Reltio was originally founded in 2011, based on the premise organizations need quick and reliable access to relevant information. The Reltio goal is to help companies turn data into useful information. To this end, Reltio has developed an Enterprise Cloud Management platform for their clients, providing the tools and services needed to accomplish this goal.
They furnish organizations with a complete picture, by merging Master Data Management (MDM) with Big Data from multiple sources, and creating unified objectives in the process. Reltio’s platform supports a range of industries, which include life sciences, healthcare, entertainment, retail, and the government. To keep up with the increasing traffic flow, and improve performance, Reltio has recently upgraded their platform.
Anastasia Zamyshlyaeva, Reltio’s co-founder and Vice President of Platform Product Management, said:
“Our foundation is reliable data that is delivered through a Master Data Management and Enterprise Cloud Management system. On top of this data, we are delivering data-driven applications to business users. And then, on top of this clean data, we are using the power of a graph database to connect objects, and cover those kinds of relationships.”
“Think about LinkedIn, or Facebook, or Google,” she said. “They use graphs, a knowledge graph, for example, where you have different objects that are tied together.” Using that information, users can develop a very deep understanding of the profiles. Reltio places this service in their customer’s universe, inside their enterprise. “When you can apply this structure to any domain a business can have, organizations, products, or locations can be represented, “ she remarked.
The upgraded platform, Cloud 2017.1, is capable of processing hundreds of terabytes of data, and managing multi-domain entities. Data storage is spread across Apache Spark, Apache Cassandra, and other forms of computer memory. Additionally, Reltio has recently partnered with SnapLogic to embed Enterprise Cloud Management into Reltio’s new platform. The combined resources provide users with an easy way to load and coordinate data from Reltio’s Cloud.
The phrase “cutting-edge” could be used in describing Reltio. So could the words synergistic and eclectic. In 2016, Reltio was declared an IDC innovator for its Platform as a Service (PaaS) design. According to Ramon Chen, the Chief Marketing Officer at Reltio:
“We’re seeing a trend where it’s a scenario of evolve or die. Large companies may have the resources, the money, and technology, and probably already invested millions of dollars 10 years ago to solve a problem, but the problem has changed and the efficiencies of the problem have changed. Their competitors can now get into the game with better systems and better Cloud Data Management platforms. Their ability to be more agile, to know their customers better, to get a 360 degree view, and to be able to service them better at a personalized level, is the competitive advantage in this evolving market.”
The Reltio Commercial Graph
Anastasia explained, “The reason we decided to build our own, rather than use an off-the-shelf graph database, was that popular graph databases, such as Neo4J, provide flexibility, but they didn’t have the horizontally scalable capabilities we needed.” Reltio’s modern Data Management hybrid columnar and graph database, gives Reltio the “flexibility of schema-on-read, graph relationship modeling, combined with infinite horizontal scalability across entities and limitless attributes.”
Reltio’s creative ways of merging Cassandra with other Big Data technologies has laid a foundation for its Commercial Graph. The Reltio Commercial Graph merges, relates, and stores data and relationships, to provide real insights for business needs. Their Commercial Graph can also handle complex connections between multiple domains (which are also using graph database technology).
Machine Learning has been combined with the Reltio Commercial Graph to provide Contextual Information. This means useful account information can be delivered using a wide variety of model hierarchies. Organizations can build and manage customized hierarchies based on legal structures, business logic, and even sales territory, to create functional views of customers and suppliers. A novel dashboard monitors the data quality and alerts users about missing info, such as an email address, a DUNS number, or a telephone number.
Synergy and Eclecticism
Eclectic at Reltio means to choose the best from a variety of resources. In this case, Reltio selected the best “technologies” available, and organized them to provide superior services. Examples include their use of containers, microservices, and their Master Data Management system.
