Background

Turning data into knowledge As a shared services company based on economies of scale, Forca helps three of Denmark’s largest pension funds cut costs and offer improved member services. The company – an ambitious newcomer to the financial market – has plans to expand significantly in the next few years by adding more pension funds, eventually becoming the most efficient Danish provider of pension services. In order to meet these targets, CIO John-Erik Hørdum knew that Forca needed to implement a comprehensive Business Intelligence (BI) solution. Forca had vast amounts of membership and insurance data in its possession, but no easy way of retrieving and analysing it. As a result, the company lacked the transparency it needed to monitor and manage its performance and make strategic decisions. Moreover, Forca was unable to deliver an optimal service to its three pension fund clients, who often had to wait several days for a response to their requests for information. “The data was all there, but we needed a BI solution to harness it and turn it into instantly accessible knowledge,” says John-Erik Hørdum.

Solution

Business Intelligence from Microsoft and Affecto As it was already committed to a Microsoft product strategy, Forca quickly identified datawarehousing with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 as its most cost-efficient option. Microsoft’s solution would integrate seamlessly with the company’s existing systems and be easy to manage and scale. Also, Forca’s employees and clients would be able to access it through the trusted and familiar Microsoft Office environment, which would make the solution highly user-friendly. In order to optimise the benefits of the datawarehouse solution, Forca needed a partner that could help tailor the system to the company’s specific needs. John-Erik Hørdum turned to Affecto, knowing that Affecto’s consultants would offer not just technical expertise, but years of practical experience from implementing Microsoft BI solutions for life insurance and pensions companies throughout Scandinavia. Working closely with Forca, Affecto’s consultants designed and implemented a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 solution, using SQL Server Integration Services to gather data from a variety of sources on a single holistic SQL Server Database platform. In addition, they used SQL Server Analysis Services to build online analytical processing (OLAP) cubes that offered regularly updated perspectives on Forca’s data.

Customer benefits

Competitiveness and productivity increased
Now, Forca users can bring up any data they require in minutes, rather than several days. The lengthy and complex manual processes of the past have been replaced by automated processes that provide real-time company data based on a single version of the truth. Affecto designed the solution so that em-ployees access the data through Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007. Using Excel Services and PerformancePoint Services technology embedded in the SharePoint Server software, staff can display and work dynamically with the data through their browser, using familiar Microsoft Office user interfaces such as Excel spreadsheet software. The solution helps Forca staff make decisions and manage the business more efficiently.

The company can react faster to changes in customer demand, which increases its flexibility and competitiveness. At the same time, employees can accomplish more within their working hours. And because everyone has access to the same data, they can collaborate more easily, which further enhances their productivity. With faster response times, Forca is able to provide an improved service to its clients. And pension fund management can access much of Forca’s data directly through their SharePoint Customer benefits Competitiveness and productivity increased Now, Forca users can bring up any data they require in minutes, rather than several days. The lengthy and complex manual processes of the past have been replaced by automated processes that provide real-time company data based on a single version of the truth. Affecto designed the solution so that em-ployees access the data through Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007. Using Excel Services and PerformancePoint Services technology embedded in the SharePoint Server
software, staff can display and work dynamically with the data through their browser, using familiar Microsoft Office user interfaces such as Excel spreadsheet software. The solution helps Forca staff make decisions and manage the business more efficiently.

The company can react faster to changes in customer demand, which increases its flexibility and competitiveness. At the same time, employees can accomplish more within their working hours. And because everyone has access to the same data, they can collaborate more easily, which further enhances their productivity. With faster response times, Forca is able to provide an improved service to its clients. And pension fund management can access much of Forca’s data directly through their SharePoint Portal. “Thanks to Affecto, our Microsoft BI solution helps us run Forca more efficiently and respond faster to
the needs of our clients. Customer satisfaction is increased, and the business is more competitive,” says John-Erik Hørdum.

Future-proof scalability

In configuring the datawarehouse solution, Affecto took into account not only Forca’s immediate needs, but the company’s long-term strategy. As a result, the company will be able to build on the solution, adding new applications as they are needed. For example, Forca might want to use the Business Intelligence solution to create regular compliance reports for financial authorities in line with legal requirements. The company now has the ability to do so without redesigning the system. Also, it is easy to add new data and users to the system as Forca is joined by more pension funds, beginning in January 2010, when the company welcomes a fourth client into its fold. “Rather than simply meeting our immediate needs, Affecto’s consultants were visionary and designed our Microsoft BI solution to last at least five years. In this way, we avoid expensive system re-thinks for the foreseeable future, which means that we can concentrate on driving the business forward,” says John-Erik Hørdum.

Optimised benefits and value for money

With more than 500 experienced Business Intelligence consultants in its service, Affecto was able to provide Forca with the exact expertise required for each part of the project. “By working with Affecto we eliminated the risk of making expensive mistakes when implementing our Microsoft BI solution. Affecto’s consultants paid close attention to our needs at every step of the way, optimising our benefits and value for money. They gave us exactly what we wanted and more, on time and within budget,” says John-Erik Hørdum. Now, powered by information at its fingertips, Forca can concentrate fully on achieving its target of becoming Denmark’s most efficient pension services company.