Connecting with an IBM Cloud team during a startup accelerator event, Asteria joined the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program to develop its solution with IBM Cloud technology. “There’s a trustworthiness built into the IBM brand that you can’t get with any other cloud provider,” says Nordkvist. “And everything can be open source—IBM Cloud doesn’t lock us up in any way. It’s a key factor when working with top-talent developers today.”
Asteria uses microservices architecture built on a Kubernetes framework for agile, efficient application development. The container-based architecture allows the company’s development team to work within a hybrid cloud environment across disparate locations, quickly and easily developing, reviewing and deploying new code into public or private cloud environments.
“Developers want to work in a flexible way,” says Nordkvist. “They want to work with their own technology and have the possibility of developing in their local environment. This is also the case with our banking partners. By hosting everything in a cluster and using the IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service, we can move whatever microservice we want to another environment at any time.”
Incorporating AI technology, Asteria created a smart cashflow solution for banks to provide as a value-added online service. The platform analyzes data from an SME’s business software and its bank account, producing a visual financial forecast that gives business owners a clear view of cashflow over time and helps them anticipate potential shortfalls.
With the IBM Cloud Object Storage service, Asteria can cost-effectively scale data storage as the user base for its platform grows. A simple interface within the IBM Cloud console allows the company to select hosting locations, allocate resources and classify data into storage tiers, all on an as-needed basis.