Case Study

Avanade helps develop faster, cheaper and more efficient portals with Microsoft SharePoint

Scenario The vast majority of these sites are built partner of choice. Furthermore, Avanade With 8 million customers, Achmea is the in the same way and offer the same was able to offer favorable construction ’ largest group functionalities, such as news feeds, social conditions thanks to its Bratislava Delivery and the market leader in health care and media integration and process automation. Center (BDC). Key factors at play here were non-life . Familiar brand names Previously, the design and build of cost benefit, work ethic and highly skilled include , Zilveren Kruis these websites’ functional elements SharePoint Specialists as well as degree of and . were decentralized and had to be done accessibility and scalability for Achmea. afresh each time, creating unnecessary Within Achmea, a large number of products duplication of work and high project costs. Approach are put on the market under various brand On reviewing the fundamental IT process, The collaboration began in May 2012, umbrellas, creating overlap between the a key opportunity was identified to supply with a view to: Increased efficiency, products on offer. It may be the case, for the generic website components, which shorter time-to-market and cost efficiency instance, that several insurers offer online could be used or reused for multiple sites. through the reuse of generic components. travel insurance. Achmea builds individual Avanade and Achmea work side-by-side portals for each of its brands. These portals To realize this opportunity, Achmea on the three main disciplines of design, can be anything from recruitment pages partnered with Avanade. The collaboration component build and front-end/portal to mini-campaigns or self-service sites via would produce the so-called ‘factory model’ configuration. In identifying, developing which customers can arrange their own for portals using the Microsoft SharePoint and centrally treating as many generic insurance or request a quote. platform. Standardization and reuse are the components as possible, (brand-specific) Portal Factory’s primary KPIs. As Microsoft websites can be built in significantly shorter specialist, Avanade was the obvious time, at reduced cost and to higher quality. Case Study “We’re very proud to have a unique tool in the Portal Factory. Avanade helps Achmea develop faster, cheaper and more efficient The collaboration with the Avanade teams has had a positive portals with Microsoft SharePoint effect on our internal teams. It’s been an inspiration and the experience has changed our way of working.” –Eppo van der Plas, Achmea Component Factory manager

Avanade provides Achmea with both as Achmea, as they enable future portal About Achmea onshore and near-shore capacities. builds to happen much more quickly With 8 million customers, Achmea is the What began as a single team in and efficiently.” Netherlands’ largest insurance group Bratislava grew to become three teams, and the market leader in health care and encompassing more than thirty members Outcome non-life insurances. Familiar brand names of staff in Bratislava and another four in The Portal Factory has been a real boost to include Centraal Beheer, Zilveren Kruis the Netherlands dedicated full-time to efficiency. It has meant that, whenever a and Interpolis. Achmea was founded in the Achmea account. Avanade Netherlands component is required for a portal, it’s just 1811 by farmers. Employer and employee advises, guides and ensures consistency a case of configuration. The time-to-market organizations as well as health insurance with the team in Bratislava. Here, devised on straightforward sites has fallen notably funds and mutual societies would later components are built and maintained as a result: What previously was a period join to form part of the company. Each of in line with the Scrum methodology, of six months from the concept stage to these organizations held a societal role in creating a real advantage for Achmea in going live is now just three weeks. Since their local area, which is why Achmea is terms of scalability. This arrangement puts the introduction of the Component Factory, a company with a cooperative nature. a large team of experts at the company’s Achmea’s efficiency levels for the building disposal as and when required, removing of portals rose by 19 percent overall in 2013. “As Microsoft specialist, Avanade the burden of Achmea having to take Consequently, Achmea is in a position to on staff. significantly cut the costs of its online was the obvious partner of choice. portals. “We’re very proud to have a unique Furthermore, Avanade was able to Using generic components affords tool in the Portal Factory. The collaboration offer favorable construction conditions Achmea the opportunity to centralize the with the Avanade teams has had a positive thanks to its Bratislava Delivery Center most labor-intensive components and effect on our internal teams. It’s been an separate build and maintenance from the inspiration and the experience has changed (BDC). Key factors at play here were implementation of individual brand portals. our way of working,” says Eppo van der Plas, cost benefit, work ethic and highly Achmea Component Factory manager. “ skilled SharePoint Specialists as well “We’ve shown how our Bratislava Delivery The high quality of the generic components Center makes it possible to develop reliable takes the professionalism, scalability and as degree of accessibility and scalability components in a very effective way,” maintainability of our portals to another for Achmea.” says Jeroen Huitink, Solutions Architect level. This is illustrated by the fact that SEO –Eppo van der Plas at Avanade. “Ultimately, these components rankings of insurance sites across the board Achmea Component Factory manager are of real worth to an organization such have risen and are easier to manage.”

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