Synergy exists when the results of actions are greater than would be predicted mathematically. Two friends working together produce, not just the project they are working on, but a friendly atmosphere with open, honest communications. Bonding takes place and, because of the good communications, the project is completed quickly and efficiently. Compare that scenario to two adolescents in adult bodies, working on the same project, arguing constantly, and eventually getting into a fist fight. The second scenario would be described as “non-synergistic.”
Reltio has merged friendly, interfacing “technologies” to create a synergistic Enterprise Cloud Management environment. Continuous deployment provides automatic and continuous feedback, resulting in faster and better service. Microservices offer faster development and more flexibility in making decisions. Reltio’s use of containers solves several deployment problems, particularly those of Microservices. When these services are combined with Apache Cassandra and Reltio’s Commercial Graph program, the system works more efficiently, and more reliably, than would have been expected from the component parts. Additionally, the arrangement of services promotes Polyglot Persistence, a definite advantage, and a result of their synergistic system.
An Entire Solution
A Cloud contract with Reltio meets the basic expectations, plus some. First, the customers rent services, rather than purchasing software and hardware to accomplish the same objective. Second, Reltio is responsible for all the maintenance, capacity planning, administration, backups, and troubleshooting “on their end.” (They “are not” responsible for the problems on your end.) The third expectation, of faster and easier service, is also met, by way of technological choices and the integration of software.
The Reltio Cloud offers an optimal picture of your research results. It does this by merging Master Data with Big Data coming from a large variety domains and formats. This process produces a “comprehensive” view of the information being presented. Reltio’s Cloud has the capacity to process unstructured and structured data at any scale and volume. They have merged a highly functional Data Management system with business insights and solutions. Machine Learning and graph database technology support an extremely contextual data model. A social collaboration platform and a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provide support for “problem awareness” and “problem solving.” The Reltio’s Cloud uses Apache Cassandra in combination with their graph repository to deliver operational scaling, and microservices (a single application providing a suite of small services) for flexibility and consistency.
- Multiple Data Resources
Reltio’s applications combine data taken from social and public resources, and multiple third party subscriptions, to discover the relationships between consumers and their products. A customer’s location, family members, and various transactions can also be tracked. Their system makes it easy to blend data from various sources, while simultaneously ensuring data reliability. It also continuously cleans and correlates the data.
- Consumer Insights
Big Data can be researched to find insights about a client’s customer base. Reltio uses a unified Data Management platform to leverage and process Big Data. The insights gained from the research describes customer behaviors, preferences, and product interests. Sales people will understand their customers’ needs. Additionally, predictive analytics and Machine Learning can provide suggestions for a customer’s needs.
- Sharing the Same Page
When working on a project, it is important for a team to be on the same page. Useful information, needs to be understood clearly by all members of the organization using it. Information that can be misinterpreted is a real danger to businesses with long term plans. A company’s reputation influences the volume of their business, and a bad reputation results in less business. Graphs (and pictures) are worth a 1000 words, and when combined with simple, uncomplicated statements, provide very clear communications.
Coordinating with staff, and using secure, clear communications, is critical to any efficient business plan. Reltio offers the advantage of built-in tagging, annotating, and voting, allowing team members to add to, and correct, their information base.
- Automatic Compliance
The Reltio system can be used for compliance, and tracks any historical changes to the data. Dealing with different tax systems, etc. may be necessary. State codes, SIC codes, and different countries, are examples of various compliance issues that may need to be dealt with. Reltio’s clickstream analysis can also alert staff to any unusual viewing patterns, warning of possible information breaches or theft.
The Customer Experience
“Reltio believes providing a great customer experience is the result of operational excellence,” said Zamyshlyaeva. They also believe excellent customer service is about providing clients with what they want, and delivering it with consistency. Good customer service is a basic expectation, and excellent customer service is often a brand promise. Delivering on these expectations, and promises, builds a customer’s trust and loyalty.
With their well-designed, high-tech services, and their customer service philosophy, Reltio “is a full-service solution for your Enterprise Cloud Management, Master Data Management, and Big Data needs,” said Zamyshlyaeva.
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