• Case Study
Security and Ease in File Transfer
Operations for Insurance
Cognizant and SEEBURGER’s Managed File Transfer as a Service
(MFTaaS) Offers Global Insurance Company Best-In-Class Business
Integration Solution
Introduction
The need for fast, secure file transfer services when onboarding new business partners or integrating
processes across organizational boundaries is something growing insurance businesses grapple with
worldwide. The difficulties associated with modernizing existing B2B and file exchange architecture can
keep IT departments pinned over long periods of time, with mixed results extending the process well
beyond expected timelines and budgetary parameters.
Cognizant’s recent experience in applying SEEBURGER’s Managed File Transfer as a Service (MFTaaS)
tool to the benefit of a large, global, insurance industry customer stands as an example of how the
process might best be handled for minimum disruption and maximum results. This whitepaper outlines
the program and offers key takeaways useful to anyone considering an improved business integration
solution now or in the future.
Executive Summary
Our customer’s Managed File Transfer (MFT) experience spanned the entire enterprise and was unique
on two important levels. First, the program leveraged an emerging technology that was entirely new to
the U.S. insurance industry. Second, it helped the customer establish a standardized process and state-
of-the-art platform for enterprise-wide file transfers, for both internal and external customers, using an
innovative approach to implementation and migration.
The customer’s architecture review board examined three MFT platforms and selected SEEBURGER
Managed File Transfer (BIS MFT) as the solution, with Cognizant as the system integrator and partner for
managed services. Cognizant, in collaboration with SEEBURGER delivered the solution design, functional
and non-functional specifications, installed, configured, tested and deployed the platform. SEEBURGER
is now the new MFTaaS for the customer’s business units, meeting their daily file transfers needs.
Cognizant documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to provide visibility and agreement on the
MFT process and policy to be followed. This ensured that the MFT was positioned in a stable and secure
manner. The customer’s MFT governance team reviewed and approved all defined SOP’s and oversaw the
team’s program compliance. Further, the governance team, along with third-party auditors, inspected the
MFT environment, file transfer, new partner onboarding and meta-data, monthly, quarterly and yearly, to
ensure adherence to corporate security and SOX insurance industry compliance standards.
In all, Cognizant migrated 3,325 existing transfers, including unique business and system requirements,
to the new platform. Each of the 3,325 migrations was executed as micro projects, with a migration
methodology that ensured that the program monthly go-live targets and milestones were met. In the
end, Cognizant’s innovative implementation approach helped the client finish the project ahead of its
original 20-month timeline.
Business Challenge
• The legacy system relied on a custom-developed application that had grown organically over 30
years. While it supported business critical file transfers with internal and external business partners,
it had several pain-points.
• These custom applications and technologies not only created sustainability challenges for
development and support, they also included key person dependencies.
• The legacy system did not support automated re-execution of failed transfers.
• Non-standard implementation of custom rules and schedules made the system difficult to maintain.
Moreover, there were three different applications at enterprise level supporting file transfers.
Business Opportunity
As the amount of electronic information flowing between trading partners continues to expand, the
ability to efficiently and effectively manage data transfers not only defines a company’s capacity to
compete, but also its exposure to risk regarding lost, stolen, late or misdirected data.
• Data can be exchanged in various ways, including system-to-system (batch file uploads, scheduled
transfers), system-to-human (scheduled reports), and human-to-human (ad hoc emails and manual
FTP uploads).
• It is vital that the right data gets to the right person or place at the right time.
• It is also vital to validate that critical data traveled and arrived at its intended destination securely.
SEEBURGER’s Central Platform for Integration Tasks (B2B, EDI, EAI, MFT, ETL,
ESB)
With the SEEBURGER Business Integration Suite (BIS), Cognizant’s customer got a central data platform
for the secure and reliable transfer of data, along with the capability to automatically integrate all
business processes with external trading partners and internal applications.
Their BIS supports all information transfer channels, including EDI, paper, fax and the Web. It converts
data into the required structures, runs according to configurable rules and processes, links to all
renowned ERP systems and databases, while monitoring associated processes. Confidential and sensitive
information of all types is transferred safely and traceably, ensuring compliance requirements are met.
Security and Ease in File Transfer 2
Operations for Insurance
Proposed Solution
Cognizant’s SEEBURGER MFTaaS solution included the following key components:
• Re-platform the existing legacy file transfer systems with a best-in-class, modern MFTaaS platform
to ensure standard, secure and reliable file transfers for 64 Lines of Business (LOB).
• Leverage a virtual server offering high availability (HA), as well as multi-site disaster recovery (DR)
capabilities, ensuring compliance with SOX, regulatory and the customer’s internal technology and
security guidelines.
