Insurance
IT modernization boosts Insurance customer base
Existing applications and business systems of a Fortune 500 Insurance Carrier were inadequate to meet customer expectations. Iris business systems transformation solution enabled the client to deliver a consistent customer experience, improving acquisition and retention significantly.
Client
A leading American Fortune 500 Insurance Services Provider, offering insurance, investment management and other financial products and services across the Americas and 40 other countries
Business Drivers
To advance business agility and customer experience through modernized business systems
Technologies and Frameworks
C#/.NET, JAVA, DevOps, Python, NodeJS, App Services, Managed Application Support
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
OUTCOMES
- Infrastructure availability increased to 99%
- Optimized maintainability reduced the KYC process time by 75%
- Customer response time cut down by around 40%
- Promoter score incremented from 5 to 9 out of 10
- Customer retention improved by nearly 80%
- Customer acquisition increased by 65%
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Get in touchCloud transformation increases business agility
Standards & Membership
Global Standards organization increases business agility
Existing applications supporting the business were built on monolith architecture with high technical debt. Iris transformed over 15 years old monolith applications into microservices with automated integration and cloud deployment to deliver faster MVPs.
Client
A non-profit global organization responsible for developing and maintaining standards, including barcodes with over 115 local member organizations and over 2 million user companies
Business Drivers
To deliver MVPs in shorter cycles, reduce Mean Time for Ticket Resolution (MTTR), and lower the total cost of ownership
Tools and technologies
C#/.NET Core, Python/DJango, NodeJS/Express, Azure WAF, Azure APIM, App Services, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Application Insights
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
Azure cloud offered some of the foundational features like container orchestration, app engine, integration, API gateway, monitoring and others, making cloud-specific modernization a natural choice.
Modernization strategy involved reverse engineering of on-premise applications, domain-specific grouping the product backlogs by, adopting domain-driven design, and using open source cloud-friendly software with CI/CD pipeline. We transformed the applications to a .NET core framework using cloud-native design principles on Azure cloud. The solution was developed using Azure App Services, front door and service bus following the agile development approach with two-week sprints.
OUTCOMES
Iris helped the client realize multiple business benefits, including higher agility, resiliency and cost-efficient IT operations. Key outcomes of this cloud modernization engagement are:
- Reduction in Mean Time for Ticket Resolution (MTTR) by 30%
- Increase in application and infrastructure uptime to 99.9%
- Real-time visibility of application and infra metrics
- Enabled bi-weekly MVP delivery
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Get in touchThe power of in-sprint automation
Client
A leading securities trading firm.
Goal
Build a cloud-based automation framework to test client’s trading platform.
Tools and technologies
C#, Ranorex, TestRail, Simulators and Selenium.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
OUTCOMES
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Get in touchAn agile sprint for financial data
Client
Among the world’s largest manufacturers of sportswear, the client sells its products in more than 120 countries and employs more than 13,000 people.
Goal
To significantly reduce turnaround time and ease associated with report creation.
Tools and technologies
Microsoft SQL Server’s Analysis Services (SSAS), Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Boomi AtomSphere, and Power BI.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
OUTCOMES
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Get in touchDeliver personalization via report automation
Client
A leading asset management firm based in the U.S.
Goal
Help asset managers deliver personalized solutions to establish differentiation.
Tools and technologies
AquaData Studio, Java, Perl, Python, Spring, Hibernate, VRS, PostgreSQL, Composite and MS SQL.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
- Its front, mid and back office functions needed a lot of manual effort
- Business rules were inconsistent and data duplication was rampant
- User experience on the platform needed significant improvement
- Clients were unable to get a holistic view of their accounts
- Data validation was consuming a lot of manhours
SOLUTION
- Our team streamlined and integrated the client’s front, middle and back office functions. We helped the client integrate their back-office solutions with their custodians, reducing complexity in information exchange, eliminating reconciliation and increasing operational efficiency by more than 75%.
- We automated the creation of more than 7,000 reports.
- Improved experience for retail and institutional clients by automating the generation of complex compliance and strategic reports.
- Developed a strategic reporting module that gave customers a holistic view of their accounts and holdings.
- Set up a business data validation team offshore.
- Enabled self-service option for bespoke reports.
OUTCOMES
- Automated the exhibits process with 75% increase in throughput
- Our report automation solution reduced manual effort by 70% and improved monthly artefact generation throughput by 40%
- Reduced manual effort for customization in client profile management by 60%
- Achieved $50,000 savings monthly in data validation for client profile management
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Get in touchStriking the right balance of care
Client
A leading provider of work-life services to caregivers.
Goal
Enable caregivers to easily set up and manage care schedules.
