Billdu

Business challenge

Billdu sought to migrate its online business solutions to a highly reliable, flexible cloud infrastructure so that it could provide anytime, anywhere access to users across the globe.

Transformation

Using high-performance IBM Cloud Virtual Server infrastructure hosted in Amsterdam, the startup can consistently deliver an excellent user experience to customers worldwide.

Results

Business challenge story

Seeking reliability in the cloud

Customers of small businesses expect to receive invoices for purchased products as soon as possible after placing their orders. Erik Hudak, Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Billdu, established the company in 2012 to help small-business owners meet this expectation.

“An entrepreneur himself, Erik knew that people who run small businesses need to issue documents wherever they are with any device, such as in a coffee shop with a smartphone,” says Martin Kollar, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Billdu.

Billdu first developed a mobile app for the Apple iOS platform, followed by cloud-based versions for the web and the Android operating system. Despite trying several local cloud services providers, Billdu remained unsatisfied with service quality.

“Users liked our app, but it was not available anytime they wanted to use it because of outages,” says Kollar. “We had a lot of problems with customer satisfaction.”

With plans to expand its application portfolio and offer it worldwide, the company needed a highly reliable, flexible and secure cloud infrastructure to grow with its business.

Transformation story

Moving to a flexible platform

Billdu decided to give IBM Cloud Infrastructure a test run by joining the IBM Global Entrepreneur Program, through which it received a monthly hosting credit for one year.

Billdu compared its app performance on IBM Cloud Infrastructure with that of several other providers’ platforms, and the IBM platform came out on top. IBM’s international network of data centers and willingness to assist the startup with promotional initiatives also helped convince Billdu to team with IBM.

Billdu worked with JumpSoft, one of its investors, to migrate its solution to a IBM Cloud Infrastructure virtual server hosted in Amsterdam. The solution runs development and test, storage, and production workloads supporting Billdu customers in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Hungary, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Russia.
 

Results story

Going global with confidence

“As a startup, we decided that IBM provided the best way forward for us,” says Kollar. “And it was the right decision.”

By improving the app’s reliability, Billdu increased satisfaction among existing customers, helped attract new ones and boosted its brand reputation. Billdu statistics show that more than 70,000 customers have already placed their trust in the product and downloaded the application. “Our mobile apps are among the most frequently downloaded apps for invoicing in Slovakia and the Czech Republic,” says Kollar.

Using IBM Cloud Infrastructure, Billdu also saved approximately 10 percent in annual operating costs and entered nine new marketplaces in Europe, the United States and Australia.

“We are launching new modules for e-commerce that allow small-business owners to create their own websites and promote their companies online. We also have developed modules that our customers can use to integrate Billdu with popular e-shop solutions from PrestaShop SA, OpenCart, Shopify and many others,” says Kollar, adding that customers can also streamline integration using Billdu application programming interfaces (APIs).
 

Billdu

Based in London, the UK, Billdu (formerly miniFAKTURA) helps freelancers and small companies save time and accelerate growth with comprehensive business management solutions. Using Billdu mobile and online apps, people can create and send professional business documents in just seconds.
 

Take the next step

To learn more about IBM Cloud solutions, please contact your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner, or visit the following website: ibm.com/cloud-computing

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