Introduction and Background
Ayima, a leading digital marketing solutions provider, faced a challenge when escalating costs from third-party API providers prompted a reevaluation of their server infrastructure.
After experimenting with lesser-known cloud solutions and encountering issues with bare metal servers, Ayima successfully transitioned to NodeShift, a cloud solution that not only matched the SLAs of leading providers but also resulted in a remarkable 65% reduction in server costs.
Ayima specializes in delivering comprehensive digital marketing strategies to some of the world’s largest brands, with expertise in technical SEO, content marketing, outreach, paid media, and analytics. Their data-driven approach relies heavily on Python automation to collect, process, transform, and present data, ensuring efficient workflows and providing actionable insights.
The company also gathers extensive market intelligence data, including competitive traffic metrics, accumulating tens of millions of data points daily. This vast dataset, along with 3rd party API KPIs, is stored in Ayima’s data warehouse, enabling quick queries and transparent reporting through bespoke market intelligence tools.
Challenges
Facing rising costs from third-party API providers, Ayima sought to reduce server expenses while maintaining operational efficiency. Initial attempts with lesser-known cloud solutions proved suboptimal, and transitioning to bare metal servers raised concerns due to the lack of a guaranteed SLA. The quest for a cost-effective yet reliable cloud solution led Ayima to NodeShift.
Choosing NodeShift
NodeShift emerged as the preferred solution after extensive research, offering SLAs comparable to leading cloud providers but at a third of the cost. The decision to migrate was further facilitated by Ayima’s prior containerization of Data Pipelines scripts and Web Services, streamlining the transition process.
Migration Process
The migration to NodeShift was a well-executed plan, with containerized scripts and services facilitating a smooth transition. The primary challenge involved migrating years' worth of data to the new data warehouse cluster. Despite this, Ayima successfully navigated the process, minimizing downtime and ensuring data integrity.
Results
The migration to NodeShift proved highly successful, leading to a substantial 65% reduction in server costs for Ayima. The new cloud solution not only maintained service levels but also offered a robust foundation for the company’s data-driven operations. Ayima’s market intelligence tools/dashboard continues to provide transparent results, enabling clients to monitor the impact of SEO strategies effectively.
Considerations
Buoyed by the success of the NodeShift migration, Ayima is contemplating a gradual shift of other services currently hosted on AWS and Digital Ocean. The company is poised to leverage the cost efficiencies and reliable performance offered by NodeShift across its entire infrastructure.
Conclusion
Ayima’s journey from escalating server costs to a cost-effective and reliable solution with NodeShift serves as a testament to the importance of strategic cloud migration. By choosing a solution that aligned with their needs and goals, Ayima not only achieved significant cost savings but also paved the way for future optimizations in their digital marketing operations.
The successful transition positions Ayima as a prime example of how businesses can leverage cloud solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and maintain service excellence.