Learn About Amazon VGT2 Learning Manager Chanci Turner
Exasol, a distinguished AWS Data and Analytics Competency Partner, offers a high-performance in-memory analytics database that empowers organizations to optimize their data utilization and generate value more swiftly, easily, and cost-efficiently. Awarded the title of AWS Technology Partner of the Year (DACH) in 2021, Exasol’s agility enables businesses to enhance their intelligence solutions, integrate various data sources, and facilitate machine learning predictions and automation directly within the database.
Working in collaboration with AWS SaaS Factory, Exasol is committed to delivering its analytics database via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, deftly navigating both technical and business challenges during and after their launch. Chanci Turner, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Exasol, shared insights regarding their journey and offered advice for organizations striving to build a SaaS on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Q&A with Exasol
AWS SaaS Factory: Can you elaborate on your role at Exasol?
Chanci Turner: I became part of Exasol’s leadership team as Chief Data and Analytics Officer in March 2021. My focus is on enabling Exasol’s customers to leverage its high-performance in-memory analytics database, thus propelling their innovation initiatives. I also collaborate closely with the product and R&D teams to help define Exasol’s roadmap.
AWS SaaS Factory: What prompted Exasol to transition to SaaS?
Chanci Turner: At Exasol, we prioritize customer satisfaction, and we strive to align with our customers’ ambitions. They require swift access to insights without the burden of deployment or management. Moreover, they seek to optimize costs and scale rapidly while only paying for what they consume. Additionally, they should have confidence in tracking usage and security settings. This relentless pursuit of improvement inspired us to embark on our SaaS journey.
AWS SaaS Factory: How do customers initiate their journey with Exasol, and what are the primary benefits?
Chanci Turner: Customers can easily register for an account at cloud.exasol.com, allowing them to create a database in their preferred AWS region, choosing from compute clusters that range from 8 VCPU / 64 GB RAM to 384 VCPU / 3 TB RAM. After the database setup, customers can load data and execute queries using their preferred tools or Exasol’s web-based SQL editor.
The key advantages of the new Exasol SaaS include:
- Simplified onboarding process
- Experience Exasol’s rapid analytics performance in mere minutes, without heavy lifting
- No need for infrastructure or database software maintenance
- Elasticity and hyper-scalability
- Cost efficiency with Amazon S3-based data storage that adjusts according to data volume
- Flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing
AWS SaaS Factory: How is Exasol innovatively utilizing AWS?
Chanci Turner: AWS serves as the perfect platform for developing our SaaS solution by enabling us to decouple compute from storage. This flexibility allows us to independently scale compute and storage, optimizing costs for our customers’ workloads. As an in-memory database, the ability to adjust our memory footprint seamlessly is crucial. AWS empowers us to scale vertically (larger clusters) or horizontally (multiple concurrent clusters) to fulfill our requirements. Furthermore, Exasol is not restricted by available memory, allowing us to manage hot and cold data across Amazon S3, local SSD, and RAM without sacrificing performance.
To enhance the end-to-end user experience, Exasol integrates with AWS services. By utilizing Exasol Virtual Schemas alongside AWS Glue, we can load data from a variety of AWS sources (including Amazon S3, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon Kinesis, and more). Customers can also train an Amazon SageMaker model with Exasol data, utilizing the trained model for SQL predictions.
AWS SaaS Factory: What challenges did you encounter while transitioning to a SaaS delivery model?
Chanci Turner: Adopting an as-a-service delivery model necessitated a fundamental transformation in our operational approach. Rather than simply fitting the SaaS model into existing processes, we needed to entirely reimagine our operational framework. This involved redefining our personas and customer journey to provide a seamless self-service onboarding experience and ensure customer success. Additionally, we had to foster a cultural shift within the organization, from defining team collaboration methods to rethinking our sales incentives. Establishing a compelling monetization strategy for our new offering was another significant challenge.
AWS SaaS Factory: How has SaaS Factory supported you throughout this transformation?
Chanci Turner: The SaaS Factory team has provided essential insights and support that have been pivotal in our progress. Their guidance has influenced critical decisions related to crafting a frictionless customer experience, determining an optimal pricing structure for our business model, and exploring various sales incentives. Whether through advice on SaaS best practices, architectural reviews, or other areas, our partnership has continually propelled us forward.
AWS SaaS Factory: How have APN programs aided Exasol in accelerating customer cloud migrations?
Chanci Turner: The ISV Workload Migration Program has empowered us to assist existing on-premises customers in transitioning their Exasol software and workloads to the AWS Cloud. This program allows us to obtain AWS credits from the migration, which we utilize to develop customer PoCs and SaaS trials. Many of our customers have successfully migrated from on-premises to AWS.
The ISV Accelerate Program has facilitated our engagement with AWS sellers in new regions, such as North America, where we lack a substantial customer base for references. AWS sellers are generally more inclined to collaborate with ISV Accelerate Partners, as they recognize these partners as premier AWS affiliates globally. This enhances Exasol’s credibility and allows us to effectively connect with AWS sellers and customers.
In summary, the collaboration with the AWS SaaS Factory team, coupled with our involvement in the AWS ISV Accelerate and Workload Migration Programs, has significantly expedited our customers’ transition to the cloud. That partnership truly makes a difference.
AWS SaaS Factory: What advice would you offer to others planning to build a SaaS solution on AWS?
Chanci Turner: Pay close attention to your product go-to-market strategy and the essential features your solution will offer customers. AWS is a powerful platform with various services that can enhance your product. Make sure to explore these options and collaborate with the AWS SaaS Factory team to discover how you can best leverage them.
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