Enterprise Architecture Services for specialist insurer

A specialist insurer in health and safety needed Frazer Walker’s help to lift the capability of it’s IT Department including to establish and run the Architecture function as a service.

The Challenge

The client is a specialised health and safety scheme that provides an integrated suite of services to help identify, assess, monitor and control many risks inherent in the industry sector it services.

The industry-owned body provides preventative and responsive services in the areas of workplace health and safety, workers’ compensation, emergency response and training. The company consists of a mix of distinct businesses all within one statutory organisation.

Frazer Walker was engaged from April 2021to Dec 2023 to assist the organisation to create and operate a mature IT architecture department to meet immediate needs and the company’s longer-term requirements.

Our Work

The organisation’s complexity presented challenges for implementing enterprise architecture services. Integration and interoperability was therefore the main focus.

Performing a future state analysis was required multiple times, increasing the time and effort to set a clear architecture.

Frazer Walker’s initial architecture services solutions was for the client’s most critical project, replacing its core insurance system. The client moved from a bespoke in-house built application to a feature-rich, enterprise-grade, cloud-hosted insurance system from a leading international vendor.

FW contributed day-to-day services to assist in the solutions design and implementation of the new software and liaised on the client’s behalf with the software vendor and its implementation partner.

Subsequent services were to create the enterprise architecture function for the company to service other projects and departmental needs. That included creating the IT architecture function and establishing a regular monthly forum and governance model to help control IT expenditure and reduce ‘technology debt’ being incurred by the company with technology purchases.

FW developed and agreed with the business and its executives on the architecture principles.

FW developed the Architecture Review Board (ARB), a monthly governance function to control the organisation’s technology spend, ensure compliance with the agreed architecture principles, ensure the solutions design was approved and robust with respect to the company’s cyber security requirements, and ensure value was delivered from the choice of technology. The ARB assists the business and its executives to identify and select the right solutions, applications and hardware going forward.

The Outcome

Frazer Walker:

• Created a company-wide enterprise architecture future state model and roadmap, approved by the executive and the board
• Established and operated a design authority function for critical business projects and programs
• Established and operated an Architecture Review Board
• Developed:

• • Data centre strategy
  • Application retirement strategy
  • Azure environment
  • Business glossary for data management
  • Data centre migration
  • WAN redesign
  • Assist in an RFP for an electronic medical record
  • Isometrix upgrade
  • Cyber security assistance
  • Data governance assistance
  • Disaster recovery assistance
  • Identity and access management assistance.

As well, FW developed and delivered architecture outcomes for numerous projects.

FW helped the company to interview and recruit suitable candidates to staff the Technology architecture team, improved cyber security, and data and privacy management.

Contact

For more information please contact Ian Chisholm, Phone: +61 401 316 004, Email: ian.chisholm@frazerwalker.com