Interakt (Singapore)

Client & Industry

Interakt, based in Singapore, aimed to provide a unique three-in-one platform combining big data analytics, marketing automation, and enterprise metrics. Their goal was to optimize client communication strategies for major global enterprises like Citibank, Estee Lauder, Lenovo, HP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Reuters by achieving the optimal synergy of timing, segmentation, and channel selection.

The Challenge

Building such an ambitious, multi-faceted platform required addressing several complex challenges:

• Translating high-level business requirements (budget, time-to-market, scalability, agility) into precise non-functional technical specifications.
• Designing a flexible and agile system architecture capable of adapting to a rapidly changing ecosystem.
• Integrating diverse functionalities (big data processing, marketing automation, metrics reporting) into a cohesive platform.
• Implementing a secure and efficient multi-tenant architecture to serve various enterprise clients.
• Developing robust frameworks for core functionalities like authentication, authorization, state management, service integration, logging, and tracing.
• Decoupling components like the ORM (Entity Framework) without disrupting multi-tenancy data flows.
• Managing development timelines and making critical design trade-offs across development, analytics, and engineering teams.

Solution by Nimbletec

Nimbletec provided crucial .NET Technical Leadership, collaborating closely with Interakt's CEO and senior management to architect and guide the development of the platform:

• Translate Strategic Vision into Technical Specifications: Translated high-level business goals (budget, time-to-market, scalability) into precise non-functional requirements for the multi-tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Collaborated extensively with development, analytics (leveraging Apache Hadoop, Java, MapReduce, Apache Hive for big data), and engineering teams to negotiate architectural trade-offs and optimize component designs for maximum agility.
• Spearhead Core Framework Development (.NET): Designed and implemented foundational frameworks in C# on the .NET Framework for critical cross-cutting concerns including authentication, authorization, state management, service integration (supporting both RESTful Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services), logging, and tracing, ensuring consistency and promoting reusability across the platform.
• Engineer Abstraction Layers for Multi-Tenancy & ORM: Developed essential base libraries and facade patterns in C# to seamlessly encapsulate user credentials and abstract underlying complexities of the multi-tenancy architecture and the Microsoft Entity Framework (EF) Object-Relational Mapper (ORM), particularly shielding developers working within the data access layers.
• Implement Decoupling Patterns & Build Web Application: Implemented sophisticated bridging patterns to effectively decouple the Entity Framework ORM from the core application logic, preventing interference with out-of-band multi-tenancy data flows. Built the primary public-facing web application using ASP.NET Model-View-Controller (MVC) 4.0, integrating backend services via WCF.
• Enhance Database Design & API Strategy: Provided expert guidance to enhance the underlying MySQL relational database design for optimal performance and scalability within a multi-tenant context. Designed and implemented sample REST service patterns to establish robust and consistent API interactions across the platform.
• Provide End-to-End Technical Leadership: Led critical design sessions, conducted rigorous code reviews, managed development timelines, made crucial design trade-offs balancing immediate needs with long-term maintainability, and actively mentored developers to foster technical excellence and adherence to best practices.

Key Results & Impact

Nimbletec's strategic technical leadership was instrumental in the successful architecture and development of Interakt's innovative three-in-one platform, enabling them to:

• Deliver a Complex, Multi-Functional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Platform: Successfully launched a sophisticated platform integrating big data analytics (Hadoop ecosystem), marketing automation, and enterprise metrics reporting within a unified .NET-based solution.
• Enable Secure Service Delivery to Global Enterprises: Provided a robust, scalable, and secure multi-tenant architecture capable of serving high-profile global clients such as Citibank, Estee Lauder, Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Western Digital, Oracle, Microsoft, and Reuters.
• Empower Data-Driven Client Communication Optimization: Enabled Interakt's clients to significantly improve their communication strategies by leveraging data-driven insights for optimal timing, segmentation, and channel selection.
• Engineer an Agile and Adaptable System Architecture: Designed the platform with flexibility and agility at its core, ensuring it could evolve and adapt within the dynamic marketing technology landscape using technologies like ASP.NET MVC and WCF/REST APIs.
• Implement Robust Multi-Tenancy for Secure Client Isolation: Engineered a secure and efficient multi-tenancy architecture, ensuring strict data isolation and customized experiences for each enterprise client utilizing the platform.
• Accelerate Development & Simplify Maintenance: Sped up development cycles and simplified long-term maintenance through the strategic deployment of foundational C# frameworks, standardized architectural patterns (like MVC), and careful abstraction of complexities like the Entity Framework ORM.