Overview
The U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, supports global Navy operations with a workforce of over 22,500 military and civilian personnel. Its mission is to deliver supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighters.
NAVSUP’s operational success relies heavily on its information systems to support logistics, supply chain management, finance, transportation, and accounting. At the heart of these use cases is the Navy Data Platform (NDP)—a powerful tool for data-driven decision-making.
Challenge: Modernizing a Mission-Critical Data Environment
The Navy Data Platform (NDP) empowers thousands of users with access to real-time data and analytics at both strategic and tactical levels. However, as the demands on its data systems grew, NAVSUP recognized the need to modernize its infrastructure.
To address evolving requirements, NAVSUP sought to replace its legacy data warehouse, IBM Netezza, with a faster, more scalable solution. The team embarked on a mission to evaluate the platform that will allow it to grow, innovate, and cut costs.
After stringent reviews and testing, I’m happy to report Yellowbrick will deliver all we are looking for and more.
Solution: Transitioning to Yellowbrick
Following a comprehensive technical evaluation led by JMA Resources, NAVSUP selected Yellowbrick as its next-generation data warehouse. The platform’s modern architecture, hybrid deployment flexibility, and performance capabilities made it the ideal choice.
Key advantages realized through Yellowbrick include:
- Increased ETL ingestion and reporting speeds
- Lower energy consumption and a smaller hardware footprint
- Significant boost in data processing and ingest speed
- Unified user experience across on-prem and cloud environments
- The ability to scale with growing demand
"While our last production appliance provided 800 terabytes, our new appliance boasts one petabyte of storage and has significantly more processing power. This technology refresh... lays the foundational framework for self-service analytics and advances the field of supply-chain management throughout the Navy."
The overhaul made NDP cloud-ready and fully equipped for the Navy’s future data strategy.
"The system's core hardware and software have been completely replaced... allowing faster data processing, expanded storage capacity, and an option for a streamlined migration to the cloud."
"The amount of users has steadily increased. We didn't expect the demand for NDP to be as great as it was. The demand was outpacing the infrastructure. We are now able to invest and build more capabilities into NDP."
Impact: Enabling Readiness Through Advanced Analytics
Today, the Navy Data Platform integrates data from various internal systems into a single, cohesive environment. It powers:
- Hundreds of reports, dashboards, and metrics
- Self-service analytics for non-technical users
- Real-time predictive insights to prevent supply chain disruptions
“NDP supports hundreds of reports, metrics, dashboards, and various data analytics projects... We’re simultaneously working dozens of data projects across NAVSUP stakeholders.”
The platform also supports data governance, ensuring information is secure, traceable, and aligned with audit and compliance requirements.
“Navy Data Platform directly supports the Chief of Naval Operations Blue Line of Effort by establishing a foundation for warfighting enterprises to make data-driven decisions that increase readiness.”
"NDP allows us to take data from different sources and analyze billions of rows of supply and financial data to inform senior-level decision making."
Conclusion
NAVSUP has successfully transformed its data infrastructure, paving the way for faster analytics, enhanced operational readiness, and long-term modernization with Yellowbrick. This enabled the Navy to reduce cost and innovate, while empowering decision-makers with accessible, timely, and trusted data, NAVSUP continues to advance its mission to support the Navy and joint forces across the globe.
Sources
This customer story draws on a range of official U.S. Navy and defense industry publications that document the development, deployment, and impact of the Navy Data Platform and the transition to Yellowbrick. The following sources provided factual background, quotes, and technical detail:
- Chief of Supply Corps Recognizes Superior Service, IT Excellence at NAVSUP BSC
U.S. Navy Press Office
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3728747 - NAVSUP Selects Yellowbrick to Replace IBM Netezza Cloud Data Warehouse
Potomac Officers Club
https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/navsup-selects-yellowbrick-to-replace-ibm-netezza-cloud-data-warehouse - Navy Data Platform
NAVSUP Official Site
https://www.navsup.navy.mil/Navy-Data-Platform - NAVSUP Business Systems Center – Data Analytics
NAVSUP Official Site
https://www.navsup.navy.mil/NAVSUP-Enterprise/NAVSUP-Business-Systems-Center/Data-Analytics - Navy Data Platform Use Case – JMA Resources
JMA Resources
https://www.jmares.com/use-case-tag/navy-data-platform - Navy Data Platform Consolidates Business Intelligence Capabilities
U.S. Navy Press Release
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/2238354 - Navy Data Platform Aligns, Accelerates Supply-Chain Analytics
CHIPS Magazine – Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer
https://www.doncio.navy.mil/chips/ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=13734
