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11/13/2024

UST migrates 20 years of data, unifies employee experience using Microsoft Fabric

Rapid growth catalyzed the need for UST to better manage and integrate employee data across diverse regions and systems.

UST built a comprehensive, unified Employee Data platform on Microsoft Fabric.

UST eliminated the need for separate data pipelines for each entity, enhancing data accessibility and employee productivity and enabling a self-service model that removes gatekeeping and promotes data-driven decision-making.

UST

With an ethos of transforming lives through technology, UST Global entwines its core values of humanity, humility, and integrity into every interaction with customers and in its employee support. The US-based company specializes in digital engineering, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, helping healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, and finance customers become more agile, efficient, and securewhile emphasizing solutions that positively impactĀ human experiences.

ā€œWe pay attention, listen, and grow while helping our customers grow,ā€ says Ramya Kannan, Chief of Staff & VP Information Services at UST. ā€œIt leads to relationship longevity. Many customers have been with us forover a decade, working with the same UST engineers they started with.ā€

Since 2023, the companyā€™s client-centric and people-first approachand drive for innovation have catalyzed significant growth. UST expanded into 34 countries and hired thousands of technical experts, including 2,000 entry-level engineers. However, rapid growth brought challenges in managing and integrating employee data across diverse regions and systems, which is needed for cross-team productivity, decision-making, and innovation.

One-stop solution

ā€œWe needed a unified data platform to bring everyone togetherā€”and support more efficient employee integration, providing employees with real-time data accessibility,ā€ says Kannan.

UST decided to build a comprehensive Employee Data platform onĀ Microsoft Fabric and take advantage of earlier investments in Microsoft technologies, includingĀ Azure Data Lake,Ā Azure Synapse Analytics, andĀ Power BI.

ā€œOur aim was a hyperscaler SaaS (software as a service) data platform that could integrate generative AI and copilots into analytics solutions,ā€ says Sumesh Sukumaran, Data Integration Architect at UST. ā€œMicrosoft Fabric offered a one-stop solution for this and all UST data needs, integrating various data sources and systems efficiently, with enhanced security and data governance.ā€

UST transitioned to a modern data warehouse on Microsoft Fabric, using medallion architecture to amalgamate data from diverse systems. UST strengthened data governance and implemented a metadata-driven data integration framework to facilitateĀ efficient data integration from various systems and acquisitions.

We are looking at Fabric as a journey in our efforts to bring actionable insights to different stakeholders on demand. The end goal is to put the power of data in the hands of the users, enabling them to extract data on demand, trust the reliability of the data, and use analytics and insights for decisions and actions.

Ramya Kannan, Chief of Staff & VP Information Services, UST

ā€œWe are looking at Fabric as a journey in our efforts to bring actionable insights to different stakeholders on demand,ā€ adds Kanna. ā€œThe end goal is to put the power of data in the hands of the users, enabling them to extract data on demand, trust the reliability of the data, and use analytics and insights for decisions and actions.ā€

ā€œWe migrated 20 years of employee data into Microsoft Fabric with all security measures inĀ under a year,ā€ says Sukumaran. ā€œThe Meta Data Driven Integration (MDDI) framework in fabric has also cut data ingestion time by 50%, allowing employees to focus more on analysis and less on preparation.ā€

Fabric helps us put our values into action. This enhances our mission to put people first and to lead by using technology to make a positive difference.

Ramya Kannan, Chief of Staff & VP Information Services, UST

People first

UST is also usingĀ Power PlatformĀ for robotic process automation (RPA),Ā Power AppsĀ to support creativity and productivity, Power BI, Azure Synapse Analytics, andĀ Azure Data FactoryĀ to augment data accessibility and support self-service, plusĀ Azure Entra IDĀ for access management.

Employees report feeling more connected and better able to manage workloadsandaccess real-time data for critical decisions. They also spend more time working together, advancing customer solutions. ā€œEmpowering individuals with the right data at the right time eliminates gatekeeping and lets people focus on doing what they love,ā€ says Kannan. ā€œThis translates directly into great customer experiences.ā€

We migrated 20 years of employee data into Microsoft Fabric with all security measures inĀ under a year. The Meta Data Driven Integration (MDDI) framework in fabric has also cut data ingestion time by 50%, allowing employees to focus more on analysis and less on preparation.

Sumesh Sukumaran, Lead Data Integration Architect, UST

Sukumaran adds that being new to Fabric inspired new ways to collaborate and innovate. Junior engineers mentored by senior architects worked together to build the platform, with both groups learning together. ā€œEveryone gained invaluable, transferable skills that we can now bring to customers.ā€ Employees are participatingĀ more in hackathons, and new plans are underway for automated test data generation and ingesting data from specific functions to ensure seamless interaction with existing data.

ā€œFabric helps us put our values into action,ā€ concludes Kannan. ā€œThis enhances our mission to put people first and to lead by using technology to make a positive difference.ā€

Discover more aboutĀ UST onĀ Facebook,Ā Instagram,Ā LinkedIn,Ā X/Twitter, andĀ YouTube.

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