Operating through a pandemic is putting a lot of additional pressure on the networks of global insurance organisations.
Distributed workforces, business models, even the services you provide are now evolving at a breath-taking pace. So how do you create a network infrastructure that can respond to the changing shape of your operation – at speed and at scale?
Even before 2020, the pressure was already on to innovate processes and build new business models. To become more flexible and agile, to reduce costs. And it was becoming increasingly obvious that traditional wide area networks (WAN) weren’t up to the job of supporting this scale of change. Networks were becoming cumbersome, slow and complicated to manage.
Then along came coronavirus, necessitating a massive acceleration in digital transformation. Organisations that would normally have taken a more measured approach suddenly had to jump in with both feet.
And most have jumped into a quagmire of uncertainty. Business models, locations, working practices, even service offerings are changing and evolving in a way – and at a speed – never seen before. So how are global insurance businesses supposed to develop a network infrastructure that can keep up?
Clearing the obstacles to evolution
Global insurers are facing their own challenges as a result of the pandemic. Most significant is the assumption that the insurance sector will pick up the bill for the pandemic and its impact on people and business – an expectation that is simply not sustainable for the industry. The cost of coronavirus-related claims on travel insurance alone (expected to exceed £275m just in the UK) has led some companies to pull the product altogether.
Then there’s the move to remote working, the huge increase in calls as customers seek information on their cover, and the physical limitations brought about by social distancing. Loss adjusters, for example, can’t visit sites to assess claims so they’re relying on video – leading to a massive increase in the bandwidth needed to cope with all the inbound data.
Shaping an end-to-end solution that’s built to last
Pressure is mounting for a network solution that’s more digital, globally distributed and data focussed. Not to mention more efficient and cost-effective.
New software-defined services, cloud capability and network options are an excellent starting point for creating the secure, dynamic network the insurance industry needs. One that’s agile enough to adapt as new business models develop.
SD-WAN enables better experience on complex business critical applications – making operations more effective and productive. Greater bandwidth also supports new digital and automated business models – like simpler online claim settlement. Better connectivity means sales, service and contact centre staff can collaborate efficiently regardless of location – leading to better customer experience.
Blending that network with the right combination of cloud services can connect your sites and your people with optimised private data centres, giving all those who rely on them the right experience. Analytics, automation, portals, machine learning and AI can give you new data insight and control, helping you to make better business decisions.
It takes more than tech to shape a global network
Technology alone is not the answer. For digital transformation to be truly successful, global insurance organisations also need an infrastructure with the right security, service and management.
BT has a wealth of experience in network transformations and in developing software-defined solutions. We’ve delivered thousands of solutions globally with our ever-increasing choice of secure services and solutions. During the pandemic, we helped customers across every sector extend bandwidth to support the move to homeworking securely – often in a matter of hours.
Our approach means that multiple technologies and legacy systems can be easily managed to create a single, secure global network infrastructure for your business. Through our broad portfolio of solutions, we can easily integrate with the collaboration applications, data and third-party cloud providers you need globally. Then our end-to-end management of your entire solution simplifies operations for you – and improves user experience for your team and your customers.
Most importantly, we’re constantly updating our solutions, so as you move into a software-defined world, your solution is guaranteed to evolve with you.
The shape of things to come
Digital transformation has been accelerated by the pandemic – but, in doing so, it will transform the future of business. Through our expertise and choice of SD-WAN technology, network, cloud, security and management services, we can help you shape the future of your business too.
Get in touch or read ‘Shape your future infrastructure: A proposal’ for more detailed information on how we can guide your transformation.
