CASE STUDY
on six on-premises data centres , which were labour intensive and nearing the end of their usability . It compiled a proof of concept ( PoC ) with which to judge potential cloud providers . “ We assessed each potential cloud provider for security , compute , processing power and storage . Google Cloud proved to run on average 70 % faster than our on-premises systems , using fewer cores and less RAM . Plus , it supported a multitude of open-source applications , and crucially , we saw it could be trusted ,” revealed Bachoo . The company has completed its infrastructure optimisation plans as it migrated six labor-intensive , on-premises data centres to Google Cloud . The migration of traditional IT infrastructure has enabled the airline to run key workloads that include important financial data , secure customer records , airplane navigation information , and more-all on the cleanest cloud in the industry .
Comair has also been able to benefit from the security , reliability , and flexibility provided by Google Cloud , which has helped increase the airline ’ s efficiency during high-traffic seasons and peak travel times , as it needed to scale to meet consumer travel demand . Comair is also now better positioned to build a data foundation using AI and Machine Learning using Google Cloud tools . In particular , Comair will be able to analyse customer data in a deeper manner , creating personalised products and services , opening up more opportunities and improving the customer experience .
Moreover , Google Cloud is supporting Comair in modernising its legacy applications , such as its kulula . com booking application , using prominent tools like Firebase and Flutter to upgrade its functionalities and provide the scalability the airline requires . Comair customers now turn to the Kulula application as the main channel to interact with the airline , following upgrades that have enabled more seamless booking and flight payments .
Bachoo said : “ We are delighted to have moved to Google Cloud at a time when cloud has become the foundation that enables businesses to transform , differentiate and gain competitive advantage . The sooner you digitally transform , the quicker you ’ re able to respond to uncertain times . As a result , the digital maturity measures we ’ ve put in place have helped drive a post-lockdown recovery .”
Taking off on Google Cloud
Comair began migrating its systems to Google Cloud in March 2020 and by August that year it had moved its full production stack over to Google Cloud ; it would have been even quicker if the company did not have to navigate various lockdowns along the way . Comair enlisted the help of Google Cloud partner
Teraflow . ai to help with its move to Google Cloud . Bachoo said : “ Our strong partnership with Teraflow . ai , who empower enterprises through AI-driven solutions , has allowed us to drive key strategic IT and Digital Transformation efforts . From migration and management of our Cloud Ops on Google ’ s Cloud platform , to building and managing our DataOps , the results have been favourable . We have also worked with them to modernise our capabilities in Machine Learning , reviving core applications into a microserviceable , containerised architecture stretching from back end to the passenger front end ( app , web , etc ).”
Comair now runs 70 % of its business on Google Cloud , and it uses some other cloud providers for applications that run on parent clouds . It also has a few legacy and client applications that remain on-premises because they have a single code base in a single database and will take a little longer to redevelop for the cloud .
“ The plan was always to stick with a hybrid cloud approach , but we expect to eventually be a fully cloudcentric company and have 80 % of our work on Google Cloud . We ’ ve already migrated all of our tier-one systems over . Our booking platform , our e-commerce platform , all our travel businesses , our loyalty program , and our partner systems are now on Google Cloud ,” he said .
From its main hub in O . R . Tambo International Airport , the airline operates flights within South Africa and across Southern Africa to destinations such as Victoria Falls , Zimbabwe and Port Louis , Mauritius .
The partnership with Google Cloud equips Comair with in-depth customer data analysis tools to better understand its customers and to tailor its products and services . Additionally , Kulula . com , a low-cost carrier operated by Comair , has also benefited from the modernisation offered by the collaboration .
Powering up with compute engine
Around 90 % of Comair ’ s Google Cloud operations , including all its virtual machines ( VM ) and storage offerings , are now powered by Compute Engine . “ We use VMs to host our applications , and now we are moving our service databases from native SQL to the fully managed Cloud SQL . This means that more of our services are automated , freeing up our IT team for other work ,” said Bachoo .
To build and run its mobile applications and analyse the data it collects from them , Comair is using Firebase on the Google Cloud , which syncs to Flutter , the UI toolkit for developing apps for mobile , web , and desktop from a single codebase . And , as Comair has to meet
52 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com