How Kubernetes Can Help Retailers Unlock Digital Transformation
Given the rapid acceleration of e-commerce, every retailer knows it should be pursuing digital transformation. What achieving that transformation means in practice is far less evident.
One essential piece of the digital transformation puzzle is Kubernetes, a method of managing containers, which bundle and store applications. If businesses cannot make efficient use of these tools and relatedly store and organize massive amounts of data, dreams of digital transformation and the benefits it unlocks are moot.
With Kubernetes, retailers can innovate faster, operate seamlessly in the hybrid cloud environment, and better organize and source actionable insights from their data — all essential steps toward building a competitive advantage in retail.
Using Kubernetes to innovate faster
As a result of the pandemic, customers’ expectations have shifted dramatically. Curbside pick-up isn’t just for dinner — it’s also for the latest gadgets, games, and fashion accessories. The brick-and-mortar retailer down the street is out of stock? The customer will check the company’s website — or a competitor’s — to see if it’s available across town. Or perhaps the customer needs immediate satisfaction, in which case they might opt for same-day delivery. And that’s just for point of sale; returns, exchanges, and customer service are similarly expected to be straightforward and frictionless.
With Kubernetes, industry leaders can streamline cutting-edge application portfolios to accommodate these evolving needs and anticipate others before they arise. Building brand loyalty, for instance, demands innovative approaches to the customer experience, be it through engaging content and messaging, dynamic personalization, or the creative use of AI/ML and edge. A holistic adoption of Kubernetes can simplify these tasks while enabling customers to enjoy a consistent experience across touchpoints. Moreover, by skillfully managing containers, retailers can gain invaluable insight into their finances and cash flow, of course, but also into immediate end-to-end operations, from product demand to logistics.
Kubernetes also provides retail employees with the resources required for meeting customer needs and team goals. With access to cloud-based applications and digital workspaces, they can be seamlessly onboarded and in turn empowered to interface with any stakeholder from any location or device. In addition to this saving time and money, it creates transparency and trust within the organization as a whole. This gives employees the ability to support one another, and, by extension, the customer.
Navigating the hybrid cloud
Where Kubernetes makes digital transformation possible, Diamanti provides the most accessible means of unlocking its benefits on the hybrid cloud by reliably connecting e-commerce to brick and mortar and physical to remote offices.
The Diamanti ML Platform charts simple, automated paths for these networks by deploying Kubernetes clusters that natively integrate with any environment. Crucially, these application clusters can be set up more quickly with Diamanti than with other tools. Instead of hassling with the challenges related to authentication and authorization or compatibility that can arise with Kubernetes’ use, Diamanti users gain the peace of mind and energy needed for innovating both on-premise and from a distance.
This cloud-smart strategy makes fiscal and operational sense. The ML Platform is a one-stop destination for Kubernetes management, networking, and storage; it handles the complexity and security issues that come with running multiple clusters on a hybrid cloud. With Diamanti, every team member also has dedicated infrastructure, DevOps, and application teams at their disposal to maintain functionality and ease of use.
Better organizing and acting on data
In addition to being a boon for customers, leaders, and employees, Kubernetes is able to store the data that the interactions between them generate. But digital transformation isn’t just about collecting information—any unstructured data produced by analytics also needs to be well organized if it’s going to be serviceable.
For businesses in the retail space, there are two central issues that must be addressed when it comes to organizing and acting on data. First, of course, is the issue of how best to store data. Second, these large volumes can be difficult and time-consuming to reliably index and make searchable. Retailers need quick solutions if they hope to minimize costs and operate at scale.
To address these needs, the ML Platform comes with built-in analytics pipelines that automate data processing and storage. This interface offers leaders immediate, flexible access to their data and thereby enables them to take swift action or pivot when necessary. The resulting databases are kept safe by Diamanti’s unique storage and network architecture, thus leaving them organized and easy to move from one region or zone to another.
With their operations integrated on the hybrid cloud and their data at their fingertips, retailers will find in Diamanti the key to unlocking Kubernetes’ full potential. Together, these tools can unlock the capabilities and insights required to lead a dynamic industry.
