ISmile Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Cloud & AI & Security Leader of Ulta

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Ulta Beauty is a cosmetics and beauty retailer that sells makeup, skincare, and salon services—and increasingly makes more money by monetizing its customer and retail data through advertising, insights, and brand partnerships than by just selling products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ISmile Technologies to accomplish?

• AI Enablement with Foundation Layer and Building Business Apps on it
• AI Consulting and Strategy
• Strengthen Cloud Security & Identity Posture Implement robust cloud security controls across platforms Improve Identity & Access Management (IAM) maturity and governance Enable Privileged Access Management (PAM) to reduce risk and improve auditability
• Enable Executive Confidence in Cloud Adoption Ensure security, compliance, and risk management did not slow down cloud adoption Provide leadership with visibility, assurance, and defensible security architecture
• Lay the Foundation for Advanced Capabilities Prepare cloud environments for future data analytics and GenAI initiatives Ensure security and governance would scale alongside innovation
• Establish a Secure, Scalable Multi-Cloud Foundation Design and implement enterprise-grade cloud landing zones across Azure and Google Cloud Ensure environments were scalable, standardized, and aligned with security best practices
• Gen AI Foundation Layer

SOLUTION

How did you find ISmile Technologies?

Online Search

Why did you select ISmile Technologies over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ISmile Technologies were assigned to this project?

Other

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cloud Engineering & Platform Enablement

• Design, development, and optimization of cloud-based web and application platforms
• Support for cloud scalability, performance optimization, and high-availability environments
• Integration with enterprise cloud services and third-party platforms

AI & Data-Driven Enablement

• Implementation support for AI-assisted features and automation within digital workflows
• Data-driven enhancements to improve operational efficiency and customer experience
• Support for analytics, personalization, and intelligent decision-making capabilities

Cloud Security & Governance

• Implementation of cloud security best practices, including access controls, data protection, and secure integrations
• Alignment with enterprise security, compliance, and governance standards
• Support for secure deployments and risk mitigation across cloud environments

Digital Experience & Domain Expertise

• Deep understanding of retail and consumer digital platforms, including high-traffic, customer-facing systems
• Enhancements to improve usability, performance, and conversion across devices
• Collaboration with Ulta’s product, marketing, and technology teams to ensure domain-aligned execution

Operational Execution & Delivery

• Agile, sprint-based delivery model integrated with Ulta’s internal teams
• Rapid execution of high-priority initiatives and time-sensitive releases
• Ongoing platform support, QA, and release management
   

Summary of Key Deliverables to Ulta

• Delivered secure, scalable cloud-based digital solutions aligned with enterprise standards
• Enabled AI-assisted enhancements and automation to support smarter digital operations
• Strengthened cloud security posture while maintaining speed and flexibility
• Improved performance, stability, and scalability of customer-facing platforms
• Provided domain-informed execution for large-scale retail digital environment

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project delivered measurable improvements in cloud security, operational efficiency, and AI enablement, including a significant reduction in standing and over-privileged access through the implementation of IAM and PAM controls, increased adoption of just-in-time access for administrative roles, and improved MFA coverage for privileged users across Azure and Google Cloud. Standardized identity guardrails and secure access patterns reduced onboarding time for new cloud and AI workloads, enabling teams to deploy data, analytics, and AI initiatives faster while meeting security requirements. Audit readiness improved through centralized logging, regular privileged access reviews, and clearer ownership of high-risk roles. Together, these outcomes allowed leadership to scale cloud and AI programs with greater confidence, lower risk, and fewer security exceptions—demonstrating both security maturity and tangible business impact.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was strong and execution was disciplined, with clear planning, prioritization, and stakeholder alignment throughout the engagement. Key milestones were delivered on time, including IAM and PAM controls across Azure and Google Cloud, standardized access patterns, and audit-readiness improvements, even as scope expanded to support AI and new workload onboarding. The team was highly responsive to evolving business and security needs, adapting plans quickly, incorporating feedback from Security, IT Risk, and platform teams, and balancing strong governance with operational flexibility. This approach ensured progress stayed on track while enabling the business to move forward without security becoming a bottleneck.

