DIMEP: Securing agile responses to demand peaks with Google Cloud tools
About DIMEP
DIMEP is a major Brazilian technology firm in access control, workforce management, and time and attendance tracking. Present in Brazil, Portugal, USA, Africa and Latin America, it pursues enterprise management excellence with Kairos and D-REP.
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About SantoDigital
Consultancy firm SantoDigital specializes in cloud services to bring digital transformation to the Brazilian market.
Supported by SantoDigital, DIMEP migrated to Google Cloud, achieving performance optimization, more scalability, and fast customer service availability.
Google Cloud results
- One billion service requests per month
- Better performance with a 3-point increase in Apdex
- Google Play rating rocketed from 2.8 to 4.6
- More automation of team tasks thanks to APIs
- Better application stability and fast system availability during demand peaks
37% in savings compared to previous provider
Founded in 1936, DIMEP is one of the largest Brazilian technology companies in the industry of workforce management, access and parking control, and commercial automation.
With operations in Brazil, Portugal, the United States, Africa, Mexico, and other countries in Latin America, DIMEP's flagship products include the workforce management software Kairos, the time clock D-RE, and face-recognition solutions.
Renowned for its credibility working with surveillance agencies, such as the Brazilian Department of Labor and the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro), the company has been honored with the Brazilian HR Top of Mind award for the 20th time in a row in the Frequency Control category.
Always observant of market needs and current legislation, DIMEP has been constantly and increasingly investing in technology, research, and development for 88 years.
Not surprisingly, it was one of the pioneering companies to provide SaaS time and attendance services in Brazil. After using cloud services from other providers, DIMEP decided to return to Google Cloud in 2021, a solution it had tried in the past.
"Out of all the services we've used, Google Cloud provides faster machine availability. The cloud has given us better application stability and a readily available system."
—Claudio Martins, Head of SaaS Development, DIMEPAs explained by Claudio, the company has very specific application peaks, demanding high processing power in a short period of time—80% of users connect between 11:55 AM and 12:20 PM. "We needed that speed because, ultimately, the longer the delay, the higher the cost for the company and the longer the wait for the user," he added.
According to the development manager, besides performance and stability, another determining factor in the decision to return to Google Cloud was machine setup flexibility.
"With Google Cloud, we can choose the machine we want. There's no fixed hardware template. This means we can have a device with separate processing power amounts and memories, for example. This flexibility has resulted in huge cost savings."
Safe migration of 20,000 databases
The migration was performed in partnership with SantoDigital, which played a vital role in the design of a deployment plan with the lowest possible downtime, as well as a migration management protocol that would mitigate risks.
It was a streamlined process, albeit not without its challenges, considering that nearly 20,000 databases and over 20 virtual machines (VMs) were migrated in just over 50 hours. Based on robust software engineering planning, the project was completed successfully.
"The migration followed a customized action plan designed by SantoDigital's Managed Services team. With the monitoring and management of its new Google Cloud environment, DIMEP achieved performance, scalability, and cost savings."
—Alan Pires, Sales Executive, SantoDigital"The challenge of being big:" cloud-enabled scalability
"The challenge of being big," as Claudio Martins put it, was a decisive factor for DIMEP to boost investments in the cloud. And the scalability provided by Google Cloud was essential to move in that direction.
"Today, the size of our operations, with over 30,000 pieces of equipment, our large customer base, and our two brands in Brazil would not even be possible if it wasn't for the cloud. With a small team of nearly 20 people, the only reason we've managed to maintain our main application is the scalability that SaaS makes possible."
Other superlative figures are also part of DIMEP's operations. The company deals with massive data volumes, up to five petabytes, and one of its services receives one billion requests a month.
After migrating to the cloud, several optimizations were implemented, including Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), to tackle high demand through microservices separated into machines with specific features.
Google Cloud Armor was also described as an essential tool to ensure more security and reliability for users.
Operational benefits that reflect on business
DIMEP has secured other benefits from the Google Cloud migration, such as a huge leap in application performance, evidenced by a three-point increase in Apdex (Application Performance Index). Cost reductions are also telling: with Google Cloud, the company has achieved 37% in savings as against the previous provider.
Another highlight is better customer reviews. With system fine-tuning and the support of Google Cloud, user operational comfort and safety were also boosted.
"Google Cloud has always provided a fast, flexible service. With the platform console, we monitor machine availability and performance, which allows us to make precise adjustments. Since we started with infrastructure fine-tuning, our Google Play rating has improved from 2.8 to 4.6," Claudio noted.
API deployment and automation made the infrastructure team's routine even easier. With the help of Google Cloud, environment setup is now simpler and faster, resulting in an efficient integration between development and production.
These operational developments have had a direct impact on business, driving customer prospects.
"Compliance and security make a difference. Google Cloud certifications, coupled with availability and speed to make infrastructure more dynamic, add credibility to the mix. Showcasing these factors drives project feasibility."
—Claudio Martins, Head of SaaS Development, DIMEPAI and data-driven strategy: exploring new horizons
Supported by the ongoing monitoring of SantoDigital and Google Cloud tools, DIMEP claims to be ready to face market challenges and move forward in terms of growth and innovation.
The company's future plans include bringing more customers to the mobile platform. The goal is to reach one million mobile users, leveraging an increasingly relevant hybrid work model.
DIMEP's objective for this year is to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) to its processes, getting the most out of business intelligence (BI) mechanisms with the deployment of Looker.
DIMEP sees AI and a data-driven approach as an opportunity, focused primarily on reducing support, adding value for customers, and increasing development agility and productivity.
With so much rich data available, the company can use information as a strategic factor for its customers. "Google Cloud can help us become more strategic with AI. By using our market information, we could offer trends to our users, and we're exploring how to make that happen in the best possible way," said Claudio.
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact us
About DIMEP
DIMEP is a major Brazilian technology firm in access control, workforce management, and time and attendance tracking. Present in Brazil, Portugal, USA, Africa and Latin America, it pursues enterprise management excellence with Kairos and D-REP.
About SantoDigital
Consultancy firm SantoDigital specializes in cloud services to bring digital transformation to the Brazilian market.