• Assign end-to-end execution services to Cognizant and SEEBURGER, including design, development,
implementation, steady-state services for new partner set-up and ongoing maintenance, and
production support, with overall accountability to the customer.
Solution Highlights
Cognizant and SEEBURGER collaborated to set up the SEEBURGER MFT environment.
Environment Set-Up and Planning
Security and Ease in File Transfer 3
Operations for Insurance
Managed Service Model in three phases
Innovative Implementation Approach
Each file transfer set-up has its unique configuration (automated, self-service, EDI, etc.), business rules
and requirements. Migrating each set-up to the new platform entailed a complete SDLC cycle, akin to
3,325 micro-projects with an 8- to 10-week lifecycle. Moreover, the number of reviews and inputs from
external partners meant each milestone had dependencies on external stakeholders. Any delay in one
transfer made it difficult to manage program level targets on a monthly basis.
• In response, Cognizant and SEEBURGER employed the following implementation approach:
• The team employed a dynamic and innovative rolling approach to handle changing priorities at
each transfer level, while providing program level go-live targets on a monthly basis, keeping the
program on track.
• While each migration was managed as a micro project by each developer at a program level, an
integrated rollout schedule was developed using a dynamic 8-week rolling plan that was constantly
updated. The plan synchronized testing and go-live milestones for each transfer with the overall
rollout schedule at LOB and program level.
• Project managers coordinated with LOB owners to eliminate delays in testing and implementation.
• To account for milestone slippage, the number of planned transfers in build and unit testing, and
systems integration testing, was planned at a much higher level.
The following metrics provide a snapshot of progress.
Key Facts
• Number of transfers: 3,325
• Number of LOBs: 64
• Number of business areas: 175
• Connectivity protocols: FTP, SFTP, FTPS,
https, NDM/C:D
• Peak team size: 40+
• The new MFT system’s performance is stable
for the high volume of data flow
Security and Ease in File Transfer 4
Operations for Insurance
Effective Scope
Centralized MFTaaS was enabled for commercial markets technology, group benefits, wealth management
operations, claims organization, mutual funds, billing technology, enterprise marketing, personal lines
marketing and strategy, financial products, and sales and distribution.
Information is exchanged on daily, weekly and monthly basis with customers, agents, regulatory and
financial services across all lines of business, and includes compliance, reporting, bank checks, fund
transfers, scanned images, policy claims, enrollment and payroll related files.
Uses Case Type Volume
Number of files transferred per month 1,000,000
Average file size 5 – 10 MB
Peak file size 5 GB
Total number of jobs 5600+
Key Benefits
• Eliminated redundant and inactive file transfers by 40 percent.
• Standardized enterprise-wide platform compared to legacy system, which had 3 separate
applications.
• Complex set-ups in legacy environment are handled as simple file transfer setups in MFT due to
standardization and superior technology.
• Monitoring mechanism notifies customers when file is not transferred in a defined timeframe.
• Automation scripts keep track of historical data; SharePoint job repository maintains job information
for customer and support reference, as well as audit compliance and reporting.
Summary
Cognizant’s iterative implementation and migration methodology, in collaboration with SEEBURGER,
helped the customer successfully complete system readiness in four months, and migration in 20
months. This migration helped the customer:
• Implement a state-of-the-art, scalable platform that meets current and future business needs.
• Establish a central, secure, enterprise-wide platform for file transfers using standard, secure
protocols.
• Automate the handling of failed transactions for measurable efficiencies.
Together, Cognizant and SEEBURGER’s EDI/MFT skilled resources represent an in-depth knowledge of
SEEBURGER technology for large migration program, useful in reducing partner onboarding turnaround
time (TAT), installing and upgrading SEEBURGER BIS and BIS FX and meeting critical business needs.
For More Information Please Visit Cognizant.com
Security and Ease in File Transfer 5
Operations for Insurance
About SEEBURGER
More than 10,000 customers worldwide, ranging from Fortune 100 to small- and medium-sized companies,
depend on the SEEBURGER solution. SEEBURGER has been integrating companies for more than 30
years. With 20 offices covering more than 50 countries, we have a global presence. As a SEEBURGER
customer, you will join the ranks of other well-run companies that are benefiting from the power of this
technology, which has been precision-engineered in Germany from the ground up.
KEEP CHALLENGING
TM
About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process services,
dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.),
Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise,
and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 100 development and delivery centers
worldwide and approximately 255,800 employees as of September 30, 2016, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100,
the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing
companies in the world. Visit us online at www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.
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