Looking for a more stable solution, Empower AI reached out to D2iQ. To the delight of Empower AI CTO Allen Badeau, the D2iQ system was up and running in days, performed well, and a stable and more manageable Kubernetes environment enabled Empower AI to continue moving full speed ahead with its AI platform development. 

Empower AI began as a traditional provider of IT services before emerging as the leader in AI and machine learning (ML) solutions for government clients. Allen Badeau spearheaded this transformation by instilling a “lead by example” model with Empower AI setting up its own Innovation Lab to develop and test AI/ML solutions in areas like cybersecurity before rolling out stable and reliable solutions to its government clients. This “customer-zero” approach enabled Empower AI to be the proving ground and showcase for the industry-leading AI technologies it developed.  

Badeau had spent years in the government and commercial space. He understood that it could be challenging for government clients to implement new platform technologies because of the legacy systems and software that were already in place, and having to account for how you could move data in and out of these existing environments. 

To build top-of-the-line AI/ML solutions that could overcome these difficulties, Empower AI would need a strong foundational platform, akin to those that commercial organizations had been implementing for years. A Kubernetes platform was deemed the best solution to meet the needs of different government environments, which meant that a Kubernetes vendor was needed to partner with, one that could support their long-term goals. 

The first vendor Empower AI chose had several challenges including system stability. Despite engaging the vendor’s support and services, and devoting countless hours to ineffective fixes, Empower AI could not provide the AI/ML services for which the system was intended. 

 

The Empower AI team felt they could work around performance issues, but because Empower AI’s AI solutions required continuous availability, the instability issues had to be improved. 
 

Badeau and his team decided they had no choice but to find an alternative Kubernetes platform, so they began searching for a replacement solution that would work as desired for their internal AI projects and their clients. Empower AI chose D2iQ based on DKP’s reputation for ease of use and solid performance. 

When the Empower AI team reached out to D2iQ, they did not know what to expect. However, within the first couple of weeks of setup with D2iQ, they were up and running with complete stability and improved performance. Once the Empower AI Innovation Lab was able to test and produce their AI/ML solutions internally, they were ready to work with government clients to provide leading-edge AI solutions. 

The main consideration for Empower AI when working with different government clients is each clients’ unique requirements. Many of them still have on-premise deployments with strict network and security access constraints. With D2iQ, Empower AI has been able to deliver a solution to meet the demands of each situation. 

The seamless approach that Empower AI has gained with D2iQ’s Kubernetes platform has given them an edge in packaging solutions that enables their clients to access their solutions faster. 

When working alongside D2iQ’s professional services team, Empower AI was able to have their questions answered and gain an immediate comfort level for getting Kubernetes up and running. Within the first 10 minutes of setup, they were able to deploy their applications. For Allen Badeau, the peace of mind gained from eliminating downtime was key to Empower AI’s mission of creating innovative AI solutions. 

Moving forward, Empower AI plans to partner with D2iQ long-term on projects that will be able to bring AI/ML to the federal government services space, and to cooperate in solving problems they can address together.