More than 40 million members, 30 million iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon downloads, 3 million messages exchanged daily, 80 countries, 25 languages, 10+ years — these are the impressive numbers behind Zoosk, one of the largest and most popular dating sites and apps in the world. Amazon's Zoox reveals self-driving shuttle without steering wheel. Viknesh Vijayenthiran December 15, 2020 Comment Now! Just six months after it was acquired by Amazon, self-driving technology.

The Challenge

When Spark Networks bought Zoosk, one of the bigger challenges of the acquisition was merging the two disparate IT environments. Spark Networks already used the AWS platform extensively. Zoosk, on the other hand, still ran many of its systems and applications in on-premises infrastructure.

In particular, Zoosk had an on-premises Microsoft SQL Server data warehouse with SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) that had outgrown legacy hardware. The platform couldn’t complete native database backups due to its lack of disk space and poor hardware capabilities. Also, the data warehouse was in the Zoosk domain, which meant it wasn’t accessible to Spark Networks.

Spark Networks needed to integrate Zoosk into its AWS environment without affecting existing users. Doing so required database refactoring and a smooth migration from on-premises systems to the cloud. However, Spark Networks didn’t have experience with such projects. The leadership team needed a third-party expert to guide them to a desirable end state. Additionally, Spark Networks believed there could be opportunities down the road to optimize its cloud usage if it were to find the right long-term partner. Enter ClearScale.

The ClearScale Solution

ClearScale began by digging into Zoosk’s data warehouse needs. The team evaluated Zoosk’s computing and storage requirements, as well as its data usage patterns, to determine an optimal AWS architecture.

ClearScale settled on an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) automation approach. The cloud expert worked closely with leaders from Spark Networks and Zoosk to migrate databases from multiple database servers to AWS without disrupting existing services.

Zoox Bought By Amazon

Several AWS features were instrumental throughout the unification effort, including:

• Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for Microsoft SQL
• Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
• Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
• Amazon CloudWatch
• AWS CloudTrail

Amazon RDS is a relational database that is optimized for the cloud. The service provides cost-efficient and resizable capacity. It can also automate administrative tasks, such as hardware provisioning and patching so that IT teams can focus on higher-value activities. With Amazon RDS, Zoosk spends less time managing its data infrastructure.

ClearScale implemented Amazon EC2 to address Zoosk’s computing high availability requirements. Amazon EC2 provides secure and resizable computing capacity in the cloud and gives complete control to developers over resource allocation. ClearScale deployed Microsoft SSIS and SSAS clusters across multiple Availability Zones (AZs), taking advantage of Always-on Windows Server Failover Cluster capability.

Using Amazon CloudWatch, Zoosk can closely monitor resource consumption and performance for its applications and infrastructure. On top of that, AWS CloudTrail simplifies governance, compliance, and risk management, which is important for a dating application that must protect sensitive user data.

Overall, these features equip Zoosk and Spark Networks with better capabilities for managing IT systems and processes across a vast user base. ClearScale followed AWS best implementation practices the entire way to maximize performance and availability while also leaving room for future growth.

Architecture Diagram

The Benefits

Thanks to ClearScale, Spark Networks was able to integrate Zoosk into its existing AWS IT infrastructure without compromising performance.

Zoosk now has a highly available and sophisticated data warehouse that doesn’t suffer from performance issues. The application is accessible to the Spark Networks IT team and can take advantage of advanced cloud computing capabilities going forward.

Additionally, Zoosk is more cost-effective and reliable. The platform can deliver better user experiences through its optimized IT cost structure. At the same time, Spark Networks can trust that its new subsidiary has the capabilities it needs to expand across the world and reach new users over the long term.

Interested in speaking with one of our cloud specialists?

Amazon Zoox Car

Just six months after it was acquired by Amazon, self-driving technology company Zoox has unveiled a self-driving shuttle devoid of a steering wheel.

Similar to the Origin unveiled in January by rival self-driving technology company Cruise, which is backed by General Motors and Honda, the Zoox shuttle is a purpose-built electric vehicle designed to operate as an automated taxi, a so-called robotaxi.

It measures just under 12 feet in length and can seat four. It has a top speed of 75 mph but is designed for use in urban environments where speeds are much lower, and on a full charge of its 133-kilowatt-hour battery the Zoox should be able to operate for a continuous 16 hours.

Unique to the Zoox is its ability for bidirectional driving and four-wheel steering, which should help it manuever out of tricky situations should the occasion arise. It also features a unique sensor array combining cameras, radar, and lidar to form a 270-degree field of view on all four corners of the vehicle.

Zoox was founded in 2014 with the goal of developing a reliable and robust self-driving system, with one of its co-founders, Jesse Levinson, the son of Apple Chairman Arthur Levinson. The company was acquired by Amazon in June and operates as an independent subsidiary headquartered in Foster City, California. It's currently testing its self-driving system in Foster City, as well as in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Zoox said it is developing a comprehensive autonomous mobility platform that covers not only the self-driving technology, but also the charging and maintenance infrastructure and fleet management tools to make a fully electric automated taxi service work.

The company is yet to say when it will have a service open to the public. We could imagine the company's technology also being used by parent company Amazon to make automated delivery a reality.

Rival Waymo already has an automated taxi service covering parts of Phoenix, Arizona, in operation and Cruise has said it will have one ready in 2021.