Braze embraces hypergrowth while pushing database technology to its limits
This customer-engagement software company relies on Rackspace DBaaS for massive scale and expert MongoDB management.
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Challenge
As this software company experienced massive growth, managing the sheer volume of data and database instances became an operational challenge.
Solutions Databases Platforms MongoDBOur customer
Braze develops customer engagement software for dozens of well-known brands, including Domino’s Pizza, Venmo, HBO, Disney and Microsoft®. Businesses use the software to manage their customer-facing messaging across multiple channels, including push notifications, email, mobile, SMS and web-based campaigns. With a current network of more than 1.8 billion monthly active users, Braze expects to hit two billion users very shortly.
“ObjectRocket pushes MongoDB up to and possibly past its limits. Plus, the Rackspace Technology offering includes database administrators and engineers, who fully support our data, not just the infrastructure.”
The obstacles they faced
In 2012, Braze chose to architect a sharded MongoDB environment to prepare for future growth and scalability. That growth exceeded all expectations, as a brand after brand used Braze’s customer lifecycle engagement platform for its applications, website and email strategies. Braze may have become the world’s largest installation on the cross-platform document-oriented database program.
Every month, tens of billions of messages to and from users are managed through Braze software. As the company’s runaway growth continues, so must its ability to scale and provide service around the clock.
Managing the sheer volume of data, as well as the number of shards and instances, began to present an operational challenge. Braze needed help architecting and maintaining such a massive and sprawling database environment while continuing to position itself for near-constant growth into the future.
Braze appreciates the immediate support it receives from Rackspace Technology via Slack, with an average response time of just three minutes.
How we helped
The Braze team saw Rackspace Technology as the kind of credible, well-established, service-focused partner it needed. Since Rackspace Technology acquired Rackspace DBaaS, formerly known as Objectrocket, it became the natural choice.
Rackspace DBaaS' managed database service has proven beneficial to Braze. Today, database experts at Rackspace DBaaS create, manage, adapt and maintain more than 94TB of data to keep up with Braze’s tremendous acceleration in the market.
Another benefit of Rackspace DBaaS' cloud-based services is that data, such as SMS messages and email content, can be hosted anywhere, not just on Rackspace Technology servers. This means Braze can continue to grow no matter where its customers’ data is hosted.
This server-and geo-agnosticism makes Rackspace's database-as-a-service offerings perfect for fast-growing market leaders, like Braze. In addition to providing expert and effective on-demand database management solutions and keeping Braze’s instances highly available at all times, Rackspace DBaaS' superior customer support model is reflective of the Fanatical Experience® from Rackspace Technology.
What we achieved together
Braze has been able to keep its DBA headcount down, while building and running a truly massive MongoDB installation, thanks to its reliance on Rackspace DBaaS expertise and support from Rackspace Technology. The strength of that offering is now globally recognized as Rackspace DBaaS from Rackspace Technology becomes a certified worldwide cloud provider of MongoDB.
“Rackspace DBaaS has partnered with Braze to push MongoDB up to and possibly past its limits,” said Braze’s CTO and co-founder, Jon Hyman.
Examples of the partnership include physical hardware changes, kernel tweaks, architectural changes, design assistance, application- and database-level design architecting, running a custom-patched MongoDB software version, indexing help and troubleshooting — plus upgrades to Braze’s massive and ever-growing environments.
Hyman also cites what he calls Rackspace DBaaS' “battle-tested readiness” as a key characteristic of its successful partnership with Braze. If Hyman can envision ways to optimize and scale Braze’s instances, Rackspace willingly jumps in to help make it work, testing and optimizing instances as they go.
“Rackspace DBaaS from Rackspace provides database administrators and engineers who fully support our data, not just the infrastructure,” said Hyman. “They have worked with our team to customize and optimize solutions that help us meet our customers’ needs. We’re excited about their certification and partnership with MongoDB.”
About Rackspace Technology
Rackspace Technology is a hybrid, multicloud solutions expert. We combine our expertise with the world’s leading technologies — across AI, applications, data and security — to deliver end-to-end solutions. We have a proven record of advising customers based on their business challenges, designing solutions that scale, building and managing those solutions, and optimizing returns into the future. As a global hybrid, multicloud technology services pioneer, we deliver innovative capabilities to help customers build new revenue streams, increase efficiency and create incredible experiences. Named a best place to work, year after year according to Fortune, Forbes and Glassdoor, we attract and develop world-class talent to deliver the best expertise to our customers. Everything we do is wrapped in Fanatical Experience® — our obsession with customer success that drives us to help each customer work faster, smarter and stay ahead of what’s next.
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