Aspecta and the Volkswagen Group: the Revolution in car connectivity

Slovak IT company Aspecta played a key role in the transformation of the Volkswagen Group Services Slovakia to the leader in the field of future mobility through the innovative cloud platform for the connectivity of the vehicles.

Key points:

✓ Aspecta deploy robust AWS cloud platform for the connectivity of the vehicles for Volkswagen
✓ The platform manages 100 000 vehicles a month with high scalability and safety
✓ Improved customer experience through remote control vehicle (lighting, heating, locking)
✓ Created competence center for the administration and development platform in Slovakia
✓ Helped transform the Volkswagen on service mobility

08. September 2024 ┃ 7 minutes reading

In today's era of digital transformation facing the automotive industry unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The connectivity of vehicles is becoming a key factor of competitiveness, while car makers (car manufacturers) try to turn on the providers of comprehensive solutions mobility. This trend requires a robust, cloud-based platform able to process huge amounts of data in real time, to ensure safety and to provide users with an intuitive interface.

Traditional approaches to the development of such systems often suffer the limits in the field of scalability and flexibility. Therefore, more and more companies are turning to cloud-based solutions and partnerships with specialised IT firms, so bring the necessary know-how and agility.

Client

Volkswagen Group, one of the world's largest automotive manufacturers, has decided to face the challenges of the digital era proactive. With the aim of becoming the market leader in the mobility of the future, the company was looking for ways to integrate advanced technologies into their vehicles and services. Volkswagen Group Services, a subsidiary of the group, was in charge of the implementation of this vision in the field of IT and connectivity.

The problem or challenge

Volkswagen Group faced several key challenges in the implementation of his vision connectivity:

The need to develop a robust cloud platform equipped to provide a link between the millions of vehicles and their users.
Ensure the highest level of security in the processing of sensitive data of vehicles and users.
The creation of scalable solutions able to handle the rapid increase in connected vehicles.
The integration of a diverse range of services connectivity into one coherent system.
The lack of qualified specialists on cloud technologies in the Slovak labour market.

These challenges represent a complex problem, which required not only technological solutions, but also the strategic approach to the development of human resources and change management.

Volkswagen Group, in partnership with the Aspecta laid down the following objectives of the project:

Develop and implement a cloud platform based on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the integration and management of services for connectivity.
To ensure processing and management connection about 100-thousand vehicles a month.
Implement features such as location of the vehicle, the management and monitoring of the technical parameters, and remote control of selected functions of the vehicle.
Create a Slovak competence centre for the administration and development of the cloud platform.
Train and develop a new team of cloud engineers in Slovakia.
Transform the perception of Volkswagen from the traditional vehicle manufacturer to a technology company that provides services to mobility.

Migration Process and Strategy

Aspecta in close cooperation with the Volkswagen Group Services has designed and implemented a comprehensive solution based on cloud technologies Amazon Web Services (AWS). This solution included a few key components:

Cloud platform: The central system built on AWS, which serves as the brain of the entire infrastructure. This platform ensures the processing of data from vehicles, service management connectivity and integration with external systems.
System for the localization of the vehicle: Uses GPS and other location technologies to the accurate positioning of the vehicle in real-time.
Module for the management and monitoring of the technical parameters: Collects and analyzes data about the state of the vehicle, enabling predictive maintenance and to optimize performance.
Mobile apps: Provide users an intuitive interface for interaction with the vehicle, allowing functions such as remote control of lighting, heating and lock.
Security layer: The implementation of advanced security protocols and encryption to protect your sensitive data of users and vehicles.

Aspecta played a key role not only in the design and implementation of technological solutions, but also in building human capacity. The company has provided extensive support in the training and development of a new team of cloud engineers, to ensure that the Volkswagen Group Services will be able to independently operate and further develop the platform.

Challenges and overcoming the challenges

Challenges were encountered during the implementation of the resulting solution, which we overcame as follows:

Initial resistance of teams: One of the main challenges was the initial resistance of some teams to changes in established practices. This problem was overcome through intensive communication and demonstration of the concrete benefits of the new approach.
Complexity of infrastructure: The complexity of the VW Group's existing infrastructure made it difficult to implement a unified approach to optimization. The Aspecta team created a flexible framework that was tailored to the specific needs of different parts of the organization.
Technical issues: Issues such as integration of the new FinOps tools with VW Group's existing systems were resolved by working closely with the client's IT team and phasing in changes that minimised disruption to operations.

Results

Implementation of the cloud platform for the connectivity of the vehicles brought to the Volkswagen Group, significant results:

✓ The creation of the Slovak competence center:
Created a center of excellence, which takes care of the entire cloud platform for the Volkswagen Group, which Slovakia had to map the key growth sites of the concern.

✓ New posts:
The project led to the creation of dozens of new jobs in the IT field in Slovakia, contributing to the development of the local technology ecosystem.

✓ Scalability and performance:
The platform is able to handle and manage the connection of the about 100-thousand vehicles a month, with the potential of further growth.

✓ Improve customer experience:
Implementation of functions such as remote control of lighting, heating, and lock the vehicle greatly increased the comfort and satisfaction of our customers.

✓ Transformation of image:
Volkswagen Group has successfully strengthened its position as an innovative technology company providing advanced mobility services.

✓ More effective maintenance:
Thanks to the monitoring of technical parameters in real-time to improve the predictive maintenance of vehicles, which leads to reduce the cost and increase the reliability.

Conclusion

The collaboration between Aspecta and the Volkswagen Group represents a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the automotive industry. The project not only brought innovative technological solutions, but also contributed to the development of the IT sector in Slovakia.

Creating a robust cloud platform for the connectivity of the vehicles The Volkswagen Group has made a significant step towards its goal to become a leader in the mobility of the future. At the same time confirmed the ability of the Slovak IT specialists to implement projects of global significance.

This project serves as an example of successful cooperation between well-established global company and an innovative local, IT company, showing the way for other similar initiatives in the region. More in the article HERE.

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