Crédit Mutuel Arkéa Case Study
Case Study
Improving data access & accelerating time-to-insight
Thinksurance modernized its data architecture with Starburst Galaxy, achieving 80% faster query speeds, 20% lower costs, and democratized data access across the organization.
80%
faster query speeds
20%
lower operational costs
10-minute
incident resolution times
Region
EMEA
Industry
finserv
Environment
hybrid
Solution
galaxy
Employees
100-250
Cleber Barbado
Lead Data Architect
“Starburst empowered us to achieve continuous data deployment, drastically improve query performance, and democratize data access across our organization. It transformed the way we manage data and make decisions.”
About
Thinksurance is an up-and-coming technology company and the leading platform for commercial and industrial insurance in Germany. Handling over 700GB of data daily, the company required a robust, flexible, and cost-effective solution to modernize its data architecture, ensure data quality, and enable continuous deployment. With Starburst Galaxy, Thinksurance achieved measurable improvements in performance, cost savings, and operational efficiency.
Challenge
Thinksurance’s data team grappled with:
- Complex data relationships: Integrating data from event-driven microservices, relational databases, and applications while ensuring quality and consistency.
- Storage modernization: Balancing legacy Hadoop systems with plans to adopt an Iceberg-based Lakehouse.
- Legacy infrastructure: The on-premise Hadoop cluster was costly, lacked scalability, and required significant manual maintenance.
- Real-time updates: Implementing continuous deployment with minimal downtime while maintaining system integrity.
- AI enablement: Existing infrastructure hindered the integration of AI-driven insights and real-time decision-making.
Solution
Thinksurance evaluated 12 market-leading solutions before selecting Starburst Galaxy, which stood out over alternatives like Snowflake for:
- Migration efficiency: Starburst Galaxy facilitated a smooth migration from Hadoop to Amazon-based systems, with a 30% lower migration effort over competitors.
- Real-time continuous deployment: Starburst Galaxy’s real-time capabilities enabled the team to implement a Continuous Data Deployment Architecture with minimal risk and downtime.
- Unified data access: Starburst Galaxy provided unified access across diverse table formats such as Hive and Iceberg, enabling optimal flexibility.
- Democratized data consumption: Starburst’s solution mirrored the organization’s structure, providing a scalable, user-friendly platform for data access and governance.
Results
Thinksurance achieved:
- 80% faster query performance, enabling teams to deliver insights in record time.
- Integrated Iceberg-based capabilities alongside Hive, creating a more flexible hybrid architecture.
- 20% cost reductions, achieved by transitioning from high-maintenance legacy systems to a scalable hybrid cloud model.
- 10-minute incident resolution times, ensuring uninterrupted business continuity and faster response to operational challenges.
- Democratized data access, empowering more users across departments to leverage insights and improve decision-making.
- Foundation for AI integration, with plans to use AI for real-time, actionable insights to support leadership decision-making.
The adoption of Starburst Galaxy equipped Thinksurance to provide its teams with actionable data at scale, fostering collaboration and boosting productivity. By modernizing its data infrastructure, Thinksurance has built a foundation for long-term innovation and market leadership.
