Medtech makeover: Insightec's journey to streamlined data solutions

Medical device company, SME, Israel

Background

Insightec, a mid-size MedTech device company, is a leader in the field of medical technology with a reputation for innovative device solutions. However, as the company has scaled up and expanded, it’s faced significant challenges typical of a quickly growing organization.

The company did not have a centralized data management system; therefore, their existing processes were highly manual and fragmented, leading to inefficiencies and delayed insights. 

The finance team, in particular, found it laborious to close accounts monthly and quarterly due to the manual processes, which relied heavily on Excel for data preparation.

The reliance on manual reporting and data preparation often meant that the road to obtaining actionable insights was long and cumbersome. Additionally, the organization suffered from siloed data reports, which limited the ability to cross-reference information from different departments, such as finance, clinical trials, and manufacturing operations. 

Recognizing the need for a robust data solution, Insightec engaged Calibo, working alongside Altimetrik as the System Integrator.

The project aimed to establish a single source of truth (SSOT), and an Insights Hub based on a data lakehouse architecture. This ambitious solution aimed not only to consolidate data but also to streamline workflow automation and ultimately improve decision-making capabilities across various departments. 

Main challenges

Education certification

No centralized data lake

They had no centralized data lake house, which made it difficult to streamline data across various departments. This resulted in fragmented data sources and obstructed strategic decision-making.

No more siloes

Manual and inefficient processes

Data processing was manual, which increased the time required to close accounts, and introduced higher risks of errors.

Improved data quality

Siloed reporting and limited data insights

The inability to integrate and analyze data from different departments hindered their capability to drive informed business decisions and operational improvements.

Calibo accelerate one offering

Complicated data transformation requirements

Needing to integrate various sources into a single source of truth (SSOT) presented complex data transformation challenges.

Reduce dependences

Limited automation and dependency on IT

Processes depended on the IT team for setup and tool integration, creating bottlenecks and reducing agility. This also delayed implementation of new technologies, impacting the speed of innovation.

Background racecar

"What was supposed to take years, we accomplished in just 10 months with Calibo and Snowflake. We transitioned from on-prem to the cloud, built a single source of truth, and delivered 28 use cases. We've cut manual work by 90%, and new use cases are now up and running in no time."

Guy Sadeh, CIO

Insightec

Technologies used

CALIBO logo only ICON
snowflake
bitbucket
SQLServer
Salesforce
CSV

Business impact

-90%

Effort saving: Dashboard

What used to take 10 hours now sees a 90% reduction in effort.

-80%

Effort saving: Product

Resource allocation tracking for each release, previously a 20-hour task, has seen an 80% effort savings.

-90%

Effort saving: Cloud platform

A secure connection task that once required 10 hours now benefits from a 90% effort savings, enhancing both security and productivity.

-30%

Effort saving: Pipeline orchestration

The reset and restoration process now sees a 30% effort savings, simplifying maintenance and updates.

Solution

The implementation of the Calibo platform was designed to build a centralized data lakehouse and insights hub to enhance the overall data management process.

The Calibo platform implementation at Insightec streamlined and automated several key aspects of data management. With its layered architecture, seamless tool integration, and automated workflows, Insightec successfully transformed its data operations to support its growth objectives efficiently. 

This strategic shift enhanced their ability to generate valuable insights while taking full advantage of their diverse data assets.

 

Implementation  

Building the data architecture: 

  • Data sources: The architecture incorporated multiple data sources, including SQL Server, Salesforce, and manual CSV/Excel files. These diverse inputs were vital for bringing together various datasets under one cohesive system.

  • Data layering: the data integration workflow was segmented into several key layers: pre-landing, landing, curated, data hub, and serving layer. This structured approach ensured systematic data ingestion, integration, transformation, and quality validation to produce a unified and curated SSOT.

  • Snowflake integration: Calibo utilized Snowflake's data platform to orchestrate powerful data transformation algorithms implemented to take advantage of its computational engine to avoid extensive data movement and reduce cost implications.

Using Calibo's platform: 

  • Capabilities: The platform allowed for the use of a robust infrastructure with data connectors, data pipeline studios, and DevOps features. This provided a comprehensive framework for managing data workflows efficiently.

  • Data pipeline management: Calibo’s Data Pipeline Studio was instrumental in orchestrating workflow streams and implementing dependency management between multiple data pipelines. This ensured seamless data flow and transformations from source to target.

  • Tool integration: Tools for source code management (Bitbucket) and CI/CD pipelines were integrated to support deployment activities and maintain version control, further enhancing the agility of the data management process. 

Data quality assurance: 

  • Data quality checks: Calibo established frameworks for executing systematic data quality checks – including data quality profiling, analysis, and resolvers. 

  • Dashboard for monitoring: A dashboard was implemented to track data quality issues, offering high visibility for the stakeholders to identify and rectify discrepancies proactively. 

Security and access control: 

  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): The implementation included a robust security protocol with RBAC mechanisms to regulate access across different environments and ensure the integrity of data processing activities.

  • Audit logs: Comprehensive audit logs were maintained to provide traceability and oversight of user activities, enhancing data security and compliance. 

Development and deployment automation: 

  • CI/CD Processes: Deployment processes were automated using CI/CD pipelines, allowing code to be seamlessly promoted through different environments (from development to production) with minimal manual intervention.

  • Pipeline scheduling: Both time-based and event-based scheduling mechanisms were applied to automate data pipeline jobs ensuring reliable and timely data updates. 

Visualization and reporting: 

  • Insights Hub: The curated and unified SSOT provided a mechanism for enabling a serving layer that powered the Insights Hub with dashboards creating using Power BI. These dashboards offered an interactive interface for users to visualize data insights, ensuring comprehensive management reporting capabilities.

Solution benefits - just a selection

Development Productivity

Centralized data management

We established a centralized data lake house. This streamlined data management across departments and eliminated siloed data, enabling cross-functional insights and more strategic decision-making.

Data Fabric Studio dfs

Efficient data pipeline orchestration

By leveraging Calibo's platform, Insightec benefited from efficient data pipeline development and management. Calibo’s orchestration capabilities ensured orderly and reliable data flow processes.

Faster time

Self-service and reduced IT dependence

The platform offered a one-stop-shop for development, integration, and DevOps, drastically reducing the dependency on IT teams and empowering business teams and developers with the tools necessary to innovate independently.

These outcomes underscore the significant value that Calibo's data platform has brought to Insightec, positioning the company to capitalize on data as a strategic asset while enhancing operational efficiency and competitive positioning in their industry.

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