Horváth AG is choosing hybrid cloud as the strategic foundation for data-driven consulting in digital transformation
With the expertise provided by ATIX, targeted, results-oriented solutions can be quickly implemented and put into use. In today’s patch management, downtime is no longer required.
Dr. Matthias Emler, Partner and Head of AI, BI & Data at Horváth
The challenge:
Scalability, security, and compliance limitations of the existing container platform
The legacy container platform had reached its limits as a result of increasing demands from data science, big data, and NLP. In addition to growing resource requirements, security and compliance requirements played a particularly crucial role. As a TISAX-certified company, Horváth is subject to regular audits and penetration tests (pentests)—the infrastructure therefore had to be not only high-performing, but also proven to be secure and auditable.
In addition, the AI, BI & Data division increasingly evolved into an internal SaaS provider. New projects were launched so frequently that manual processes were no longer able to keep up.
Key drivers:
Exponentially increasing requirements for scalability, standardization, and AI integration
- Architecture that has evolved over time and is only partially documented
- Increasing demands regarding availability and scalability
- TISAX, audits, and regular penetration tests
- Lack of standardization in new software projects
- Need for modern AI integration (Azure OpenAI)
The solution:
Design and implementation of a secure, scalable hybrid cloud architecture using Azure and Kubernetes
ATIX was responsible for the overall technical design and implementation of the target architecture. Rather than a simple lift-and-shift migration, the platform was comprehensively analyzed and systematically migrated to a consistent hybrid cloud architecture.
The new infrastructure integrates development, deployment, monitoring, and governance into a unified model. Security and role-based models were taken into account from the beginning, and penetration test results were systematically incorporated into the architecture.
At the same time, the ML strategy was modernized: The existing “Radar” application was migrated to a cloud-native stack using Azure OpenAI. In addition, processes for setting up new software projects were automated to accommodate the increasing focus on productization.
Technical implementation:
Azure Kubernetes (AKS), Azure DevOps with CI/CD automation, and integration with Azure OpenAI
- Architectural Assessment of the Legacy Platform
- Building a hybrid cloud platform with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
- Implementation of Azure DevOps and automated CI/CD pipelines
- Integrating Azure OpenAI into the existing ML environment
- Automating project deployment in Azure DevOps and Kubernetes
- Support in evaluating and implementing penetration test results
- Security and role models in accordance with TISAX requirements
Outcome:
Scalable, auditable hybrid cloud for AI, data, and analytics workloads
With its new hybrid cloud architecture, Horváth now benefits from a scalable, highly available, and auditable innovation platform. Applications in data science, big data, and NLP run stably and reproducibly on a modernized infrastructure that systematically integrates security, automation, and governance.
The integration of Azure OpenAI accelerates the development of AI-powered applications, while automated project setups support the growing SaaS-oriented nature of the AI, BI, and Data sector. Security requirements are no longer addressed reactively but are structurally embedded in the architectural design.
Business Impact:
Faster innovation cycles, enhanced security, and support for SaaS
- Skalierbare Hybrid-Cloud für KI- und Analytics-Workloads
- Structurally integrated security and compliance strategies
- Downtime-free patch management
- Accelerated innovation cycles in the AI sector
- Automated, standardized setup of new software projects
- Foundation for productized, SaaS-like solutions
Bildquelle: Horváth AG
Horváth AG:
Management consulting for data-driven transformation, AI, and advanced analytics
Horváth is an international management consulting company with a strong focus on data-driven transformation.
Especially in the AI, BI, and Data sector – the company’s Data Science and Analytics Center – develops AI and advanced analytics solutions for performance management, forecasting, and decision support.
To ensure innovation speed, scalability, and compliance in the long term, the existing on-premises container platform was migrated to a modern hybrid cloud architecture.
Project focus:
Migration to the hybrid cloud and modernization of AI and data infrastructure
- Migrating on-premises container platform to hybrid cloud
- Strategic Modernization of Data and AI Infrastructure
- Integration of Governance, Security, and Automation
- Vorbereitung auf skalierbare Cloud-Native- und KI-Workloads
