[MUSIC].
>> H and R Block requires a highly
resilient infrastructure.
We onboard over 70,000 tax pros to
staff up in 10,000 retail
offices every tax season.
This puts a lot of strain on
technology operations
but also presents
a tremendous opportunity for us
to adopt a more
effective elastic model.
So we've started moving
aggressively into Azure.
>> Due to the seasonal
nature of the tax business,
we might have a five times of
workload requirement on the
last day of the tax season.
SQL managed instance was providing us
the most seamless migration path
from our on-prem
solutions to the Azure.
As part of our data
modernization initiative,
we are trying to
simplify our data stack.
Azure is helping us all the way up to
the reporting systems
and analytic system.
We moved our critical client-facing
applications like DIY,
and our Appointment Manager application.
>> The first phase was just
lift and shift to get us there.
There were a lot of
learning opportunities
that we gained. We're
configuring our environment to
move from IaaS to a PaaS model,
so that we can really
take advantage of
cost-savings around
infrastructure maintenance,
upgrades, app installs, all
of those things that are
going to now be automated.
>> Native integration
of Azure Databricks
reduces the operational complexities
and gives us dynamic
Spark capabilities
for our analytics workload.
>> Investing in Azure
data service and
data platforms has really set up
that amazing foundation
to continue to use
AI and machine learning to
better serve our client.
We're able to use more
intelligent models
to present tax tips and offerings.
>> We're trying to
iterate even quicker
by implementing Azure
DevOps processes.
We have just started
to implement CI/CD.
We're able to deliver
product functionality faster
through automated testing,
the implementation of App Insights.
>> In 2019, we saw almost 20 million
tax returns running in Azure.
>> Migrating our platforms to
Azure has really allowed us to
serve our clients better and
deliver new products
and services quicker.
>> It allows us to make our
client experience better,
which really at the end of the
day is why H and R Block is here.
[MUSIC]