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Transforming Data and Fuelling Growth at a Market Intelligence Firm

From farms to retailers, this market intelligence firm supports the full supply chain. Its core SaaS platform delivers pricing data and insights across food, consumer goods, and capital goods. By ramping up fast, we saved the firm months, if not a year, of effort. The unified platform is already helping commercial teams upsell, cross-sell, and deliver richer insights with less complexity.

Client
Market Intelligence Firm
Duration
Date
August 7, 2025
Partner
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The client

Connecting the Dots Across Teams and Systems

Following the acquisition of several businesses, the firm was left with a mix of disconnected systems. With data stored in different formats and in a variety of locations, things were getting messy. The patchwork of systems was slowing down operations and decision-making. Teams were spending too much time wrestling with outdated tools and disconnected data.

To move forward, the firm kicked off a major transformation. It set out to bring everything together under one brand, with one platform and one data environment.

Our goal

To bring this transformation to life, the firm needed the right expertise and a trusted partner. With a strong track record in building advanced data platforms, Colibri was brought in to turn ambitions into action.

The result is a single source of truth where analysts, data scientists, and business teams can explore insights, make decisions faster, and deliver more value to customers. The Unified Data Platform (UDP) has brought everything together in one place. It taps into the power of Azure Databricks to create a foundation that is modern, scalable, and ready for AI.

The challenges

A tangled tech landscape

After merging several businesses, the firm was left with a patchwork of systems that didn’t connect. Even within teams, data was stored and processed in different ways. That made it hard to see the big picture, let alone act on it – leading to increased operational cost and frustrated teams.

Talent stretched thin

The fragmented setup made life tough for internal teams. Hiring and retaining skilled people was a challenge when so much time was spent maintaining outdated systems instead of building new solutions.

Rising expectations, growing pressure

Across the industry, expectations were changing fast. Real-time data, cloud-first strategies, and cost optimisation were becoming must-haves. The firm knew it needed to evolve to keep up.

Solution

Market Intelligence Firm

“Working with Colibri feels like a true partnership rather than a typical vendor relationship. James and the team were incredibly approachable, flexible, and responsive. They’re always ready to collaborate and adapt without hiding behind process or paperwork. Colibri’s ability to ramp up quickly was a game-changer, saving us months, if not a year, of effort. It’s that consultative approach and speed to value that really sets them apart.”

A Platform Built for the Future

Colibri designed and delivered a unified, cloud-first platform using Microsoft Azure and Databricks. At the core of the build is a full-stack Azure Landing Zone, enhanced with Unity Catalog and role-based access controls (RBAC). Colibri implemented a medallion architecture, organising data into bronze, silver, and gold layers. This approach ensures strong governance, data integrity, and clear traceability.

Designed with people in mind

Colibri built relationships across the business, from data scientists to editorial staff, ensuring the platform worked for all types of users.

Instead of a top-down, rigid implementation, the process was agile and collaborative. Through iterative sprints and constant feedback loops, Colibri was able to pivot quickly and align with objectives. The team kept its momentum even when faced with challenges like managing large data volumes or working across time zones.

Support beyond delivery

Since the rollout began, the partnership hasn’t slowed. Colibri continues to provide support through staff augmentation, architecture planning, recruitment help, and managed services.

Results

Turning Data into Value

The firm is already starting to see the real-world impact of the transformation. For the commercial teams, the new platform is opening up fresh opportunities. With all that data in one place, it’s now much easier to offer customers more. Whether that’s through upselling, cross-selling, or simply providing access to richer insights. Having a unified, intuitive platform means the firm can bring more value to customers without adding complexity.

The freedom to build

Behind the scenes, it’s also changing how teams work. Developers and data specialists, who once struggled to innovate within the limits of siloed systems, now have the freedom to build new services. Ideas that used to feel out of reach are finally becoming possible.

Backed by experts

Operationally, things are running more smoothly, too. There’s less manual wrangling of data and more streamlined processes. With a dedicated team of Colibri engineers embedded in the effort, there are even more possibilities on the horizon.

A team you can count on

Colibri made sure the solution aligned with the firm’s real-world needs by reducing risk, accelerating delivery, and helping everyone stay on track.

Ready to scale

With the legacy data silos gone, the new platform gives the firm a strong, secure foundation for future growth. It’s built to scale and flexible enough to support the next wave of innovation, from real-time analytics to AI-powered features like chatbots and interactive front-end tools.

Our solution

The outcome

Faster insights

Reduced to within 6-second lead time

Improved customer service

Faster predictions on customers' needs and capturing new opportunities

Team growth where it matters

+ 20 headcount in the data team

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Colibri Digital logo

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