UPDATED 13:30 EDT / JANUARY 26 2023

Rod Stuhlmuller and Eric Norman AWS re:Invent 2022 Global Startup Program CLOUD

IHG enhances guest experience through a cloud-based mesh network

Since good enough isn’t good enough anymore, business-critical applications are moving to the cloud for enhanced capabilities.

As a global hospitality company, IHG Hotels & Resorts previously used cloud-native constructs for networking, which were cumbersome since automation was lacking. Aviatrix Systems Inc. helped tackle this challenge through a mesh-network solution for an elevated guest experience, according to Eric Norman (pictured, right), head of infrastructure architecture and innovation at IHG.

“We have moved a large deployment of our mission-critical applications over the last five years; moving into more SaaS and infrastructure like AWS and [Google Cloud Platform],” Norman said. “Aviatrix provided a solution that allowed us to build a mesh network across all our regions globally. I’m able to deploy new landing zones or public cloud fairly quickly with my networking construct.”

Norman and Rod Stuhlmuller (pictured, left), vice president of solutions marketing at Aviatrix, spoke with theCUBE industry analyst John Walls at the recent AWS re:Invent conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how moving business-critical apps to the cloud enabled IHG to improve guest experience and how Aviatrix helped with the transition. (* Disclosure below.)

How multicloud fits in the picture

Through a multicloud approach, IHG can better meet the needs and preferences of guests at different locations, according to Norman. And the strategy helps the company better adhere to governance and compliance issues in distinctive regions.

“So we built some standards base, transactional base going to go to this cloud provider and data analytics that’s going to go to another cloud provider based on our decision of native capability and coverage,” Norman explained. “Because we are in China, I’ve got to be able to get into China and build not only a network that can support that, but also business apps locally to compete with compliance, regulatory-type activities. In the U.S. market, I’ve got California privacy laws.”

Aviatrix provides consistency in multiple locations by giving developers what they need, according to Stuhlmuller, who said that enterprises are also provided with the compliance, security and controls required.

“As people move into the cloud, it’s now business-critical applications that are going there,” he pointed out. “It’s about agility and speed and being able to do it with less people than you used to have to do things. So, we’re trying to deliver the ability to do that for the developers a lot faster than had been done in the past.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent:

(* Disclosure: Aviatrix and IHG Hotels & Resorts sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Aviatrix, IHG nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

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