Bueno: Unlocking the performance of buildings through intelligent analytics and AI

Bueno helps businesses operate in a more sustainable way by using BigQuery to collate multiple data sources and find more efficient, cost-effective solutions with Google Kubernetes Engine.

BigQuery saves customers 60% costs

Buildings are often equipped with various networks to control and operate devices. But the air conditioning, lighting and security systems often exist in separate silos of the building, and there is no link between them. Bueno aims to bridge this gap by using technology to collect data and provide better transparency between different systems, so that the building area can use this information to detect error, optimization and business intelligence.

“Customers today are looking for a system that is scalable and can take in a multitude of different data sets. It needs to provide an overview for better scope, rather than having many different systems operating in silos. That's where the cloud has an advantage.”

—Scott Horsnell, Chief Innovation Officer, Bueno—

As a company born in the cloud, Bueno has always believed in the concept of scalability. Scott adds that many customers have also approached Bueno for advice on moving from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. “We are often asked to assist in helping them make their first move to the cloud for operational systems. Customers see our solution design as a way for them to start their own journey into the field.”

To improve our ability to develop solutions that meet industry problems related to data ingestion, structure, and analysis, Bueno has turned to Google Cloud because of the ease of use of managed services. .

“Since moving to Google Kubernetes Engine, we rely on auto-scaling to give us the computing power only when we need it. This has resulted in significant cost savings for us as a lot of infrastructure management previously had to be done manually.”

—Richard Harrison, Chief Technology Officer, Bueno—

Save costs and streamline databases with Google Kubernetes Engine

Because Bueno uses a microservices-based architecture, as the company grows, they want to switch to using Kubernetes as a orchestration solution, to be able to manage the growing complexity without spending too much time on implementation. operate. Not having much experience in running Kubernetes, Bueno chose Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) because of its ease of use. “This is our first time deploying Kubernetes, and we thought it would be a lot better to use the managed stuff, rather than build and manage it ourselves,” says Richard. “Furthermore, GKE’s auto-scaling and auto-upgrade capabilities mean the team can spend more time doing core business activities than fixing operational issues.”

Before GKE, Bueno had to make sure they had enough processing power to handle a wide range of scheduled jobs. After implementing GKE, infrastructure costs were significantly reduced. “Since moving to Google Kubernetes Engine, we rely on auto-scaling to give us the computing power only when we need it,” says Richard. This has resulted in significant cost savings for Bueno as a lot of infrastructure management previously had to be done manually.

Maximize the potential of data with BigQuery

One of Bueno's goals when he switched Google Cloud Platform is to use existing data to better understand your customers and your business. Leveraging the ability of Pub/Sub and Dataflow to ingest data from a variety of systems, Richard says, “We were able to move all of our major data sources into BigQuery, which helped us understand aspects of our data. customers such as device and site-level data, weather data, and even most recent visits.”

Customers can also use Bueno's system to find insights and discover new things that can require action. “From the data we provide, the customer can create a work order to perform maintenance and record the cost of the job,” he adds. “For us, that means we can use that data to verify the value and accuracy of analytics.”

Ability machine learning of BigQuery also means Bueno can provide advanced preventative maintenance, so customers can diagnose and repair a product before it breaks down at an earlier stage. Currently, most Bueno customers perform manual checks periodically, which can be very time-consuming and take many hours of work. “With the help of BigQuery, we can detect issues sooner and ensure that their devices are operating at optimal capacity,” said Scott. This saved up to 60% in costs for our customers.”

Smooth onboarding process

Although Bueno is new to Google Cloud, with the wide range of online courses available, it doesn't take the team long to get used to the tools. Fully equipped with courses, the team can easily learn everything they need to know before the actual migration. “One of the first things Google Cloud did was give us access to online courses and tutorials, so that our engineering team could prepare themselves before they did,” says Richard. . “With all the resources online, we can easily get up to speed. This makes the migration process seamless, but more than that, it becomes a great learning and growth opportunity for employees.”

According to Richard, most of the core database volume was migrated within weeks of making the decision to migrate to Google Cloud without disrupting the workflow. "We've had some great results," he said. “Some early results show that we have reduced costs by 20% for our core database and analytics workloads.”

There is also a positive impact on employees' daily workloads. "We've found that Cloud SQL is really stable and we haven't experienced a single outage," said Richard. “Our employees now have a better work-life balance, as they now rarely have to work overtime due to the steady performance of Cloud SQL.”

“We really like the Sheets integration with BigQuery, it's very convenient to share data. I can write a complex query and use Sheets to aggregate it into a very simple data set for my colleagues who will use that data to make smarter decisions for the company. ty.”

—Richard Harrison, Chief Technology Officer, Bueno—

Seamless connection with Google Workspace

Despite recently switching to Google Cloud to manage customer data, Bueno has remained a Google Workspace customer since the company was founded. Richard says: “Advantage on Google Workspace is that we can use the same login to access our cloud environment.” “This makes user accessibility and management much easier and is one of the things that drew us to Google Cloud in the first place.”

The team already uses products like Google Meet and Google Chat in their day-to-day operations, but what stands out to them, beyond familiarity with the platform, is the seamless integration between Google Cloud products. and Google Workspace. "We really like the integration of Sheets with BigQuery, it's very convenient for data sharing," says Richard. “I can write a complex query and use Sheets to aggregate it into a very simple data set for my colleagues, who will use that data to make smarter decisions for them. company. They can also update that data and instantly share it with people anywhere in the world.”

In addition to the products, Scott shared that his experience working with Google Cloud has been an enjoyable one. “The relationship we have built with our Google Cloud representatives is a real hit,” he said. “He was always quick to answer our questions and give us access to relevant experts when we needed them. It was a refreshing experience and unlike any other vendor we have worked with.”