Anyone who’s been in the market for a used car is probably familiar with CarMax. Since it opened for business more than 30 years ago, the company has earned a reputation as a top place for people to find their perfect match or sell a car.
What most vehicle shoppers don’t know, however, is that the company leans heavily on its CarMax Technology Group to pull the strings that make the company work. The big reason things run as smoothly as they do for customers who research and purchase cars online: the ever-evolving systems and tools churning away behind the scenes.
“We’re always looking at how we can leverage new technologies to stay ahead of the competition,” says Shamim Mohammad, CarMax’s executive vice president and chief information and technology officer. “I like to say that we’re on an IT modernization journey, and it’s a journey because it never actually ends.”
The latest turn on the company’s road to success involves scaling up while improving efficiencies with Microsoft Azure.
CarMax is using the cloud platform to help customers digest a massive amount of data associated with its inventory. With retail stores in 41 states and at least 50,000 cars on its lots at any given time, the company offers buyers so many options that making decisions can become overwhelming.
“Every car, and every year and model, has different features and functions,” Mohammad notes. “And then you have the customer reviews on those cars. It’s a lot for anyone to navigate.”
Learn more about the comprehensive IT solutions modernizing the retail experience.