Navigating the Data Seas: S&P Global’s Cloud Odyssey

The insights powering global finance

As a global leader in financial services, S&P Global represents a complex sea of data, intelligence, and technological innovation. With a crew of over 10,000 employees, this data-centric company provides critical infrastructure to empower smarter financial decision-making, using advanced AI to refine and enhance data sets across platforms.

From bustling Wall Street to the furthest reaches of emerging markets, S&P’s divisions—including S&P Ratings, Dow Jones Indices, and Market Intelligence—support critical decision-making for clients through AI-driven insights, translating 8 billion data transactions every day.

David Benoit, Executive Director of Data Solutions Engineering for Market Intelligence, is one of the professionals dedicated to navigating S&P’s infrastructure and improving efficiency. He and his team of modern-day data travelers, armed with the latest AI capabilities and a thirst for knowledge, continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in global economic understanding.

Navigating a data deluge

It’s no secret that data is the new currency, and that information is the most valuable treasure for modern businesses. While S&P Global was well poised to handle its clients’ data, it faced an all-encompassing challenge: Its global reach was expanding quickly, and its on-premises systems began to creak under the weight of billions of daily data points. Advanced systems must be moved to the cloud for quicker, more seamless data processing without interrupting operations.

David and his team also required a highly available intelligent data infrastructure that provided clear provisioning and snapshot capabilities—non-negotiables for any company whose data keeps markets alive. Visibility and disaster recovery were essential to serving customers with the best insights. Any downtime could send ripples through the financial world, affecting decisions at companies globally.

S&P needed to scale quickly, maintain performance, and ensure seamless failover capabilities across regions, all while maintaining security.

S&P Global’s North Star

In the face of these massive challenges, S&P Global found its North Star: Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. This cloud-native solution empowered the team to navigate a large-scale data migration without downtime or interruptions to operations.

FSx for ONTAP shattered the data restraints imposed by many cloud services. It provided a shared storage model, creating a stable and resilient architecture that could also be scaled to reach new heights faster. Data can be represented in multiple locations, which means larger pools are accessible for AI capabilities. With NetApp’s snapshot capabilities, S&P had a secret weapon for disaster recovery, allowing it to avoid potential customer risks with agility.

These solutions enabled David and his crew to lift and rehost their complex systems without extensive re-architecture or re-training, offering a smooth passage to the cloud while maintaining consistent performance. Now, S&P Global has a robust infrastructure that delivers secure, resilient, easy-to-manage systems that provide customers with the data performance they rely on.

Sailing into success

With FSx for ONTAP as its compass, S&P has successfully weathered the data storm and emerged stronger than before.

These newfound technological capabilities enable S&P Global to shift its focus to its core business values: developing advanced analytics and leading innovation in the financial intelligence space. The ease of data management and robust security features have streamlined operations for staff and customers. With a more substantial data ingestion process that enables the processing of massive amounts of data, S&P can seamlessly scrub, cleanse, and prepare it for their customers. This means they make an impact where it truly matters: serving its global clientele with unprecedented speed and reliability, whether in Manhattan or Mumbai.

This reformed data infrastructure is just the beginning of S&P’s story. David and his team have their sights set on exploring new horizons, testing the limits of AI and data, and providing clients with the best solutions in global finance. Looking ahead, S&P Global stands poised to adapt to technological change and actively shape the future of financial intelligence. It’s a beacon of innovation, proving that with the right technology and vision, there are no limits to what data can achieve.