Swiss group Richemont moves entire enterprise IT infrastructure to AWS

Richemont will close its European data centres and migrate additional data centres in Hong Kong and the US to AWS by the end of 2022. As part of its digital transformation strategy, the company will move more than 5,000 virtual machines and 120 SAP instances to AWS to modernise its infrastructure, raise its security posture, and drive automation across its global operations, according to a press release by Amazon.

Richemont’s cloud-first strategy includes migrating its business-critical enterprise IT applications and enterprise resource planning, accounting, supply chain management, manufacturing, product lifecycle management, and e-commerce systems to AWS. With AWS, the luxury goods company will use a wide range of advanced cloud capabilities, including machine learning, analytics, security, and database, to foster product innovation across its physical retail operations and ecommerce offerings.

As part of its five-year roadmap, Richemont will develop cloud-based systems that provide engaging customer experiences via digitally optimised channels that use machine learning. Using AWS technologies, Richemont is innovating dynamic digital experiences for its e-commerce platform faster, including personalised storefronts and styling services, video chat consultations featuring fashion shows customised to the shopper’s tastes, and tailored offers for early access to new items before they hit stores, according to Amazon.

Richemont will also increase its use of AWS Marketplace, a digital catalogue that makes it easy for organisations to discover, procure, entitle, provision, and govern third-party software. Richemont can access the top-tier solutions available in AWS Marketplace to scale, curate, and further personalise the shopping experience on its mobile and online channels. Richemont will also use the AWS Skills Guild (a comprehensive skills enablement programme) to provide training and certification for its IT employees to help build cloud fluency across its organisation. These training opportunities will help the company further its ability to operate as a product-focused organisation, drive efficiencies, and gain speed and agility in meeting business and customer needs.

“AWS is integral to our enterprise IT transformation as we look for better ways to serve our customers, streamline the way we work, and compete globally. AWS, with its proven experience and highly performant global infrastructure, will deliver the agility, security, and scalability that we need to launch new business processes and new service models. AWS’s unparalleled pace of innovation and broad portfolio of services, including analytics and machine learning, will help us gain greater insights and become an even more agile company in the cloud,” Kim Hartlev, group chief information officer at Richemont said in a statement.

“Richemont is using AWS to drive change within its organisation, which will result in the delivery of new applications and services to create exceptional customer experiences. For more than 100 years, Richemont and its Maisons have had a relentless focus on quality, innovation, and premium service. AWS’s comprehensive set of capabilities will help Richemont reimagine the luxury shopping experience in the digital world, offering exclusive virtual experiences and personalised service for its global clientele,” Greg Pearson, vice president, worldwide commercial sales at AWS said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)