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In Omnisient’s Quest to go Global, BUI Lends a Helping Hand

When the data collaboration specialists sought help in replicating their cloud-based software in overseas markets, they reached out to BUI as their Microsoft expert of choice.
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Project

In Omnisient’s Quest to go Global, BUI Lends a Helping Hand

Customer

Omnisient
South Africa, UAE, UK

Year

2024

What We Did

Design of an Architecture Framework (Landing Zone) for the security hardening of Omnisient’s platform and automating the deployment of their application.
What does Omnisient do?

Founded in 2019 in Cape Town, Omnisient is a cloud-based privacy-preserving data collaboration platform that is enabling the ethical sharing and use of consumer intelligence between organisations to predict human behaviour and drive positive outcomes for business, individuals and society. As Rudolph Koegelenberg, the firm’s head of engineering, explains, “it’s all based on the principle of companies using each other’s non-sensitive data to better understand and predict human behaviour.”

While the software’s possibilities are endless, one recent use case was a collaboration between a bank and a retail grocer, which allowed the bank to see the buying behaviour of their “good” credit customers to identify shopping behaviour consistent with responsible borrowing and repayment of loans. This has resulted in 3.2 million individuals becoming eligible for affordable credit who would have previously been declined due to lack of credit history.

Omnisient already boasts 80+ clients and over 160 million anonymised consumer profiles protected by their platform.
The world is their oyster

Omnisient’s software – and particularly its ability to make connections between anonymised data sets – is in demand the world over. They already have operations in the UAE and the UK and are poised to expand into the rest of Africa, the Middle East, and the US in the next few years. But strict data privacy rules mean that customers’ data (even if it’s been anonymised) cannot leave its home country’s borders.

For each new market they’ve expanded into, Omnisient has had to rebuild its cloud-based application from scratch. “This was a slow and laborious process which was error prone and high-risk as only a small part of the team could do it,” says Koegelenberg.
Where does BUI come in?

Koegelenberg recognised the need for the ability to have a repeatable deployment template which would automatically deploy all of the firm’s applications each time it wanted to expand into a new market. But he also understood inherently that the firm did not have the in-house expertise required to write such a template. Omnisient’s entire infrastructure is hosted on the Azure cloud, so an intimate knowledge of Microsoft protocols was required.

A Google search for Azure specialists in 2023 led him to BUI’s website and he duly filled out an enquiry form. “When dealing with a new customer it’s important to understand where they are on their IT roadmap,” explains BUI’s Chevonne Abrahams, who has worked on the Omnisient account since Day 1. “And to then build a structured approach to help them achieve internal business goals. Omnisient knew exactly what they wanted from BUI and from an Azure Cloud perspective. We took the time to listen and understand their requirements so we could provide the right cloud advice.”

BUI Solutions Architect Jeffrey Fowels was charged with designing an Architecture Framework (also referred to as the Landing Zone) for the security hardening of Omnisient’s platform and automating the deployment of their application. The biggest challenge was ensuring that the many interconnecting layers of Omnisient’s software worked together as they should. But Fowels got there in the end: “It’s been very interesting and rewarding. It’s not often you come across a client with such exceptional skills, and I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of getting it right.”
The nitty gritty

“Omnisient knew how to build the platform, what services were needed and how they worked,” says Koegelenberg. “Jeff knew how to implement it in an Azure ecosystem, make it secure, and ensure all the applications communicated with each other.” While the finer details of the Architecture Framework are too complex to share, here is an overview of the solution BUI implemented for Omnisient:
  1. Traffic Inspection (this included but was not limited to: IPS/IDS and WAF)
  2. Data segregation with transparent data encryption
  3. Automation of application Landing Zone for improved deployment time
  4. Standardized network segment and communication
  5. Enhanced application resiliency and uptime
  6. Improved cost management for resource across multiple regions

To get everything to work, Fowels had to do a lot of re-architecting, in accordance with Microsoft’s CAF protocols. This had the added benefit, says Koegelenberg, of further enhancing Omnisient’s security. “We do a lot of work with banks, and we need to jump through so many hoops just to get them onboarded,” he says. “Anything that makes us more compliant is welcome.”
Onwards and upwards

The Architecture Framework has already been running successfully in Omnisient’s UAE and South Africa environments, with the UK and US awaiting their turns later in the year. “It has saved us loads of time and given us peace of mind through enhanced efficiency and resiliency,” says Koegelenberg. “We now know we are going to get the same result every time.”

Abrahams, meanwhile, is appreciative of the journey BUI has already walked with Omnisient, and she is looking towards the future. “As Omnisient expands across the globe, we hope to work with them in each new market as their Microsoft specialist of choice. Working on the Omnisient account made me realise that the right advice isn’t just about providing solutions, but is also about building a relationship where the customer trusts you to guide them through their digital transformation journey.”

“Working with BUI has been a breath of fresh air,” agrees Koegelenberg. “We are experts in our field and they are experts in theirs. I look forward to relying on their expertise as Omnisient continues to grow and expand.”

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