The problem

Laiier is a commercial water leak detection business whose operations rely on monitoring live device and sensor data to detect wet electrodes and identify critically wet environments.

To deliver accurate, real-time insights to their customers, Laiier requires a highly dependable and scalable data infrastructure that can process information from numerous gateways and sensors.

Laiier’s existing in-house reporting solution was reaching its end-of-life, making its replacement a critical business priority.

They needed a modern, future-proof platform capable of handling complex operational data, including live message data from webhooks and a PostgreSQL database. However, they needed to validate that Looker and Google Cloud could meet these specific technical requirements and display crucial sensor KPIs before committing to a full-scale, expensive migration and investment.

The solution

Cobry guided Laiier through a strategic four-step journey. First, Cobry executed a Looker PoC funded by Google's Deal Acceleration Funds (DAF). This risk-free environment successfully validated Looker's capabilities by tracking 5 key device KPIs using BigQuery.

Then, once value was proven, Cobry delivered a 6-week MVP, also supported by DAF funding. This phase involved integrating live webhook data, connecting to Laiier's cloud PostgreSQL database, redefining the BigQuery schema, and delivering a production-ready MVP Looker dashboard.

Finally, to ensure long-term success, Cobry implemented an ongoing Managed Service partnership, providing tiered support, data engineering drawdown, and continuous platform maintenance to safeguard Laiier's new infrastructure.

The outcome

This staged approach successfully mitigated the risks of a full-scale data migration by first validating the technology in a controlled environment.

Laiier smoothly transitioned from an end-of-life system to a highly scalable, future-proof data infrastructure. They now possess a functional, production-ready Looker dashboard that reliably displays real-time operational data from multiple sources.

Furthermore, the multi-year licensing contract and tailored managed service ensure Laiier receives continuous engineering support and platform assurance.

Why our approach worked

A critical success element was the phased, low-risk implementation: starting with a targeted PoC, securing licensing, expanding into a scalable MVP, and establishing ongoing managed support.

Utilising Google's DAF funding for both the PoC and MVP significantly reduced initial setup costs and friction, enabling a cost-effective evaluation.

Furthermore, comprehensive handover sessions and knowledge transfer ensured that Laiier's technical team was fully equipped to operate and understand their new data environment.

Customer testimonial

"As a data company that sells hardware, our data infrastructure isn't a nice-to-have, it's core to our service offering. Cobry understood that from day one. The staged approach, proving it out with a PoC before we committed to a full migration, meant we never had to make a leap of faith with our own dataset. A year on, they're still in the trenches with us every month, and that ongoing partnership matters as much as the initial build."- Bibi Nelson, CPO and Co-founder, LAIIER

How long does a Looker proof of concept take? 

Timelines vary by scope, but Laiier's PoC was structured to validate five key device KPIs in BigQuery before any commercial commitment was made.

How long does an MVP take to build? 

In Laiier's case, six weeks. This covered live webhook integration, a PostgreSQL connection, BigQuery schema redesign, and a production-ready dashboard.

What is Google's Deal Acceleration Fund (DAF)? 

Google Cloud funding that can offset the cost of qualifying PoC and MVP work, which is what reduced the upfront cost and risk of Laiier's evaluation.

What happens after the MVP goes live? 

We move into an ongoing managed service, providing tiered support, data engineering drawdown, and continuous platform maintenance so the system keeps pace with the business.

We are a Google Cloud and Google Workspace Premier Partner based in Glasgow. Get in touch to talk through a proof of concept for your own data platform.