Actian Case Studies Actian Ingres: Reliance Mutual relies on Actian Ingres to drive business growth

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	Actian Ingres: Reliance Mutual relies on Actian Ingres to drive business growth Actian

Actian Ingres: Reliance Mutual relies on Actian Ingres to drive business growth

Actian

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage
Applicable Industries	Finance & Insurance
Applicable Functions	Business Operation
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services
Challenge	Reliance Mutual, a UK-based life and pensions company, underwent a significant shift in its business model in 2003. Instead of writing new policies, the company started buying poorly performing existing life and pensions policies from other insurers. This aggressive growth strategy relied on the company's ability to aggregate these disparate policies within a single, highly efficient administration system that could turn the previously unprofitable into a robust income generator. The transition posed a two-fold challenge for Reliance Mutual’s IT department – to build and maintain a database capable of managing tremendous volumes of data, including migrating and integrating blocks of newly acquired policies – and to do so with a staff that had been dramatically reduced as part of a strategic review. Read More
About Customer	Reliance Mutual is a UK-based life and pensions company that has been in business for nearly a century. In 2003, the company undertook a fundamental shift in its business model. Rather than writing new policies, the company now buys poorly performing existing life and pensions policies from other insurers. This aggressive growth strategy relies on the company's ability to aggregate these disparate policies within a single, highly efficient administration system that can turn the previously unprofitable into a robust income generator. The company's assets have increased from £233 million in 2003 to £1.6 billion. Read More
Solution	Reliance Mutual chose the Actian Ingres database to manage its massive volumes of data. The company examined Postgres as a free source alternative to Ingres, but found both the formality of commercial software licensing and the proven technical and operational advantages of Ingres too compelling to leave behind. The company's Ingres database currently holds details for more than 200,000 in-force policies as well as auditing tables and other data such as regulatory information – roughly a terabyte in all. The task of managing this huge repository is complicated further each time the company acquires an additional block of policies. The newly-arrived data includes both in-force policies and records of expired policies, requiring a decision to be made about what is migrated to the central system and what must be archived to ensure regulatory compliance. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Database Management & Storage

Applicable Industries

Finance & Insurance

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

Challenge

Reliance Mutual, a UK-based life and pensions company, underwent a significant shift in its business model in 2003. Instead of writing new policies, the company started buying poorly performing existing life and pensions policies from other insurers. This aggressive growth strategy relied on the company's ability to aggregate these disparate policies within a single, highly efficient administration system that could turn the previously unprofitable into a robust income generator. The transition posed a two-fold challenge for Reliance Mutual’s IT department – to build and maintain a database capable of managing tremendous volumes of data, including migrating and integrating blocks of newly acquired policies – and to do so with a staff that had been dramatically reduced as part of a strategic review.

About Customer

Reliance Mutual is a UK-based life and pensions company that has been in business for nearly a century. In 2003, the company undertook a fundamental shift in its business model. Rather than writing new policies, the company now buys poorly performing existing life and pensions policies from other insurers. This aggressive growth strategy relies on the company's ability to aggregate these disparate policies within a single, highly efficient administration system that can turn the previously unprofitable into a robust income generator. The company's assets have increased from £233 million in 2003 to £1.6 billion.

Solution

Reliance Mutual chose the Actian Ingres database to manage its massive volumes of data. The company examined Postgres as a free source alternative to Ingres, but found both the formality of commercial software licensing and the proven technical and operational advantages of Ingres too compelling to leave behind. The company's Ingres database currently holds details for more than 200,000 in-force policies as well as auditing tables and other data such as regulatory information – roughly a terabyte in all. The task of managing this huge repository is complicated further each time the company acquires an additional block of policies. The newly-arrived data includes both in-force policies and records of expired policies, requiring a decision to be made about what is migrated to the central system and what must be archived to ensure regulatory compliance.

Impact #1	Efficient migration, presentation, management, and manipulation of data
Impact #2	Minimal required maintenance
Impact #3	Agile, cost-effective in-house development

Impact #1

Efficient migration, presentation, management, and manipulation of data

Impact #2

Minimal required maintenance

Impact #3

Agile, cost-effective in-house development

Benefit #1	Assets increased from £233 million in 2003 to £1.6 billion
Benefit #2	Database holds details for more than 200,000 in-force policies

Benefit #1

Assets increased from £233 million in 2003 to £1.6 billion

Benefit #2

Database holds details for more than 200,000 in-force policies

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Overview

Actian Ingres: Reliance Mutual relies on Actian Ingres to drive business growth

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit