enterprise data platform makes bi tools available to all...
TRANSCRIPT
Microsoft Server Product PortfolioCustomer Solution Case Study
Enterprise Data Platform Makes BI Tools Available to All Employees and Cuts Costs
OverviewCountry or Region: KoreaIndustry: Financial services—Property and casualty insurance
Customer ProfileHeungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company offers loans and a range of insurance products for the Korean market.
Business SituationBefore refreshing its core banking system, Heungkuk wanted a centralized enterprise data warehouse solution with self-service business intelligence (BI) tools.
SolutionHeungkuk used a Microsoft SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse reference architecture to deploy a data warehouse solution based on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.
Benefits Provides BI tools to all employees Speeds information availability Reduces costs Expands security tools
“With the Microsoft solution, we can avoid custom analysis projects, saving 220 million won in development costs and about 2 million won in annual maintenance fees per project.”
Dong-soo Woo, Head of IT Planning, Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company
While planning for an upgrade to its core banking system, Korea-based Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company decided to first reorganize its enterprise information systems into a centralized data warehouse and business intelligence (BI) solution. After considering Oracle, IBM, and SAP technologies, Heungkuk selected Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2. The company worked with its partner, INBREIN, to deploy a solution based on a Microsoft SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse reference architecture. The solution provides all employees with self-service BI tools and gives decision makers fast access to mission-critical reports that once required three days of lead time. Integrated security tools support regulatory compliance without the need for third-party technologies. Heungkuk also can avoid custom analysis projects, saving the U.S.$200,000 in IT costs that it previously spent per project.
SituationBased in Korea, Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company offers fire, marine, automobile, health, and other types of insurance. Heungkuk also provides mortgage and other loans.
For several years, the company has been planning the development of its next-generation core banking system, a project that is set to begin in 2011. During this planning, Heungkuk decided that the project should not only strengthen and extend its existing systems and processes, but also help the company obtain new value from its data.
“In our industry, it is more common to develop and deploy core banking systems before improving enterprise information systems,” says Dong-soo Woo, Head of IT Planning for Heungkuk. “We decided that we wanted to take the unusual step of first changing how we use information.”
Woo continues, “Since the mid-2000s, we have noticed an increasing volume of data that underlines the need for data centralization and high-quality business intelligence information.” For example, the proliferation of smartphones and tablet computers has resulted in a significant increase in the traffic of non-structured data that the Heungkuk IT environment must handle.
In addition, not all Heungkuk departments could conduct data management and business intelligence (BI) activities. Only planning or finance employees could perform analysis, so managers and decision makers in other departments had to
request reports and often waited several days before receiving them.
“We realized that if we spent two years developing our next-generation core banking system before taking steps to improve our enterprise data platform, we might fall behind our competitors,” says Woo.
Heungkuk wanted a mission-critical enterprise solution that would centralize the company’s data and provide self-service BI tools for all employees.
SolutionAfter reviewing technologies from Oracle, IBM, and SAP, Heungkuk decided to deploy a data warehouse and BI solution based on Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 data management software.
“Out of all the solutions we evaluated, the Microsoft proposal offered the most user-friendly approach,” says Woo. “Also, with a Microsoft solution, we saw that we could comply with regulatory data-security requirements without having to purchase a third-party solution.” Heungkuk worked with its IT infrastructure partner, INBREIN, to develop and deploy the new solution.
To speed deployment, Heungkuk used Microsoft SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse, a set of reference architectures based on best practices for data management and optimized for specific hardware components. To reduce systems-integration delays and further decrease the project’s time-to-market, Heungkuk selected an enterprise data warehouse appliance from HP.
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“Our business users are always thirsty for more information, and as soon as they see that they can get it from the Microsoft BI solution, they will be eager to use the new tools.”
Dong-soo Woo, Head of IT Planning, Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance
Company
In addition to SQL Server 2008 R2, the new solution includes Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. With the data compression capabilities of SQL Server 2008 R2, the solution can scale up to 48 terabytes. Transparent data encryption helps Heungkuk protect data and log files, easing compliance with regulations without requiring any changes to applications.The solution loads data from the company’s line-of-business applications into one central data warehouse. Employees in all departments can use familiar Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software to perform analysis on this data and create visual representations of the results. Users who need to perform more complex analysis have access to Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Microsoft Excel, with which they can analyze hundreds of millions of rows of data on their desktops. Users can share the results of their analysis in a SharePoint Server 2010 portal, all without any assistance from the IT department.
