1. Microsoft SQL Data Services
Customer Solution Case Study
Infosys Creates Cloud-Based Solution for Auto
Dealers using SQL Data Services
Overview “With SDS running on the Microsoft Services Platform
Country or Region: United States
Industry: Information Technology
we can give customers a zero-maintenance data hub.
The cloud is becoming real.”
Customer Profile
Jitendra Pal Thethi, Principal Architect, Infosys Technologies Ltd.
Based in Bangalore, India, Microsoft® Gold
Certified Partner and Strategic Alliance
Partner Infosys Technologies defines,
designs, and delivers IT-enabled business Infosys Technologies Ltd. is an IT transformation leader for its
solutions for Global 2000 companies.
clients around the world. With over 95,000 employees in more than
Business Situation 64 offices around the world, the company constantly searches for
Infosys needed a cloud-based database as
a central part of its strategy to offer its the best technology to help its customers meet their business
customers low-cost, zero-maintenance goals. As Infosys began designing a solution to let automobile
solutions that are accessed through the
Web. dealers share information on inventories and other resources, it
wanted to offer a cloud-based solution that would be simple to
Solution
The company is building its solutions using deploy, easy to scale, and require zero maintenance from the
the cloud-based Microsoft Services customer. To create its hub-in-the-cloud solution it needed a cloud-
Platform, including Microsoft SQL Data
Services. based database, which it found with Microsoft® SQL Data Services,
part of the Microsoft Services Platform. Infosys is using SQL Data
Benefits
Complete cloud solution Services to create a solution for auto dealers, which it can easily
Low-cost deployment and zero replicate to meet similar integration needs for healthcare,
maintenance
Easy replication for other verticals hospitality, insurance, and other industry verticals.
Scalability
Integration with legacy systems

2. “You really need a hub Situation The Infosys auto dealer solution is built using
Infosys Technologies Ltd., which defines, Web and STAR based standards and it
that each dealer can designs and delivers technology-enabled leverages the technologies from the cloud-
simply plug into, and business solutions for Global 2000 based Microsoft® Services Platform including
companies, continuously tracks the Microsoft SQL Data Services (SDS). SDS
cloud-based services innovations in core technology to leverage offers highly scalable and Internet-facing
running on the Microsoft the benefit to clients. distributed database services in the cloud for
storing and processing relational queries. It
Services Platform The company, which has over 95,000 helps developers create and provision new
provides an ideal low- employees in more than 64 offices around applications with REST and SOAP based Web
the world, is eager to offer its global protocols. The services are built on robust
cost, zero-maintenance customers solutions that take advantage of Microsoft SQL Server® database and
hub solution.” cloud computing, an emerging technology Windows Server® technologies, providing high
based on offering computing resources, availability and security.
Jitendra Pal Thethi, Principal Architect, Infosys applications, and storage from the Internet,
Technologies Ltd. or cloud. The cloud concept, which As Infosys considered the design for its auto
encompasses popular delivery technologies dealer and OEM integration solution, it knew
such as Software + Services and Software as that it needed to go beyond conventional
a Service, enables developers to create rich point-to-point connections between dealer
solutions that customers can access through locations. “We want to deliver a simple,
the Web. appliance-like solution that can be placed in
a dealership premises and would augment
Customers benefit from cloud-based the existing DMS systems to provide the
solutions because there doesn’t need to be additional B2B integration capability from our
any client-side application deployment or cloud-based services” says Jitendra Pal
maintenance. Similarly, organizations can Thethi, Principal Architect at Infosys.
avoid the IT expenses traditionally involved in
hosting server-based solutions. Getting beyond point-to-point connections
meant finding an efficient hub-based system,
Infosys was looking at revitalizing its auto which again pointed toward the cloud, and
dealer solution to address flexibility and SDS running on the Microsoft Services
scalability requirements. Infosys assessed Platform.
the applicability and value of a cloud-based
model and decided it provided enhanced “It would be costly to create and maintain
benefits to customers in this scenario. The physical integrations between dealerships in
Infosys cloud-based solution for the one dealership network, for example, and
automotive industry would simplify the such point-to-point solutions aren’t scalable,”
process of sharing inventory and other data says Thethi. “You really need a hub that each
between dealerships in a network and with dealer can simply plug into, and cloud-based
their original equipment manufacturers services running on the Microsoft Services
(OEMs). Platform provide an ideal low-cost, zero-
maintenance hub solution.”
Solution
Infosys Solution Architecture

