Turkish insurance company looks to dominate and lead the industry by strengthening its infrastructure using intelligent unified network technologies

The insurance industry is rapidly becoming a digital experience and insurance providers are racing to keep ahead in this digital transformation.

“We see ourselves as a data-driven business with opportunities to develop new services and new processes around artificial intelligence and machine learning,” says Yaşar Geren, Network and Information Systems Security Manager, AXA Sigorta.

“AXA is leading the way by dynamically transforming the industry through progressing its digital experience. For that to happen, we need data to move easily through the organisation.”

Towards Insurance 4.0 and Industry Transformation

AXA Sigorta is one of the leaders of the Turkish insurance market, both in terms of customer numbers and the introduction of new services. It is fighting to maintain its leadership position against traditional rivals and the arrival of disruptive new fintechs.
“We are preparing ourselves for Insurance 4.0,” says Geren. “IoT can transform the way we do business.”

AXA wants to use digital touchpoints to create more accurate, personal services for customers. For instance, car insurance based on driver behaviour or health insurance based on health and lifestyle indicators. It also wants customers to be able to engage with the business via mobile and online and to use chatbots to change the way it communicates.

All of which requires AXA Sigorta itself to be digital, connected and mobile.

Creating a Unified Network to Power new Ways of Working

Aruba unified infrastructure brings together enterprise-grade LAN and WLAN. It establishes a flexible, scalable and seamlessly managed Zero Trust approach across AXA Sigorta’s operations.

Both the WLAN and LAN are secured by Aruba ClearPass NAC, interoperating with the company’s enterprise firewall. The network core, comprised of six Aruba CX 6410 switches, is split across two data centre locations at the Istanbul head office and a third disaster recovery location in Izmir. All the servers and storage workloads are connected to the core. The head office and branch access network is built on Aruba 2930F switches.

The choice of Aruba, explains Geren, was down to history, local support and technology roadmap.

The enterprise WLAN boasts Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, with Aruba AP-515 APs, managed by two Mobility Controllers and a Mobility Director. These controllers, together with Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager and ClearPass Device Insight ensure the seamless operation of an Edge to Core Dynamic Segmentation platform.

Aruba NetEdit provides analytics-based configuration and change management, while AirWave provides overall visibility and network management.

Delivers critical network reliability

The immediate impact, says Geren, is network reliability. This enables the transfer of data around the organisation, establishes a platform for application developers and encourages more mobile working. AXA has around 1,000 staff in Turkey, across 13 offices.

“Users know their applications will work,” says Geren. “This is fundamental to workplace mobility.”

This has enabled AXA to pivot from a wireless-as-the-exception position to wireless-first. The impact of Covid, which saw employees forced to work away from the office, has clearly accelerated this change, admits Geren, but the direction of travel is only one way towards a hybrid work environment. As working life finds its ‘new normal’ he expects many workers to continue to work from home, at least part of the week, and for this to impact AXA’s office space requirement.

Hands off guest access to a managed service

Network access for guests is also important. AXA works with a network of brokers and commercial partners, many of which will regularly visit the head office and branch offices.

Guest access is now provided as-a-service by Vodafone. This is done via the deployment of a separate Aruba Wi-Fi and access network, managed as-a-service through Aruba Central. Aruba Central provides Vodafone full visibility over this dedicated network, allowing the company to remotely configure, update and troubleshoot, and to manage a captive portal via the Faraday Networks middleware platform, integrated with Aruba Central.

This as-a-service solution provides AXA with peace of mind, flexibility and a cost-effective approach to providing secure guest access and the best seamless connectivity experience.

Strengthens data security with ClearPass

The use of Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager strengthens data security and helps AXA meet industry regulations. AXA can better manage corporate network access and understand who is using the network – and for what purpose. This is essential as the business expands its digital workflows and remote collaboration. It will become increasingly important as AXA connects new IoT devices and moves sensitive customer data around the organisation. Here too, ClearPass Device Insight allows AXA to efficiently use machine learning and a unique set of discovery and profiling methods in order to identify and profile different ranges of devices which are connected to the network. Thus, AXA can automatically authenticate and assign devices to the appropriate network segments, based on role, context and policy.

“The Dynamic Segmentation platform with ClearPass provides far greater security,” says Geren. “We know who and which devices are connecting to the network.”

The use of AirWave, he continues, delivers granular detail into device performance. “If there is an issue we’re quick to spot and resolve it. AirWave has been incredibly useful for troubleshooting. We can locate an access or connectivity problem and resolve it in less than a minute, whereas previously, this could have taken us 30 minutes or longer.”

Technology in the Service of Employees and Customers

As disruption comes to the insurance industry, through new entrants, fintech and niche players, AXA Sigorta will move to become a more customer-engaged business, a business that focuses on prevention as much as protection. It is already working on health and lifestyle advice for customers, and is assimilating customer feedback into the creation of new services.

For all the talk of digital touchpoints, IoT, workplace mobility and data analytics, Geren says the future for AXA is positive because of more old-fashioned qualities: “Our people and our experience. The power of AXA is its employees. Technology should be used to serve our people and our customers.”