IHS Markit commits to three-year data and infrastructure migration to AWS cloud

IHS Markit will migrate most of its data-processing infrastructure and hundreds of applications out of its datacentres and into the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud over the next three years.

The global market research firm said the move, which will also include the migration of various corporate platforms and end-user applications, is for resiliency and innovation purposes, and will see AWS become its preferred cloud infrastructure provider partner.

“With the rapid increase in the velocity and volume of data delivery requirements, it is important that our infrastructure provides scalability and resilience with a standardised security posture,” said IHS Markit CIO Chad Moss.
 
“Data security, integrity and confidentiality across different jurisdictions are at the forefront of everything we do, and we will work with AWS to continue to deliver timely insights to clients in every corner of the world.”

The two companies already have an established technology partnership, with IHS Markit using AWS to run several of its products, but it now wants to forge closer ties with the cloud giant to make better use of the real-time market data at its disposal.

Yaacov Mutnikas, CTO and chief data scientist at IHS Markit, said: “IHS Markit helps our customers across a variety of industries – transportation, financial services, and energy and natural resources – to address strategic and operational challenges. Providing a comprehensive cloud-based storage and processing platform across our vast range of data is an important next step in our digital transformation journey.” 

IHS Markit said it intends to make heavy use of the AWS cloud product portfolio, including the firm’s plethora of machine learning and data analytics tools, along with its database, serverless, storage and container services, as it seeks to bring to market new services for the 50,000 enterprise and government clients that it claims rely on its services.

The company will also make use of the VMware Cloud on AWS service, which is typically used by organisations that want to move their on-premise VMware vSphere workloads to the AWS cloud.

“Through the collaboration with AWS, we will be able to analyse global data faster, giving companies an integrated view into the global economy and sectors, and provide the next generation of innovative, customer-focused solutions,” said Mutnikas.
 
Mike Clayville, vice-president of worldwide commercial sales at AWS, said the deepening technology relationship between the two firms will also benefit IHS Markit’s clients.

“Across industries and around the globe, leading organisations rely on IHS Markit’s analysis and expertise to help them make decisions around improving efficiency, outpacing competitors and driving growth,” he said.

“The breadth and depth of AWS’s portfolio, including our machine learning and analytics services, will enable IHS Markit to gain greater insights from data and expand their global reach by serving more clients worldwide. We look forward to helping IHS Markit on their digital transformation journey in the cloud as they innovate new services to further their industry leadership.”