Strategy for scale: Building a modern, secure, enterprise-scale AWS platform for Australia’s leading wealth management company
Insignia Financial faced a critical challenge in integrating MLC Wealth following its acquisition from NAB due to differences in their data centre and AWS environments. Cevo partnered with Insignia Financial to assist in building an enterprise-scale AWS platform, with an emphasis on security, compliance, cost management and scalability. The collaboration resulted in enhanced security, improved operability, repeatability, regulatory compliance and cost management, providing the financial organisation with a solid foundation for successful migration, modernisation and future cloud adoption.
Enterprise-scale AWS platform
Secure, compliant, cost optimised and scalable
Launch
Cevo NexusTM solution
Financial Services
Industry
Insignia Financial (ISX: IFL), formerly known as IOOF, is an ASX top 200 company and one of Australia’s largest wealth management companies. With approximately 2.2 million clients, and over $293 billion in funds under management and administration, Insignia Financial offers advice and financial solutions to help Australians reach their financial goals sooner.
Business challenge
Insignia Financial faced a critical business challenge following its acquisition of MLC Wealth from National Australia Bank (NAB). While IOOF had traditionally operated from on-premises data centres, the majority of MLC workloads were located in a well-established AWS cloud environment. This prompted a need to accelerate Insignia Financial’s AWS platform strategy and build the foundational cloud infrastructure. However, the lack of in-house cloud expertise presented an obstacle, as Insignia Financial needed to bridge the technical gap to ensure a successful transition.
Solution
Cevo partnered with Insignia Financial to build a new, enterprise-scale AWS cloud platform with a strategic focus on security and compliance, cost management and scalability.
A co-sourced AWS platform team, comprising both Insignia employees and Cevo consultants, embraced a design-first approach, creating detailed diagrams and securing stakeholder alignment before moving on to the build phase. Leveraging Cevo’s well-established migration framework significantly reduced rework, resulting in more robust and effective solutions.
The technical approach leveraged AWS’s modern toolset and Cevo’s repeatable Launch framework to establish the new, tailored landing zone in AWS cloud.
Close collaboration with the MLC teams continues to facilitate a seamless transition from NAB, while optimising their AWS accounts, fostering innovation and maintaining robust security measures.
Preventative and detective controls are incorporated using AWS Config and conformance packs. This real-time feedback system ensures compliance with Insignia’s policies, industry standards, and APRA regulatory requirements, crucial in the highly regulated financial services industry.
To meet governance and operational requirements, a co-sourced cloud security governance team was formed, with governance policies aligned to technical controls. Recognising the potential for future growth and migrating more than 50 AWS accounts from the MLC environment, AWS Service Catalog and AWS Step Functions were utilised for automation and repeatability. An Ops Console provided the platform team with enhanced visibility and an intuitive interface for product deployment and management.
Networking and network security were streamlined using AWS Transit Gateway (TGW), AWS Direct Connect, and AWS Internet Gateway, centrally managed within a dedicated networking account. Collaboration with Insignia Financial’s networking and security teams ensured compliance with standards and practices, with automation simplifying network routing and DNS zone integration via the Ops Console and Step Functions.
“Through our close partnership with Cevo, Insignia Financial has undergone a remarkable transformation to enable cloud hosting in AWS. Cevo’s technical expertise allowed us to build the foundations seamlessly and efficiently for our new cloud environments while meeting stringent security, resilience, and compliance standards.”
Ross Garbutt
Head of Infrastructure and Cloud, Insignia Financial
Outcomes
This partnership has established a robust foundation for Insignia Financial’s migration efforts, enabling smooth transitions for acquisitions and paving the way for future modernisation and cloud adoption. The delivered value extends beyond the initial objectives, reshaping their strategic positioning and technological posture into the future. Key outcomes include:
- Enhanced security – The implementation of AWS IAM controls, AWS Config rules and Conformance packs ensures secure resource creation and visibility into vulnerabilities.
- Improved operability – The AWS platform, designed for scalability, offers seamless operability for migrated teams. This includes improved monitoring, alerting and logging for a better user experience and simplified management.
- Rapid time to value – Insignia Financial teams can swiftly roll out accounts and begin consuming them within hours of approval, a task that would previously have taken days. Accounts are preconfigured, allowing them to move quickly with confidence.
- Repeatability – Templates for common modern deployment patterns allow for rapid, compliant deployments, even between different teams. These patterns save new workloads weeks of trial and error, enabling them to get started delivering value the same day.
- Regulatory compliance – The platform’s detective and preventive controls, combined with the uplifted security governance framework, ensure streamlined engagement with regulators.
- Cost visibility and management – The introduction of budgeting tools, savings plans, cost dashboarding and instance lifecycle management into the suite of products provides real-time spending information and cost-saving recommendations. This data is readily available for trend analysis and proactive alerts, preventing unexpected bills.
“Cevo’s consultants consistently deliver work of the highest calibre, and their deep expertise has been instrumental in the success of our cloud journey.”
Ross Garbutt
Head of Infrastructure and Cloud, Insignia Financial
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