Case Study Bravissimo
“Coeo have proved their worth as support partners for the last 10 years. Any issues are immediately addressed with Coeo providing a solution. It’s a relief to know that our system is being monitored so closely.”
Ian Murphy, IT Manager
Project Overview
From an initial project to modernise their data platform to 24/7 performance and availability, Bravissimo have it coveredBackground
Sarah Tremellen started Bravissimo from home in 1995 after spotting a gap in the market for a choice of bras for women with larger bust sizes. 24 years later, it has grown into an 850-person strong organisation selling lingerie, swimwear, nightwear and clothes in its 29 high street stores and a website shipping to customers all over the world. Online sales are key to the company’s success and therefore it is critical that its system is scalable, future proof and supported 24/7.
The Challenge
Bravissimo urgently needed to redevelop its core systems to support the business’ rapid growth. The project goals were:
- High availability for shops, mail order, customer services and e-commerce web-site
- Reconciliation between centralised and separately hosted website data
- Future-proof scalability
- 24/7 systems management and critical support
Microsoft SQL Server was an obvious choice on balance between in-house skills, appropriateness for the size of the business and a low cost of ownership. With the technology decision made, the search for a partner to design, implement and support the system, began.
Solution
Coeo were the natural choice; as Microsoft Gold Partners in Data & Analytics, we had the skills to complete the project work, and also offer a 24/7 Dedicated Support service to ensure ongoing performance and availability. Once the initial project work was completed, Coeo’s support engineers became part of the ‘virtual’ IT team and they have continued to work well with the in-house personnel. Bravissimo were impressed not only by our expertise in the Microsoft data platform but also by our understanding of their unique business drivers and creative approach to problem solving.
Bravissimo have used Coeo’s consultants for regular upgrade projects throughout the support relationship to take advantage of the latest SQL Server features. This combination of platform modernisation and extended support allows them to avoid technical debt and prepare for the future. The latest upgrade to SQL Server 2017 delivered 30% better performance and was tested and deployed well before the summer sales peak, a key time of year in retail. What’s more, the ongoing Dedicated Support not only means they are covered in case of problems, but also gives them access to Coeo’s skilled engineers for assurance and guidance on future data platform choices.
Ian Murphy, IT Manager at Bravissimo, says “For technical expertise I can’t fault them, I trust our systems are in safe hands and we benefit from their quality advice and knowledge transfer”
Result
Through a series of key upgrades and migrations, Bravissimo has seen improvements across the board. Not only have they have achieved their business objectives and seen an increase in sales but their ongoing support relationship with Coeo has paid dividends.
With a faster diagnosis and resolution of performance related problems, high availability of the core database and a scalable solution that can support a fast-growing business, Bravissimo can be confident that they made the right technology choice, the right partner choice and have the system their business relies up and running round the clock.