CUSTOMER CASE STUDY

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF HELVETIA INSURANCE: IT INFRASTRUCTURE IS READY FOR THE FUTURE

Digital transformation has arrived in Switzerland: large companies such as Helvetia Insurance are faced with the task of keeping pace with and promoting digital transformation. However, especially when it comes down to data security and availability, caution is advised in IT, because it must always be guaranteed. CUSTOMER HELVETIA INSURANCE SWITZERLAND Apart from harmonising the existing IT environment and working closely with the business units responsible for insurance business, the IT infrastructure WEBSITE business unit at Helvetia Insurance most importantly had to provide for an WWW.HELVETIA.COM ongoing improvement of IT security and for a constant availability of services. With VMware NSX for network virtualisation in combination with security tools INDUSTRY of other providers, Helvetia has found a solution that supports these priorities INSURANCE and enables IT to be able to provide necessary resources for the operating business at any time. LOCATION SWITZERLAND Company profi le The Swiss insurance company Helvetia has its headquarters in St. Gallen and – CHALLENGES looking back at 150 years of experience – is one of the most renowned • Additional improvement of existing insurance companies in Switzerland. The insurance company’s range of IT security products is therefore extensive, including private provisions or occupational • Reducing administrative tasks while pensions, indemnity insurance and mortgages. From a single source, Helvetia maintaining productivity of ers everything for private individuals and SME. Meanwhile, more than 4.7 • R e d u c i n g c o s t s million customers make use of the services of ered and around 7,000 staf are responsible for providing support for those insured. With a revenue of over CHF 8 billion, Helvetia is the third largest insurance company in the Swiss home SOLUTION market. In addition to the headquarters in Switzerland, there are subsidiaries in By implementing VMware NSX other European countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and France. in combination with vSEC from CheckPoint, Helvetia’s automation The challenge of IT in general as well as IT security By merging numerous data centres distributed across Europe and the resulting processes in the network in particular centralisation of the IT infrastructure business unit in Switzerland Helvetia faced were improved and business the challenge of integrating the legacy systems as quickly as possibly into the continuity was promoted using existing local infrastructure. Without increasing the number of staf , it was not simplifi ed management processes. an easy goal to achieve considering the call for increased productivity and reduced administrative tasks. RESULT Michael Welte explains how every strategic decision in IT af ects business as a • Fast and secure provisioning whole: “The automated provision of infrastructure ensures that the demands of of standardised systems and additional internal business units can be addressed more quickly and changes infrastructures can be brought about in a timely manner.” • Higher degree of automation Helvetia made the decision to press ahead with digitisation in company’s IT. The • Increased ef ciency and business goals of introducing new technology were to reduce costs and workloads as continuity well as to use resources in a more targeted manner and increase IT security. It was crucial, however, that new technology could be combined with the previous automation solutions.

HELVETIA VERSICHERUNGEN SCHWEIZ | 1 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF HELVETIA INSURANCE: IT INFRASTRUCTURE IS READY FOR THE FUTURE

“Our IT is complex and The solution comprises many different Michael Welte explains how Helvetia – with the help of VMware – carried out the components. To be digital transformation of company’s IT and achieved a cost-ef ective use of resources in three phases: “In order to implement the phase model, in 2012 we successful, it is vital that all initially addressed our infrastructure, which was virtualised with VMware ESX. In these components work 2014, we reached a further milestone when we set up a centralised together seamlessly. With management, provided servers with the VMware vCloud Suite and implemented the implemented solutions an infrastructure-as-a-service solution.” Two years later, digitisation at Helvetia’s IT had fi nally reached the next level. Along with increasing automation and of VMware to date, we quick provisioning of servers, security needed to be adapted, and servers in could already gain a range existing security and fi rewall regulations needed to be integrated. “Our IT is of benefits; virtualising our complex and comprises many dif erent components. To be successful, it is vital that all these components work together seamlessly. With the implemented network was the next logical solutions of VMware to date, we could already gain a range of benefi ts; step.” virtualising our network was the next logical step”, says Michael Welte. Before a

MICHAEL WELTE decision was made, the staf involved had already taken the solutions of HEAD OF SERVICE AND CLOUD MANAGEMENT dif erent manufacturers into consideration. Michael Welte describes the fi nal HELVETIA decision: “VMware NSX fi ts into our portfolio perfectly and complements existing IT infrastructure in the best possible way, enabling us to be ready to deliver the relevant services at any time.” VMWARE SOLUTIONS USED By implementing VMware NSX, the automation of IT in general as well as IT • V M w a r e N S X security processes in particular were improved as business continuity was • V M w a r e v C l o u d S u i t e promoted using simpler management processes. Helvetia uses NSX in combination with vSEC from CheckPoint. Thus, the company was able to keep • V M w a r e E S X control of increasing complexity. On the other hand, security regulations for all virtual machines can be managed with a central management tool without TECHNOLOGY PARTNER resulting in complex processes for administrators or an increasing • CheckPoint Software Technologies administrative workload. Helvetia also benefi ted from the fact that VMware NSX Ltd. security tags can be used to support the provision of automated servers, which does not require any changes to fi rewall settings. "We need a scalable and • Arista Networks, Inc. available unterlay network, that NSX is able to fulfi ll the required demands. Therefore we decided to use Arista Networks”, Michael Welte adds. INTEGRATION PARTNER • P o i n t S o l u t i o n s A G The result The central IT department in Basel is currently supporting six European subsidiaries with IT services, and these are much more satisfi ed with the services provided today: because of an increased degree of automation, users can provide standardised systems quickly and securely, and respond to the rising demands on infrastructure in a timely manner. VMware NSX not only provided for a further improvement of data security, but also increased ef ciency and business continuity at lower costs. “By implementing VMware NSX, Looking to the future we are connected to our own During the implementation, one of the greatest challenges for Helvetia was to Helvetia Private Cloud, and dispense with obsolete structures. The company therefore formed the virtual have the option of outsourcing team, comprising experts in the fi elds of storage, security, VMware and workloads into external clouds network, whereby the proof of concept could be implemented as planned. For Helvetia, the task entailed integrating these changes into day-to-day business in a safe manner and thus run operations. As a result of the process, existing teams were to become more a Cross-Cloud strategy.” agile while maintaining their current level of competence. MICHAEL WELTE “By implementing VMware NSX, we are connected to our own Helvetia Private HEAD OF SERVICE AND CLOUD MANAGEMENT Cloud, and have the option of outsourcing workloads into external clouds in a HELVETIA safe manner and thus run a Cross-Cloud strategy”, concludes Michael Welte.

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