Tools and technologies
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap, JQuery, Atlassian User Interface (AUI), AngularJS and Liferay DXP7.2
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Many young and middle-aged workers combine both work and caregiving responsibilities that cover not only children but extend to parents and pets. Research shows that employees who achieve greater work-family balance are more satisfied in their jobs and happier with their families.
For our client, a leading provider of work-life services, the key to enabling that balance is the setting up of care schedules for dependent or vulnerable family members. The client’s existing solution for managing such schedules, however, was not user-friendly, flexible, or mobile-responsive.
The client's websites offered no provision to schedule premium services for care.
The websites were served by a Liferay V6.2 content management system (CMS) as the common backend for which support ended in December 2020.
SOLUTION
We designed and developed a web platform for scheduling care for family members including parents, children, self and pets, with e-mail notifications and quick access to customer care. We migrated the websites to Liferay DXP7.2 CMS backend.
To improve the performance of the web application, we developed website forms as AngularJS-based single-page applications. We developed a responsive website that worked flawlessly across different-sized screens on desktops, tablets and mobile phones.
We used Agile methodologies right from the requirements-gathering phase until the final deployment of the web platform to shorten development time.
To save cost and time, we used an almost identical codebase for both iOS and Android platforms (except for a few configuration settings and device specific features).
Furthermore, our team performed continuous integration using automated build tools, and script and code repositories, to save time during the development, testing and deployment phases.
We ensured that the sites we built followed the WCAG 2.0 and OWASP accessibility and security standards.
OUTCOMES
- The web platform we developed ensured the client’s care scheduling interface was user-friendly, flexible and mobile-responsive.
- Customers could easily create, change and cancel schedules. They also had easy access to records and historical data.
- The common codebase across iOS and Android ensured significant cost savings in the development and maintenance of the application.
- Agile methodologies and a high degree of automation reduced costs and shortened the development time.
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Get in touchGain speed to market with DevOps solutions
Client
The client is a leading wealth management firm in the U.S.
Goal
DevOps strategy to shorten production timelines and speed time-to-market.
Tools and technologies
JIRA, Jenkins, GitHub, AWS, ECR, Docker, EKS and Helm.
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
The client used multiple legacy applications with a highly complex codebase to run its operations. As a result, it had long production lifecycles and spent several person-hours in integration and deployment.
On the technology front, the client faced challenges in the way server-side applications were defined, stored and managed. Its IT team also had to manage the deployment of multiple Kubernetes manifest files.
SOLUTION
Iris recommended that the client move to a microservices ecosystem. Here’s how we deployed the solution:
- We defined an enterprise-level DevOps strategy using Helm
- Identified the scope of apps that needed to be on-boarded across the enterprise
- Implemented a DevOps pipeline for microservices on the Kubernetes cluster
- Deployed the infrastructure, dependencies and applications with Kubernetes using Helm
- Delivered continuous improvement through Helm release updates and rollbacks
OUTCOMES
The DevOps pipeline significantly improved time-to-market for new releases.
- 20x faster release cycle
- 40% improvement in quality with end-to-end traceability
- 15x improvement in the mean time to deployment (MTTD)
We also put in place robust security control and validation processes; and provided for auditable release requests.
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Get in touchIndia’s No 2 HR Influencer, Sharad Verma, reflects upon technology, behavior and the Future of Work
Recently named India’s no. 2 HR Influencer by SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), Sharad Verma is Iris India’s VP and CHRO, leading Human Resources for the company. A graduate of XLRI Jamshedpur, Sharad spent his entire career in HR. He joins Iris after being the HR Head at Polaris Consulting and Sears Holding.
Even though he has 30,000 followers on LinkedIn and close to 15,000 followers on Twitter, Sharad does not see himself as an ‘influencer.' “I started a blog to share my thoughts on HR but I also wrote pieces around mindfulness and special interviews such as the Facebook workplace. Another piece called ‘talent hacker’ also got a lot of traction. The blog morphed and now reflects a cross section between technology and behavior.”
HR is getting complicated with many specializations such as recruitment, rewards, training, etc. What do they mean and how do they fit together?
There is a lot that HR has to achieve between leadership, capabilities, strategy, retaining, competencies, rewards and culture. Some of it is quantifiable and measurable but much of it is not. Some, like culture, is palatable and you can see it. As I have had opportunities to do many ‘hands-on’ HR tasks either individually or as part of the whole, it gave me a wholesome ‘HR function’ perspective for an organization. My approach, which has been deliberate, has helped me understand the complete picture by working alongside business leaders to achieve both, people and business goals.
You were acknowledged as India’s 2nd biggest influencer by the recent SHRM report. That is a pretty big deal, considering India has close to 1 million HR professionals. What does the acknowledgement mean?
