At a glance

Sector:
Insurance

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Region:
USA

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Challenge:
Migration of an Identity and Access Management System from Version 6.1.3 to Version 8.0

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Products and services:
One Identity Manager

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Results:

• Considerable Increase in Performance
• Cost and Time Savings Thanks to Greater Functionality
• Easy Expandability/Adaptability of the New System

Overview

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm based in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, USA. With more than 34,000 employees spread over 49 countries, the company achieved a turnover of around USD 7.1 billion in 2019.

Challenge

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) has been using One Identity Manager as an IAM solution for years – most recently in version 6.1.3. At the time version 7 was released, an upgrade was not an option. The relatively small gain in performance and functionality would not have justified the costs and effort. Over time, however, it became increasingly clear that the performance of the system was reaching its limits. In addition, support for the old version was coming to an end. Since all access issues are handled by One Identity Manager, a failure or even a malfunction would have been disastrous from a compliance point of view. So, action was urgently called for.

Switching to a completely different IAM solution was ruled out, due to the organizational effort involved. The only option remaining was migration to One Identity Manager version 8.0. Since this was the first major release of this version, AJG decided to let iC Consult carry out the migration professionally.

Solution

A migration across two major releases usually entails extra challenges and complications. To implement a quick and seamless change to version 8, iC Consult prepared for all conceivable scenarios in the best possible way. For this purpose, a dedicated operating manual with over 100 measures was created. Next, the migration process was tested up to 15 times in special development environments. Detailed error analyses helped to identify and solve problems before the actual migration. In addition, the numerous new functions could be tested for operational readiness, and final adjustments made. Thanks to the careful preparations, the actual migration was completed in only three days. After seven months of intensive work, iC Consult completed the migration on time. A key success factor was the close partnership between the QA team of AJG and iC Consult – both in the individual departments and in the end-to-end tests. The close cooperation and quick response of One Identity’s support team also contributed to this extraordinarily successful migration project.

Result

With One Identity Manager 8, AJG has laid the foundation for powerful, future oriented Identity and Access Management. The new version offers numerous functionalities that previously had to be set up as individual adaptations in a time-consuming manner. The close integration of these services in the overall system ensures significantly greater performance and stability. Thanks to One Identity’s support for these functions, future updates will be easier to implement, with no additional customization required. Furthermore, future extensions can be integrated more easily.

Users praise the new graphical user interface in particular. The clearer structure alone ensures a considerably increased efficiency. In addition, technical performance is improved through the optimized use of Active Directories and Microsoft Exchange services. For example, around 350,000 attestations have to be processed in the backend every quarter. With the old version, this often resulted in delays, which in turn affected the documentation and led to further problems there. All of this is now left behind, helping to achieve a noticeably higher ROI compared to the previous system. In this context, AJG mentions further points in favor of the migration. For instance, the security offered by support that is now available again. The latest patches and updates are available free of charge and ensure the system’s stability.