As global operations grow increasingly intricate, businesses face the dual challenge of sustaining agility while expanding their digital capabilities. For organizations operating across multiple continents, a robust, cloud-centric architecture is not merely an advantage; it’s an imperative for sustained growth and innovation. 

RHI Magnesita, the global leader in refractory solutions, operates 28 production units and serves customers in more than 100 countries. With such an extensive international footprint, the company recognized that its digital transformation journey required a sophisticated cloud strategy to support its growing operations and digital product offerings: Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE). 

To establish a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) – a pivotal entity designed to empower teams in driving digital transformation within a secure and modern cloud environment, simultaneously ensuring operational efficiency and cost optimization. 

The challenge was unambiguous: to support the escalating growth and complexity of global operations while guaranteeing agility and autonomy for teams spearheading digital initiatives. RHI Magnesita sought a solution capable of: 

• Standardizing cloud infrastructure 

The solution materialized as a Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE), meticulously built upon the Microsoft Azure framework. This CCoE functions as a critical enabler, translating business demands into actionable cloud solutions, developing reusable components and Landing Zones, and delivering essential technical training to product teams. 

The implementation of the CCoE has yielded substantial outcomes across several key domains: 

Scalability and Reusability 

• 51 standardized and reusable Azure components 

• Over 500 hours dedicated to training Product teams 

• Support for 43+ digital initiatives spanning various business areas 

In just three years, the CCoE has expanded sevenfold, significantly amplifying its influence across product, management, engineering, and development sectors. This initiative has fundamentally reshaped RHI Magnesita’s approach to digital transformation, fostering a more agile, secure, and cost-effective cloud ecosystem. 

Through the formation of a FinOps Committee and the diligent adoption of best practices, the company has realized substantial cost savings while upholding high performance and stringent security standards. This achievement powerfully demonstrates how a well-structured Cloud Center of Excellence can serve as a foundational pillar for digital transformation within a global enterprise. 

The CCoE continues its evolution, steadfastly supporting RHI Magnesita’s digital journey and enabling the company to sustain its leadership position in an increasingly digital world.