Cloud database as a service leader Couchbase cites its mobile and IoT app synchronization capabilities as a critical differentiator. Validating the power of this functionality, Lotum, a leading provider of mobile gaming apps, is using the Couchbase Capella cloud database to support a core product with a user base in the hundreds of millions.
Lotum uses Capella on Google Cloud to support its most popular mobile game, 4 Pics 1 Word. Since adopting Capella, Lotum has reported increased performance and efficiency. Critically, Capella’s synchronization capabilities ensure 400 million+ users can access and interact with Lotum’s flagship mobile game regardless of their network connectivity.
Couchbase is on the Acceleration Economy Top 10 shortlist of Data Modernization Enablers.
Why Data Synchronization Matters
Capella is bringing consistent gameplay to millions of gamers by ensuring they can switch from device to device, on and offline, without losing data. Couchbase Capella scales in real time and manages the complexity of the mobile environment, enabling Lotum to navigate any network delays.
“Since gamers have a low tolerance for delays or lag, these capabilities are critical for us,” said Lars Schmeller, team lead at Lotum, in the Couchbase announcement of the two companies’ partnership. “We have a small but mighty team and Couchbase provides us with a flexible, highly functional, and low-maintenance database that empowers us to do more with less.”
Which companies are the most important vendors in data? Check out the Acceleration Economy Data Modernization Top 10 Shortlist.
Couchbase tackles data synchronization — a major pain point for many organizations — for Lotum. The challenges go beyond a potential degradation in customer experience.
Customers expect data to be accurate and consistent. In the case of mobile games like those produced by Lotum, this translates to consistent stats and profile information. In other sectors, such as retail, this could be something as simple as a shopping cart that doesn’t reflect the most current activity when a user refreshes a webpage.
While data accuracy and consistency for customers is a key benefit of synchronization, it can have even more significant internal consequences. Inconsistent data, or data that needs to be synchronized across systems, can quickly degrade quality. Poor-quality data, in turn, can have serious repercussions when making business decisions because it’s not trustworthy.
Then there are compliance considerations. Data synchronization ensures data is up-to-date and verifiable across multiple systems. When organizations can access the most current data, they can better assess their ability to make decisions on governance, such as where and when to supply current records to auditors.
Finally, there are security implications. When data isn’t synchronized, companies lose the overall view of data and its health from an operational and security perspective. Synched data is easier to retrieve in the event of an attack or service interruption because there are backups on alternate systems. At the same time, any security updates are rolled out across the entirety of the data ecosystem.
Concluding Thoughts
Couchbase excels in supporting online and offline synchronization for mobile environments. Capella is enabling app developers to focus on building next-generation applications while the database handles back-end synchronization. And more than just in terms of functionality. Couchbase has developed a mobile and IoT, serverless synch mechanism that puts security first. With Capella, data is secured in transit and when stationary in cloud environments or on devices, online and offline. Lotum and its gaming users are demonstrating why that functionality is so important.
