Digitalization has fundamentally changed commerce. Online shopping is booming, and with it, expectations for convenience, speed, and service are rising. Companies must adapt flexibly and always stay one step ahead technologically. What’s needed are powerful, scalable, and future-proof e-commerce solutions. The Smartstore Commerce Cloud, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, delivers just that. Optimized for the Microsoft Azure Cloud, it combines modern shop technology with the innovation of a leading cloud platform. The result: more agility, security, and scalability – for an outstanding shopping experience. But technology alone is not enough. US cloud providers are subject to the CLOUD Act, which poses data protection risks – even when storage is based in Europe. For many companies, this puts compliance with the GDPR at risk. The Smartstore Commerce Cloud adheres to European standards: Data processing takes place in Azure data centers within the EU or exclusively in Germany – GDPR-compliant, secure, and with full data sovereignty.
The cloud has arrived in the midmarket and is now indispensable for modern enterprises.
The midmarket is moving to the cloud! For modern businesses, the cloud has become indispensable. Cost savings are a factor, but the cloud primarily offers entirely new possibilities that were previously out of reach – exactly what companies need for optimal digital transformation.
As early as 2015, Microsoft recognized the immense importance of the cloud for the future and competitiveness of businesses. Today, the cloud provides new features to improve collaboration and enable remote work. In the digital future, powerful offerings in artificial intelligence, storage and analysis of business data, and quantum computing will be even more important.
With its cloud-first and mobile-first strategy, the market leader positioned itself clearly at an early stage and has successfully developed, optimized, and expanded its portfolio in the cloud.
Smartstore Commerce Cloud on Azure
Why did we choose Microsoft Azure to run our newly developed Smartstore Commerce Cloud?
When it comes to operating Smartstore, a cloud environment is often the best choice. The Microsoft Azure Cloud in particular offers numerous advantages for users.
Here are some of the key benefits:
- Flexible and automatic deployment of services and applications: The Azure Cloud enables fast and uncomplicated deployment of services and applications without the need to worry about hardware infrastructure. Through automated scaling, the cloud environment can be adjusted at any time to meet current demands.
- Easy management of resources and services: The Azure Cloud offers a user-friendly interface for managing resources and services. This allows users to quickly and easily manage and control their applications and services.
- Using the cloud environment for development, operation, and management of applications: The Azure Cloud is an all-in-one service that enables the development, operation, and management of applications in the cloud. This means users can develop, test, and run their applications directly in the cloud.
- Easy integration into existing IT environments and support for hybrid concepts: The Azure Cloud offers seamless integration into existing IT environments and supports hybrid concepts. This allows companies to seamlessly integrate their applications and services into their existing IT infrastructure.
- Provision of highly scalable hardware resources: The Azure Cloud offers a highly scalable infrastructure that enables companies to quickly and easily scale their applications and services. This allows companies to respond swiftly to changes in demand and adjust resources accordingly.
- Rapid response to peak loads: Automated scaling allows the Azure Cloud to quickly respond to peak loads. This ensures that applications and services remain stable and responsive even during sudden increases in demand.
- Operation in reliable data centers worldwide: The Azure Cloud operates professional data centers around the world. This enables companies to run their applications and services in the cloud without having to handle the operation and maintenance of their own servers.
- High availability of the overall system: The Azure Cloud offers high availability of the entire system. This ensures that applications and services are always available and downtime is minimized.
The Microsoft Azure Cloud offers numerous advantages for companies wanting to run Smartstore in the cloud. With automated scaling, high availability, and seamless integration into existing IT environments, applications and services can be operated quickly and easily in the cloud – and companies can benefit from all the advantages of a modern cloud environment. But these aren’t the only benefits that make running Smartstore in the cloud so attractive, eliminating the need for an internal data center. For us as an e-commerce pioneer since our founding in the 2000s, the main reason we chose to develop based on Microsoft technologies was our enthusiasm for Microsoft Visual Studio. It is the ultimate tool to increase productivity and tailor desired workflows.
To be clear: Smartstore is built in C#, and therefore on Microsoft ASP.NET Core, which – in combination with Visual Studio and auxiliary tools like GitHub and the capabilities of Microsoft Azure Cloud Computing Services – offers virtually unlimited possibilities.
The unique trio of Smartstore, Visual Studio, and the endless Azure Cloud Computing Services offers businesses virtually limitless possibilities. With Smartstore, you receive a robust and reliable e-commerce solution specifically designed to meet the needs of B2B, D2C, or B2C companies. Combined with Visual Studio, one of the most powerful development tools on the market, you can customize and extend your e-commerce platform with just a few clicks. Azure Cloud Computing Services provide you with a scalable and reliable infrastructure. Together, this combination represents the perfect choice for businesses looking for a flexible, powerful, and future-proof e-commerce solution in the cloud.
Composable Commerce with Smartstore
Let’s now talk about what Smartstore can do for your business as a cross-platform Composable Commerce solution. The Smartstore Commerce Cloud is a cross-platform, fast, and open-source DXP Enterprise Composable Commerce Platform of the next generation, launched in November 2022. It was designed specifically for companies that want to succeed in the digital world.
But what exactly is Composable Commerce and why is it important for modern e-commerce?
Composable Commerce is an innovative architecture that combines the advantages of microservices, headless commerce, and API-first approaches to create an agile and scalable e-commerce solution. The platform focuses on flexibility and modularity, making it ideal for companies seeking an e-commerce solution that can easily be tailored to their individual needs. By using microservices, functions can be broken down granularity, developed independently, swapped out, or scaled. Headless commerce allows the separation of front-end and back-end, making the platform more flexible in terms of content display. API-first approaches ensure that all functions can be accessed and used through open APIs.
*Microsoft Azure offers a comprehensive portfolio of over 200 cloud products and services that allow businesses to build new solutions, tackle challenges, and shape the future. With the tools and frameworks provided by Microsoft, users have the freedom to create, operate, and manage applications across various local and edge clouds.
If you have further questions on this topic or would like to schedule a live demo, we are happy to assist you. You can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com or by phone Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at +4923153350.
Your Smartstore Team
Email: info@smartstore.com
Tel.: +4923153350
SmartStore AG
Kaiserstraße 63-65
44135
Dortmund