Shelly Group, the first Bulgarian company specializing in the development of Internet of Things (IoT) hardware and software for home and facility automation solutions, has been rapidly expanding its operations. With offices across Bulgaria, Germany, Slovenia, the USA, and China, and listings on both the Bulgarian and Frankfurt stock exchanges, Shelly aims to provide affordable, smart solutions that simplify daily life and promote energy efficiency.
However, as the company scaled, its existing infrastructure struggled to keep up with increasing demands, leading Shelly Group to seek a solution that would support its growth and optimize its system performance. This is where Europe Cloud, Google Cloud’s Regional Expansion Partner of the Year for 2023, came into play.
The Challenge
As Shelly Group’s business grew in scale and workforce, its infrastructure faced challenges in handling peak usage, resulting in frequent downtime that affected both its day-to-day operations and long-term planning. The company needed a scalable, flexible, and cost-efficient solution to maintain performance during high-traffic periods without requiring substantial structural changes or additional training for their teams.
“Europe Cloud’s advanced analytics enabled us to optimize spending and make informed business decisions, allowing us to focus on our strategic goals,” a Shelly representative noted. Their need for a GDPR-compliant and secure platform further reinforced their decision to collaborate with Europe Cloud.
Solution Design and Implementation
Europe Cloud began with a comprehensive assessment of Shelly’s infrastructure, identifying key challenges like insufficient capacity to handle peak traffic and the need for scalable solutions to meet variable demand.
To address these issues, Europe Cloud designed a multi-phased plan involving the following steps:
- Infrastructure Audit: Conducted a thorough audit of Shelly’s existing systems, pinpointing the need for scalability and flexibility.
- Scalable Solutions: Developed a roadmap to implement Google Cloud services that ensured dynamic resource allocation based on demand.
- Collaborative Execution: Engaged with local Google Cloud representatives to manage technical challenges efficiently and ensure seamless integration with Shelly’s existing systems.
During the implementation, Europe Cloud focused on avoiding service interruptions and ensuring GDPR compliance—a priority for Shelly given their global operations. Through incremental migration and close collaboration, the team managed to mitigate integration issues and optimize data flow. The incremental approach allowed testing at each stage, reducing risks associated with the transition.
“We felt supported and guided throughout the process, thus we avoided any possible drawbacks and confusion. We worked closely together with Europe Cloud and they were able to address the technical challenges we faced,” says Ognian Stoev, Head of IT from Shelly.
Results and Impact
The new scalable infrastructure provided by Europe Cloud brought several tangible improvements:
“Due to the scalable infrastructure of the platform, we were able to adjust resources based on demand. This flexibility ensures consistent performance even during high-traffic periods. Automated scaling and efficient resource management have lowered our operational expenses and led to more optimized solution costs. We rely on Google Cloud’s reliable performance worldwide as we operate in more than 100 markets. The Cloud migration services powered our digital transformation goals and accelerated our time-to-market,” the Shelly team shares.
Looking Ahead
Shelly Group sees further potential in cloud services as it continues to expand its operations. The company is keen to explore the broader range of solutions available, including advanced tools for organizational, operational, and technical optimization tailored for the IoT sector.
With the success of this collaboration, Shelly Group is well-positioned to leverage cloud technologies to support its growth trajectory, enhancing both operational efficiency and customer experience. For Europe Cloud, the partnership with Shelly highlights their capability to provide scalable and compliant solutions that not only meet but exceed client expectations, ensuring robust, cost-effective, and secure performance across diverse markets.
