeking to modernize their infrastructure, Eurail’s success story serves as an inspiration and a reminder of the importance of strategic partnerships and a well-defined roadmap.
If you're interested in exploring modernization with AWS and Xebia, contact us to begin your journey today!