Databricks in Action: Azure’s Blueprint for Secure and Cost-Effective Operations

Erste Group's transition to Azure Databricks marked a significant upgrade from a legacy system to a secure, scalable and cost-effective cloud platform. The initial architecture, characterized by a complex hub-spoke design and stringent compliance regulations, was replaced with a more efficient solution. The phased migration addressed high network costs and operational inefficiencies, resulting in a 60% reduction in networking costs and a 30% reduction in compute costs for the central team. This transformation, completed over a year, now supports real-time analytics, advanced machine learning and GenAI while ensuring compliance with European regulations. The new platform features a Unity Catalogue, separate data catalogs and dedicated workspaces, demonstrating a successful shift to a cloud-based machine learning environment with significant improvements in cost, performance and security.