I have always been passionate about Twitter, seeing it less as a social media platform and more as a medium of expression. Traditional HR is more about process and policy. Influence, on the other hand is about how to influence another’s opinion, discovering your key message, what you stand for and building an audience around it to create a brand for yourself and for your company. I write about data, analytics and HR, with a focus on how technology is affecting HR today. The confluence of both is a really interesting space. A recent study by Stanford Labs, for example, talked about how to change behavior in small bites; I now apply it at Iris as well as share it in my writings.
Tell us more about this intersection of data, analytics and HR. How does HR interact with data today and why is it important?
My starting point has always been the insights that come from the intersection of capabilities, technology and data. When I joined, I conducted values workshops to discover what values were important to Iris. What is strong in our DNA? What do we live on, on a daily basis? What would we like to change? The results? Client delight came out as a consistent factor with a natural desire amongst team members to understand and be curious about clients to see them happy. Empathy and people-touch were also strong. The empathy part being intentional and upfront was a pleasant surprise, as many companies hope that it comes up but is usually difficult to preserve as a value. As the future of work continues to morph, empathy will continue to be key.
Iris is a good company; it takes care of clients and employees. The challenge is to continue growing while preserving our strong culture. We are, therefore, focusing on the three pillars of process, technology and policy. We will be investing in an HR management system because without the proper tools one cannot achieve what we have set out to do, no matter how good the intention.
At the end of the day, business is about people, especially at Iris. It is therefore important to understand how to unleash the creative function of the employees, so that they, in turn, can expand the client portfolios that they manage. It is important for HR to understand the whole picture along with the business value; otherwise it only adds value from a functional perspective. My belief has always been business value first and function next.
The Future of Work is changing. In that context, where is HR heading?
HR as a function has become more agile. The data from simple metrics such as ‘Where are we hiring from?’ ‘What is our success rate?’ ‘Did they join or not join?’ ‘What are the drivers to stay?’ and so forth, can help us do some predictive analytics. For example, data showed us that engaged teams + collaborative colleagues + exciting work = higher retention. We found out that we need to do some more work around coaching and mentoring and that a 3-month feedback cycle may be more effective than a 1-year feedback cycle. We also found out that appreciation may mean different things to different people. In this and many other ways, data generated from HR can be used to drive strategy.
Do you have any advice for young HR professionals graduating now?
Human Resources, at the end of the day, should be about people. Ask yourself if you are genuinely interested in people and be naturally curious in them, rather than in excel sheets. As AI takes over several functions in an organization, the ‘human’ side of business will become even more important. Secondly, HR is more interesting when you are interested in more than its traditional boundaries. I urge students to see it as the key to understanding companies and businesses by not constraining yourself to the traditional HR boundaries.
Any advice for Iris team members?
The great thing about Iris is the close partnership between the 3 founders. I have had in-depth individual interactions with all 3 and each meeting has been really inspiring. Business is about people, especially at Iris, which, as I mentioned earlier, is very customer and people focused. It is therefore important to keep that Iris DNA of small teams and committed team members while we continue to grow at the exponential rate that we have for the past few years. I am excited to be part of that journey and taking it to the next level.
“As AI takes over several functions in an organization, the ‘human’ side of business will become even more important” – Sharad Verma, VP and CHRO, Iris
What gets Sharad out of bed every day?
The prospect of being a life-long student with the advantage of indulging my creative side is an exciting proposition. “I see myself as a little bit of an artist and a writer, with an effort to bring that side into the corporate world. It is important to keep that side of me alive in what would normally have been a rather straight jacketed job.”
Follow Sharad Verma on Twitter @isharad
SMHR’s recent Influencer report for 2019 can be accessed at: https://www.shrm.org/shrm-india/Documents/HR%20Report2019.pdf
About Iris
Iris Software is a professional software services organization serving customers in the USA, Canada and India for over 25 years. Iris focusses on developing ready-to-deploy Custom-Off-The-Shelf solutions, Application Software development services, as well as services towards the maintenance, testing, integration and support of software.
Iris services the information technology requirements of companies ranging from the Fortune 100 to medium-sized firms by utilizing specialized domain knowledge, best-of-breed technologies, rapidly deployable proprietary frameworks/solutions and flexible engagement models. Iris provides thought leadership to solve business problems creatively by conceptualizing and delivering uncommon solutions, leveraging existing technologies and new computing paradigms such as Digital Transformation, ML, Analytics and Insights, Cloud Computing and Process Automation. Iris continually innovates to accelerate outcomes such as time-to-market, lower costs, ease of maintenance and reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Iris’s core strengths of software engineering best practices enables it to deliver high-quality solutions consistently.
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