Flexible hiring platform has handled peak campus drives and protects sensitive candidate data
What is our primary use case?
Dell APEX is what we use for handling traffic. Our product Hire-HQ has an application in EU regions. Whenever clients want to conduct campus drives or bulk hiring, we experience sudden spikes of candidates applying simultaneously, which is three to four times the normal load. Our traditional setup cannot handle this kind of traffic volume. We implemented Dell APEX to move to a pay-as-you-go infrastructure model. I have used it in the back end with Node.js APIs, and we have also used Dell APEX storage services to handle the large volume of resumes and candidate data.
In one of the cities in a European country, there was a hiring campaign happening for a university. The client expected around three times more than the normal load. At that time, we successfully handled the situation using Dell APEX, which also reduced our infrastructure cost by around 20 to 25 percent. The API was triggered multiple times by multiple people at the same time, and we had to maintain factors like latency and everything. It improved the response times, so the latency was less.
What is most valuable?
Dell APEX provides secure candidate data management, which is essential for us because we have sensitive data related to candidates, such as their resumes and personal information. We need to protect that, and Dell APEX provided that as well.
Dell APEX secured candidate data, as I mentioned. It has a controlled environment that is a hybrid setup instead of a public cloud, and it has implemented access control and secure storage. This improves data security and compliance because EU regions have GDPR, which is one of the important regulations. The data of candidates should not be shared without their consent, making data management and security a must in European regions. Dell APEX has this functionality, making it very good for security. Another standout feature is the pay-as-you-go structure, which automatically increases and decreases as our load changes.
Cloud flexibility is there with Dell APEX, allowing it to efficiently maintain data while still scaling whenever needed. Since it is a hybrid setup, it automatically scales up whenever we need more data storage, which is very good.
Dell APEX has positively impacted my organization by reducing our infrastructure cost by 25 percent. At peak times, when our load was more than three to four times the normal load, it scaled efficiently with Dell APEX. There are multiple cases where, if a client needs less latency, we can manage the resources accordingly since we have our own control. That aspect is very good.
We measured the infrastructure cost reduction by using Dell APEX to dynamically scale our back end and storage during campus drives, which helped us manage traffic that was three times the initial load without any downtime. During off-seasons when there are no hiring drives, we scale down the resources, optimizing costs accordingly.
What needs improvement?
User interface improvement is also needed in Dell APEX. The recruiters using Hire-HQ are not very technical and struggle to interpret metrics to the extent of IOPS. We could streamline the interface to make it more understandable for end users. Implementing real-time monitoring visualization is a key feature we want because seeing how Dell APEX performs in real-time would be very beneficial.
Dell APEX can be improved with a better auto-scaling strategy. I have used AWS, which has features to the extent of HPA, horizontal pod auto-scaling that increases the number of servers when there is an increase in API calls. Vertical scaling is limited to some extent, and automatic scaling can improve to avoid delays, transitioning from manual to semi-automatic. Additionally, smarter resource planning for cost optimization can still be refined, as resources sometimes get over-allocated, causing prices to rise unnecessarily.
Pricing-wise, it can be a bit costly because at times it allocates more resources than necessary, which increases costs. The consumption model can improve by fine-tuning it according to our needs to ensure it remains affordable for end users. It operates on a subscription-based model, which is beneficial as we track monthly consumption.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell APEX for one or two years in my organization.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell APEX is quite stable because it is associated with a reputable brand to the extent of Dell, and so far, we are satisfied with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Dell APEX is exceptional; it has an as-you-go structure that efficiently accommodates spikes in API calls, so it works very well.
How are customer service and support?
We have not had any need for customer support so far. However, as far as I know, it is good, since we can raise queries and receive replies within 24 hours, and we can email them as well.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have not used any different solution before Dell APEX.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be complicated even for technical users. Services to the extent of AWS are easier to use due to better documentation and support, which is something that Dell APEX can improve upon.
What about the implementation team?
Dell APEX is deployed in our organization using both scalable and cost-efficient infrastructure to handle fluctuations. It operates as a flexible as-a-service model. My role involves supporting deployment, configuring resources, integrating back-end services, and setting up monitoring to help us scale efficiently during peak hours. While I am familiar with these aspects, I do not have complete knowledge of the entire architecture, but it is utilized as a public cloud with control.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment with Dell APEX. As I mentioned, latency has decreased and hiring times are much smoother than before. The P95, which measures average response time from an API, has improved significantly.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Dell APEX has positively impacted my organization by reducing our infrastructure cost by 25 percent. At peak times, when our load was more than three to four times the normal load, it scaled efficiently with Dell APEX. There are multiple cases where, if a client needs less latency, we can manage the resources accordingly since we have our own control. That aspect is very good.
We measured the infrastructure cost reduction by using Dell APEX to dynamically scale our back end and storage during campus drives, which helped us manage traffic that was three times the initial load without any downtime. During off-seasons when there are no hiring drives, we scale down the resources, optimizing costs accordingly.
Pricing-wise, it can be a bit costly because at times it allocates more resources than necessary, which increases costs. The consumption model can improve by fine-tuning it according to our needs to ensure it remains affordable for end users. It operates on a subscription-based model, which is beneficial as we track monthly consumption.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I do not have much previous experience with options, but we have considered EC2 instances, EKS instances, Kubernetes, Docker, and Microsoft Azure. Azure offered scalability and a mature ecosystem, but we encountered cost spikes during peak hiring, which led us to choose AWS.
What other advice do I have?
If your application starts at one level and may grow to three or four times that during peak times, then Dell APEX is a great platform. It is especially useful when you need to adjust services according to your needs, allowing for uptime and downtime as required. I would rate this product an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
good tool and backup system
What do you like best about the product?
Said backup system includes both the storage and the software to do the backup work, therefore it does not entail additional costs.
What do you dislike about the product?
It is not very flexible since the replication only works between storage equipment of the same model, not as towards older models.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It helps me make backups of my entire virtualized server infrastructure.
