Scaling to meet surging business growth with flexible cloud infrastructure

The history

Positrak provides software solutions to the automotive aftermarket industry, specifically targeting independently owned auto parts stores.

The company’s core offering, Positrak Pro, is an innovative enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that goes beyond basic point-of-sale and inventory management by offering an integrated electronic catalog to seamlessly look up parts compatibility and availability.

“Our customers are independently owned auto parts stores that compete with large retail chains,” said Jay Douglas, Vice President, IT. “We provide an affordable, user-friendly technology solution matched with rapid response support so they can focus on their business.”

Positrak has earned recognition for its superior customer experience. From the initial onboarding process to support services, the company prides itself on blending high-touch technical support with industry-leading innovative solutions.

Positrak has undergone a significant evolution in its IT infrastructure to stay ahead of advances in technology and business growth. Initially, the company partnered with Flexential for colocation services to scale up its server capacity.

In 2023, Positrak transitioned to a fully virtualized cloud-based model for Positrak Pro to take advantage of a nimble technology environment that enables growth.

The agility of the Flexential cloud solution has been a game changer, seamlessly supporting Positrak’s 40% customer growth over the past three years.

“We saw the value of the cloud and how easy it was to onboard our clients,” said Douglas. “Migrating to the cloud has given us greater flexibility and scalability as our business expands.”

The challenge

Support increased demand from Western U.S. customers

Positrak’s competitive edge led to a sudden influx of new customers in 2024, driving 15% growth from the prior year as one of its competitors faced financial instability. With the majority of new customers primarily located in the Western U.S., Positrak recognized the need to bolster its network infrastructure in the region.

Partnering with Flexential, Positrak was able to quickly spin up a new virtual hub in Denver, CO, to support the increase of West Coast-based customers. New customers were onboarded in a matter of weeks, thanks to the agility and speed of the implementation.

Details: Positrak established a virtual hub in just a few days to improve connectivity and provide better application performance for their customers in the western U.S.

The solution

Flexential rapid deployment capabilities enable quick expansion

Positrak’s customized cloud strategy enabled them to easily and affordably adapt to the dynamic changes in their business environment.

Positrak is poised to manage future customer growth by tapping into Flexential strategically placed network hubs to reduce latency and improve performance.

“We had to be ready to go at the drop of a pin with the surge of new customers. Flexential was there to quickly expand our data infrastructure, ensuring we could meet our new clients’ needs from day one without disruption.”

—Jay Douglas, Vice President, IT, Positrak

By leveraging the Flexential nationwide network, Positrak was able to ensure superior performance by distributing workloads and bringing applications closer to the customers.

Key features: The Flexential pay-as-you-go model enabled Positrak to scale their infrastructure, expand their geographic reach and invest in product innovation in a cost-effective way.

Implementation: Customers can count on the Flexential onboarding program to provide a streamlined path through implementation.

A fast turnaround was critical, as Positrak’s new customers needed to be up and running in a very short timeframe. Flexential was able to provision the additional virtual hub within a week, allowing Positrak to meet the tight deadline and bring the new customers on without disruption.

“Flexential rapid deployment capabilities were essential as we navigated the increase in business,” said Douglas. “Their ability to swiftly establish a new virtual hub was instrumental in supporting our expanded customer base in the West.”

The results

Flexential powers rapid growth with seamless scaling

Performance: Scale close to your customer base with localized virtual hubs that offer reduced latency and boost application performance.

Efficiency: Flexential pricing structure allows businesses to scale up or down seamlessly, only investing in the infrastructure needed.

Customer Experience: The agility of Positrak’s cloud-based infrastructure ensured uninterrupted service for its customers, even as the business rapidly expanded.