Heungkuk is also planning to deploy Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight to support complex event-processing applications. With SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight, Heungkuk can have almost real-time access to information from a variety of data streams, further reducing the cost and time needed for manual analysis.
BenefitsThe Microsoft data warehouse and BI solution has helped Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company provide all employees with data-analysis capabilities and speed the delivery of key reports to decision makers. The IT department can
now avoid the cost of developing and maintaining the custom dashboards that were part of the previous solution. Integrated security tools help the company protect its customers’ privacy, and the innovative solution strengthens the reputation of Heungkuk as an industry leader in Korea.
Provides BI Tools to All EmployeesBecause the new solution is intuitive and easy to learn, Heungkuk can extend self-service BI tools companywide for the first time. “The Microsoft BI solution will be used by all of our employees,” says Woo. “Everyone from information workers to branch managers to sales representatives will make use of this solution.”
Woo expects that the value of the BI information available from the new solution will encourage widespread buy-in from users. “With the Microsoft solution, we can make information analysis part of everyone’s job description,” says Woo. “Our business users are always thirsty for more information, and as soon as they see that they can get it from the Microsoft BI solution, they will be eager to use the new tools.”
New users will find those tools easy to learn and use. Woo explains, “With the Microsoft BI solution, users can drill down into the information as deeply as they want by using familiar Excel tools.”
Once Heungkuk deploys StreamInsight, the company will realize additional value. “With the addition of SQL Server 2008 R2 StreamInsight, our Microsoft BI solution will help us provide even more robust protection for our clients,” says Woo. “The
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“The insurance industry is increasingly emphasizing real-time information, and the Microsoft platform positions us well to respond to this emerging business need.”
Dong-soo Woo, Head of IT Planning, Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance
Company
insurance industry is increasingly emphasizing real-time information, and the Microsoft platform positions us well to respond to this emerging business need.”
Speeds Information AvailabilityWith the new solution, Heungkuk employees access vital data much faster than before. “Our analysts used to have to wait three to four days between requesting data and receiving the report,” says Woo. “With the Microsoft solution, users have almost immediate access to the data they need, right at their desks.”
Users also have higher confidence in the data’s accuracy. “Because the previous data solution was not well integrated, users sometimes experienced inconsistencies,” says Woo. “With a centralized Microsoft data warehouse solution, we are able to provide our employees with a single, authoritative version of company data.”
Reduces Development and Maintenance CostsBecause of the solution’s self-service BI tools, Heungkuk no longer needs to budget for IT projects to analyze, process, and share information. By using the solution’s report-building tools, employees can easily create visualizations of the data they are analyzing, relieving the IT department of this task. “In the past, our IT department
had to develop distinct systems for each different business unit to upload information and view analysis results,” says Woo. “With the Microsoft solution, we can avoid custom analysis projects, saving 220 million won in development costs and about 2 million won in annual maintenance fees per project.”
Expands Security ToolsAnother advantage of the Microsoft data warehouse solution is its robust, integrated security tools. Woo explains, “With SQL Server 2008 R2 transparent data encryption, we can comply with government privacy regulations without needing to invest in an additional third-party solution.”
Woo says that the new solution is also helping Heungkuk strengthen its reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking company. “Many of our competitors have completed their core banking system upgrades and are only now looking at how to improve their data management solutions. With a data warehouse and BI solution from Microsoft, Heungkuk has taken the lead.”
Microsoft Server Product PortfolioFor more information about the Microsoft server product portfolio, go to:
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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com
For more information about INBREIN products and services, call +82 (02) 633 04 300 or visit the website at: www.inbrein.com
For more information about Heungkuk Fire & Marine Insurance Company products and services, call +82 (02) 200 26 000 or visit the website at: www.heungkukfire.co.kr
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published August 2011
Software and Services Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010− Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Enterprise Microsoft Office− Microsoft Office Excel 2007
Solutions− Microsoft SQL Server Fast Track Data
Warehouse
Technologies− Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
StreamInsight− Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for
Microsoft Excel
Partners INBREIN
