Introduction
A Prominent Sportswear Brand Recording KRW 1 Trillion in Sales
Founded in 1996, K2 Korea is a sports apparel company that has been dominating the sportswear market centering on sporting goods and apparel brands such as K2, Eider, Salewa, and Dynafit. In 2013, it set a milestone in the sporting goods and apparel market by recording more than KRW 1 trillion in sales with just two of its brands, K2 and Eider. K2, which is the most prominent brand of the company, has been launching innovative products based on relentless research and development (R&D) efforts under the slogan of “Technical Outdoor,” and recorded KRW 310 billion in sales in 2017 alone.
Aside from these achievements, K2 Korea has been endeavoring to promote an “outdoor sports and recreation culture” by sponsoring experts on outdoor sports and recreational activities and operating a related academy. In addition to engaging in a wide range of other social contribution activities, the company has even signed a business agreement with the World Natural Fund (WWF) to carry out a nature conservation project as part of its efforts to fulfill its corporate social responsibility.
Background
Seeking Ways to Crate Hybrid Cloud with AWS Cloud
K2 Korea was operating its service through a multi-cloud configuration, involving the use of cloud services offered by several service providers. After connecting some of the clouds with on-premise resources in this process, they realized the benefits of using a hybrid cloud. Accordingly, we created a plan to configure the AWS cloud as a hybrid cloud through AWS Direct Connect. K2 Korea was operating a database server at one of our data centers at the time and needed a connection to the AWS location that we were operating. Because there were challenges to server migration, there was a need to use an external dedicated line, which would be costly, and this caused concerns for the company.
What did KINX do?
Network Proposal and Equipment Provision Through AWS Direct Connect Consulting
Based on our abundant experience as the first company in Korea to provide direct connection to AWS (AWS Direct Connect), we provide consulting to K2, during which we analyzed their situation and proposed the optimum method of achieving their vision.
First of all, based on the fact that K2 Korea was operating a database server at one of our data centers using our colocation service, we configured the network so that it could use AWS Direct Connect from the data center, rather than an AWS location. By connecting the backbone switches among our data centers, we made sure that they would be able to enjoy an identical infrastructure environment from all of our data centers. On top of that, we provide the company with equipment to assess the performance of the hybrid cloud that they built with us.
Effect
Hybrid Cloud Setup Without Server Migration
Through the network configuration we proposed, K2 Korea was able to use AWS Direct Connect in the same environment as an AWS location without having to migrate their server. They were able to further cut costs by setting up a network at a more reasonable price than using an expensive dedicated line. Plus, using our equipment, they were able to not only verify the performance of the hybrid cloud in advance but also operate their services with excellent reliability, while their own equipment was being procured and set up.
