Whisker Revolutionizes Pet Tech with Advanced AWS Integrations

The obstacles they faced

Since 2015, Whisker has witnessed a skyrocketing demand for its pioneering products: the Litter-Robot and the Wi-Fi-enabled Feeder-Robot™. But with rapid growth came a few challenges.

Whisker’s users loved controlling their devices via a mobile app. However, as sales boomed, the app faced strain, leading to onboarding issues and inconsistent performance. Whisker recognized the pressing need for stronger infrastructure that could both launch a new mobile app and also efficiently manage the influx of millions of messages each day on its growing device network.

Though it was already leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS), Whisker wasn't utilizing features like AWS IoT Core for this. As a result, scalability suffered, and app response times became unpredictable. Whisker’s past iOS app experience further amplified these concerns as it ramped up the launch of a new Android app. Looking ahead, the challenge was clear: Whisker needed to integrate Android users and upgrade legacy devices — without disruption. Undaunted, Whisker embarked on a mission to incrementally reinforce and refine its infrastructure.

What we achieved together

Utilizing Rackspace's specialized knowledge of AWS, Whisker was able to upgrade product reliability and expandability, reducing operating expenses and supporting more customer devices.

Working together, Whisker and Rackspace developed a secure system that facilitates seamless communication and updates between a cloud-based platform and a variety of device types. The collaboration enabled Whisker to make significant advancements in its product and benefit their customers through more effective and efficient digital operations.

To further improve customer experience, Whisker upgraded its server infrastructure, transforming the application experience on AWS and increasing app speed and reliability. The upgrade increased product reliability and scalability while reducing operating costs.

By going serverless, Whisker eliminated the need to manually manage a growing array of connected devices, allowing the team to focus on the innovations that have earned it a market-leading position with more than 200 million daily messages from connected robots.

Serverless computing has also improved customer service for its IoT devices through decreased response and resolution times. Innovations enabled by AWS IoT Core and other AWS services are allowing Whisker to collect and analyze data and sensors for deeper insights into pet wellness.