BrazilXomnia supports insurer with data architecture journey
Dutch data and AI consultancy Xomnia has helped the asset management division of Dutch insurance giant a.s.r. with developing and implementing a new data architecture. The consultants were involved across the full project cycle, from strategic planning to practical execution.
In the asset management department teams at a.s.r., projects usually worked without standardized guidelines, with employees using different development environments. That led the business intelligence department to push for a cloud-based system using Azure Cloud.
The goal was to enhance the organization’s formal data streams and sandbox environments. Xomnia was called in to help with creating a unified cloud repository for building, running, accessing, and managing all data and models.
The project with Xomnia started two years ago, in February 2022, when the two companies came together to explore the pillars required for a ‘high-level architectural framework’. That basically just means a model for how a new IT system will work, with sketches of what sub-systems and interface standards would look like.
In the next step of the partnership, the joint project team developed a low-level design and a proof of concept, which was used to demonstrate the value of the project. The result was a robust system based in the Azure platform. It features useful tools and a major highlight is the separation of development, testing, and production environments.
“The architecture we built with Xomnia gives us a head start for the analytical challenges that we will face over the coming years,” said Huub Stam, manager data analytics in the asset management business of a.s.r.
From the point where the teams had a viable proof of concept, testing commenced. The main goal was establishing a seamless flow of work from the development stages to the production environment. The teams then kick-started some new projects using the new cloud architecture.
All said and done, the resulting framework allows the teams at a.s.r. to enjoy a more stable and effective system for development and production. The insurer can streamline its data management and leverage the benefits of working in the cloud.
In the long term, the project’s aim is to enable a more data-driven approach and improve team dynamics. This will lead to a simpler, more efficient and transparent work process for both a.s.r.’s employees and their clients.
With the world of asset management becoming increasingly complex and prone to external shocks, a growing number of industry players are turning to data driven ways of working to enhance decision-making and their operations. A data architecture serves as the fundament of this transition, with cloud one of the key enablers.