What was your primary form of communication with ISmile Technologies?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stood out most was the company’s ability to balance strong security and governance with real-world pragmatism. They didn’t treat IAM, PAM, or cloud controls as theoretical checkboxes, but implemented them in a way that genuinely enabled teams to move faster—especially for data and AI initiatives—without increasing risk. Their collaborative approach, responsiveness to feedback, and focus on measurable outcomes made security an enabler of the business rather than an obstacle, which is both impressive and uncommon at this scale.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ISmile Technologies could have done differently?

monthly in person status call helped a lot

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Cloud Transformation Leader at an engineering company that manufactures aircraft. My role involves leading cloud transformation initiatives to support our business and operational needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ISmile Technologies to accomplish?

We hired ISmile Technologies to support a large-scale cloud transformation during a complex merger and spin-off initiative. Our objectives included ensuring business continuity while securely separating and cloning enterprise applications across multiple cloud environments. We also needed to design and execute a multi-cloud strategy, migrate mission-critical applications with minimal downtime, establish secure and compliant cloud architectures, modernize legacy systems, and enable AI-driven use cases through strategic consulting and development support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ISmile Technologies provided end-to-end cloud consulting, engineering, and AI enablement across a complex, multi-cloud enterprise environment. Their work included defining cloud strategy and target architectures, executing application cloning and migration across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and commercial cloud environments, and enabling secure separation of applications and data. They designed and implemented cloud governance, security controls, and compliance frameworks, optimized performance and operational readiness, and provided operational runbooks and post-migration support. On the AI side, they identified and designed high-impact use cases, developed and integrated AI-based applications, and provided advisory support on AI architecture and responsible adoption. Key deliverables included multi-cloud reference architectures, migration roadmaps, production-ready AI applications, and best-practice documentation.

How did you find ISmile Technologies?

We selected ISmile Technologies from our list of approved vendors.

Why did you choose ISmile Technologies over other options you considered for your cloud transformation?

We chose ISmile Technologies because of their high ratings, pricing that fit our budget, great culture fit, good value for cost, and alignment with our company values.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October 2023 and is ongoing.

How many teammates from ISmile Technologies were assigned to your project?

The exact number of team members from ISmile Technologies assigned to the project is unknown.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The project achieved several measurable outcomes

What was your primary form of communication with ISmile Technologies?

We communicated through in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email or messaging apps.

How did ISmile Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

ISmile Technologies demonstrated strong project management and consistently delivered on agreed timelines. They followed a structured delivery approach with clear milestones, regular status reporting, and proactive risk management. Their strengths included on-time delivery of major milestones, clear communication and transparency, effective coordination across teams and platforms, and flexibility in adapting to changing requirements. They proved to be a reliable execution partner, maintaining quality and stability throughout the engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What impressed me most was their ability to combine deep technical expertise with strong execution discipline in a complex enterprise environment. They understood the challenges of large-scale cloud transformations tied to mergers and spin-offs, proactively identified issues, and focused on business continuity. Their integration of cloud engineering and AI enablement was unique, as they designed cloud foundations ready for analytics and AI from the start. Key differentiators included strong ownership, practical expertise across multiple cloud platforms, clear communication, and a forward-looking approach aligned with long-term innovation goals. ISmile Technologies felt like a trusted partner invested in our success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were very few areas for improvement given the scale and complexity of the transformation. Earlier involvement in upstream planning and dependency mapping could have accelerated alignment across some internal teams. However, ISmile Technologies was highly responsive to feedback, adjusted quickly to evolving requirements, and continuously improved collaboration. Any challenges were addressed proactively and did not impact delivery or outcomes.