3. “With SQL Data Services Infosys is using a three-tier architecture that the infrastructure we need for deploying our
includes: application from the cloud, and for supporting
we are able to provide authentication.”
Web-based Interface . Dealer employees,
our customers with a wanting to check inventory at another
Infosys sees the platform as a great value
cloud-based solution dealership, or seeking OEM information, use
proposition. “SQL Data Services and the rest
a desktop browser to connect to the cloud-
which requires no based Infosys solution.
of the Services Platform combine to form a
cloud infrastructure that is very exciting,”
capital expenditures or Application Tier. Infosys provides the
says Thethi. “This opens the door for creating
middle-tier code and business logic enabling
operational integration of data between participating
a new generation of cloud-based solutions.”
expenditures. This parties. This Infosys application tier provides
Low-Cost Deployment and Zero-
connectivity between SDS in the cloud and
removes a lot of would- the dealer’s existing data systems. The
Maintenance
As Infosys searched for the best platform on
be barriers to solution Infosys Legacy Modernization solution, a part
which to build its cloud-based auto dealer
of the Catalytic IT solution suite is used with
acceptance.” dealerships that have green-screen legacy
integration solution, it sought a solution that
would be inexpensive for its customers to
Jitendra Pal Thethi, Principal Architect, Infosys systems. The Infosys application tier is
deploy and maintain.
Technologies Ltd. hosted in the cloud.
Data Tier. Data from all parties—dealers,
“We needed a database at our hub, but didn’t
OEMs and other participants—is hosted on a
want dealers to have to deploy and support
dedicated instance of SDS in the cloud.
that level of infrastructure,” says Thethi.
“With SQL Data Services we are able to
Benefits provide our customers with a cloud-based
Infosys has found the platform it needs to
solution which requires no capital
create complete cloud-based solutions for its
expenditures or operational expenditures.
global customers. The company can create
This removes a lot of would-be barriers to
solutions that have low-cost deployment and
solution acceptance.”
zero customer-side maintenance. The
solutions can be easily replicated for other
Working with SDS and the Microsoft Services
verticals, provide virtually unlimited
Platform also relieves Infosys and its
scalability, and integrate easily with legacy
customers from the anxiety and expenses of
systems.
ensuring high availability and similar
administrative concerns. Thethi notes, “We
Low cost Robust Infrastructure Ensures
like the idea that data replication, disaster
High Service Availability
recovery, and other administrative
Working with SDS and the rest of the
responsibilities are completely handled by
Microsoft Services Platform has provided
Microsoft.”
Infosys with the complete cloud infrastructure
it needed to create its auto dealer solution.
Easy Replication for Other Verticals
“We needed a robust cloud-based database
Auto dealerships are just one of a number of
solution to support hub-based integration,”
industries that Infosys sees benefiting from
Thethi notes. “That is exactly what SDS
appliance-like cloud-based solutions using
provides. The Services Platform also provides
SDS as the data repository. Whether

4. “With SDS and the rest providing an integration point for hotels, Modernization solution has enabled
clinics, or insurance agents, all of these companies around the globe to maximize the
of the Microsoft Services verticals typically include geographically value of their legacy systems,” Thethi says.
Platform, we can scale distributed operations that could benefit from “We can create our solution to sit between
easy to deploy, low-cost, and zero- the legacy system and the cloud, and we can
to any number of maintenance solutions. deploy that solution on the cloud. This brings
automobile dealers, or great value to our customers—to be able to
“We need a general cloud platform that will make full use of their legacy systems, while
insurance agents, or to make it easy to replicate our solution for handling everything from the cloud.”
any number of other verticals,” says Thethi. “The hospitality
industry, healthcare industry, insurance
participants of any other industry, and several other verticals could all
vertical we work with." benefit from cloud-based solutions. But all of Summary
these solutions require a hub-based data In summary, Infosys is using the Microsoft
Jitendra Pal Thethi, Principal Architect, Infosys store, which is why SDS is so important.” Services Platform as it designs a new
Technologies Ltd. generation of cloud-based applications to
Thethi adds: “The need for a solution like this help its global customers enjoy low-cost, zero-
has always been there. With a cloud-based maintenance solutions accessed through the
platform and leveraging Microsoft Services Web.
Platform we can give customers a scalable,
zero-maintenance services and data hub. The
cloud infrastructure is becoming real and the
this appliance based approach for connecting
the cloud with the enterprise makes it more
relevant”
Scalability
Infosys likes the ease with which it can add
new participants to a cloud-based solution.
“With SDS, we can scale to any number of
automobile dealers, or insurance agents, or
to any number of participants of any other
vertical we work with,” says Thethi. “As the
number of participating dealerships goes up,
the cost of the cloud service is incremented,
but this is offset by the increase in revenue.
The customer never has to worry about
scalability. That is handled by the huge data
centers of the Microsoft Foundation
Services.”
Integration with Legacy Systems
Integration of legacy systems is an area of
Infosys expertise. “Our Infosys Legacy

5. For More Information Azure Services Platform Microsoft SQL Services
For more information about Microsoft The Azure™ Services Platform provides an Microsoft SQL Services extends the SQL
products and services, call the Microsoft excellent foundation for expanding product Server capabilities in cloud as web-based
Sales Information Center at (800) and service offerings. The Azure components services. It enables you to store data from
426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft include: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured
Canada Information Centre at (877)  Windows Azure . Windows Azure is a documents. SQL Services will deliver a rich
568-2495. Customers who are deaf or development, run-time and control set of integrated services for relational
hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text environment that is scalable, flexible, database, search, reporting, analytics and
telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) secure and Interoperable. data synchronization with mobile users,
892-5234 in the United States or (905)  Microsoft SQL Services. SQL Services remote offices and business partners. The
568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 is a suite of cloud-based SQL Server data first of these SQL Services available today is
United States and Canada, please contact platform capabilities. The first of these database services called SQL Data Services.
your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access capabilities is SQL Data Services, which .
information using the World Wide Web, go offers Internet-facing database service for
to: www.microsoft.com relational queries. For more information about SQL Data
 Microsoft.NET Services. Microsoft .NET Services, go to:
For more information about Infosys Services is a suite of Web services for www.microsoft.com/sql/dataservices/defaut.
Technologies Ltd products and services, customers with integration and business- mspw
call (510) 742-3000 or visit the Web site to-business collaboration requirements.
at: www.infosys.com/microsoft These services include workflow, access
control, and service bus connectivity.
 Live Services. Live Services is a
comprehensive set of Web services that
represent the core functionality of Windows
Live (includes Windows Live Messenger,
Live Search, and many more).
For more information about the Azure
Services Platform, go to:
www.azure.com
Software and Services Hardware
Microsoft Services Platform Varies by customer
Microsoft SQL Data Services
Microsoft Global Foundation Services
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published October 2008