Empowering Data-Driven Marketing:

How Thorn Technologies Transformed Good Apple's Data Infrastructure

Good Apple, a data-driven marketing agency working with major brands like BirchBox, Pepsico, and Starbucks, faced critical challenges in managing and sharing large volumes of client data. Their in-house SFTP server was unreliable, data sharing was cumbersome for partners unfamiliar with SFTP, dashboard functionality was limited, and manual data monitoring processes were inefficient. To address these issues, Thorn Technologies implemented a suite of scalable and secure solutions, including SFTP Gateway for stable file transfers, StorageLink for intuitive web-based data sharing, a custom analytics dashboard for enhanced reporting, and an automated QA tool for data integrity. These innovations streamlined Good Apple’s operations, improved efficiency, strengthened security, and enhanced the client experience, allowing them to focus on delivering impactful marketing strategies.

The Problem

Good Apple is not your typical marketing and advertising agency. They go beyond execution, taking on the responsibility of guiding clients through every step, from strategy development to implementation, with a heavy focus on data analytics.

They’ve worked with well-known clients such as BirchBox, Pepsico, Starbucks, and a leading discount retailer. They offer a unique partnership that combines deep business understanding, comprehensive strategies, insightful testing, and exceptional negotiation skills to drive impactful media campaigns.

Developing multi-faceted solutions for dozens of organizations keeps the Good Apple team busy and requires constant access to large amounts of data. However, before partnering with Thorn Technologies, Good Apple faced several key challenges in managing and sharing large volumes of client data efficiently:

Unreliable SFTP Server: Good Apple had developed an in-house SFTP solution that was memory-intensive and frequently crashed. This caused significant delays in data transfers, frustrated employees and clients, and created bottlenecks in data processing.
Cumbersome Data Sharing: Many of Good Apple’s clients and partners were unfamiliar with SFTP, making file transfers difficult and inefficient. They needed a more user-friendly, browser-based alternative for sharing data securely.
Limited Dashboard Functionality: While Good Apple utilized the Looker business intelligence platform, they needed tighter control over dashboard permissions, enhanced branding, and a more polished and integrated data visualization experience.
Inefficient Data Monitoring: Given their reliance on data analytics, Good Apple needed a more effective way to identify data loading errors and anomalies before reports were sent to clients. Their existing manual processes were time-consuming and error-prone.

Recognizing the impact these challenges had on their business operations, Good Apple sought a reliable technology partner who could provide scalable, secure, and user-friendly solutions. Thorn Technologies stepped in to help streamline their data management and sharing processes.

The Solution

Thorn Technologies worked closely with Good Apple to understand their needs and implemented a suite of solutions tailored to their unique challenges:

SFTP Gateway Implementation Thorn Technologies deployed its flagship product, SFTP Gateway, a cloud-based, high-availability SFTP solution that integrates seamlessly with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This provided Good Apple with a scalable and secure file transfer solution. The IP Allow List feature allowed them to restrict server access to specific users, ensuring compliance with security requirements. An application load balancer was configured to prevent downtime and ensure uninterrupted file access.
StorageLink for Web-Based Data Sharing Following the success of the SFTP Gateway deployment, Good Apple needed a solution that would allow them to share data with external partners unfamiliar with using an SFTP client. Thorn Technologies introduced StorageLink, a browser-based tool that enables drag-and-drop file transfers while maintaining security within Good Apple’s private cloud. StorageLink integrates directly with Good Apple’s Crisp data platform, allowing them to share files across multiple cloud providers through a professional, branded application.
Custom Analytics Dashboard To enhance data visualization, Good Apple wanted a more professional, user-friendly dashboard integrated with Looker. Thorn Technologies developed a custom web-based portal that combined Looker’s powerful analytics with the ability to directly attach Google Docs, campaign summaries, and slide decks to visualizations. The dashboard included advanced user management features, leveraging AWS Cognito for secure authentication, ensuring only authorized users could access sensitive data.

Automated Data Monitoring and QA Tool Given Good Apple’s reliance on data accuracy, Thorn Technologies built a database quality assurance tool that automatically detects anomalies and validates key metrics. This system performs scheduled validation calculations, including sums, moving averages, and growth comparisons across various timeframes (week-over-week, month-over-month, and year-over-year). If unexpected trends or errors are detected, alerts are triggered for immediate review.

The QA tool also allows users to compare staging data against the final data warehouse tables, ensuring data integrity before it reaches clients. The tool integrates with a custom-built dashboard, providing real-time insights into QA job statuses and allowing Good Apple’s team to create new validation rules.

The Results

The collaboration between Good Apple and Thorn Technologies led to significant improvements in efficiency, reliability, and client satisfaction:

Stability and Scalability: SFTP Gateway eliminated server crashes, providing a reliable and scalable solution for file transfers.
Improved Security and Compliance: IP-restricted access and AWS Cognito authentication ensured secure data handling.
Enhanced Client Experience: StorageLink made file sharing intuitive, reducing friction for clients unfamiliar with SFTP.
Streamlined Data Analytics: The custom dashboard created a seamless, branded experience for reporting and collaboration.
Higher Data Accuracy: The automated QA tool caught anomalies early, preventing errors from reaching clients and saving valuable time.

By implementing these solutions, Good Apple could focus on its core business of delivering data-driven marketing strategies without being bogged down by technical inefficiencies.

The Team

Experts from both organizations drove this successful collaboration:

Good Apple: Their internal data and analytics team identified key pain points and worked closely with Thorn Technologies to define project requirements.
Thorn Technologies: Specialists in cloud-based file sharing, the Thorn team implemented customized tools tailored to Good Apple’s needs.

Together, these teams developed a scalable, secure, and user-friendly data infrastructure that supports Good Apple’s continued success.

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