Swiss insurance provider.
From on‑premises to cloud: How a leading Swiss insurer modernised file services on AWS
- Migration of 500+ TB with no disruption
- 80% storage capacity optimisation
- 30% reduction in storage costs on AWS
- Over 80% reduction in auditing costs
Project Summary.
Background and ambition.
A leading Swiss insurer approached us with a challenge: their enterprise file services were running on a large on‑premises NetApp ONTAP estate that, while reliable, had become costly and difficult to maintain. The platform hosted more than 500 TB of business‑critical data and supported daily work across claims, underwriting and corporate functions. It also had to meet strict FINMA requirements, with absolutely no room for disruption to business operations.
This was far from a simple “move to cloud.” The client wanted to exit the data centre, preserve the familiar user experience, simplify compliance and reduce costs. In short: a transformation that felt invisible to users but invaluable to the business.
The Solution.
Nordcloud began by developing a strong business case for migration and aligning it with the client’s strategic objectives. The design phase prioritised performance parity with the existing environment, zero user disruption and compliance embedded from day one. The solution also needed to integrate seamlessly with the client’s Splunk‑based audit and compliance logging system.
Build and migration.
The agreed approach was to migrate enterprise file services to Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP – a fully managed service that brings the familiarity of ONTAP together with the flexibility and scalability of AWS. Nordcloud deployed FSx for ONTAP across multiple AWS regions to meet resilience and compliance needs.
Moving what matters, precisely.
For data transfer, we used SnapMirror, a proven method within ONTAP environments. More than 500 TB of data was replicated in waves, carefully sequenced around business cycles and maintenance windows. Each wave was rehearsed and communicated clearly, with application owners closely involved at each step.
The cutover was seamless: when users logged in on Monday morning, nothing felt different – everything simply worked, rebuilt behind the scenes.
Modernising audit and simplifying operations.
Once the platform was live, we replaced the legacy audit tool with native FSx for ONTAP auditing. The native solution produced all the required events and formats for compliant auditing, while Splunk remained the system of record. This streamlined the path from event to insight, reducing both complexity and cost.
We also enabled automated storage tiering and ONTAP efficiencies to optimise storage from day one. Frequently accessed data remained on fast tiers, while infrequently used data automatically shifted to lower‑cost storage.
Finally, we ensured a smooth transition to CloudOps with clear runbooks, monitoring, incident pathways and knowledge transfer.
Results.
The migration became a textbook example of how to execute cloud transformation the right way. The insurer exited the data centre, reduced technical debt and gained a scalable, cloud‑native platform.
80% storage capacity optimisation through efficiencies and intelligent tiering
30% reduction in storage costs on AWS
Over 80% reduction in auditing costs by replacing the legacy audit tool with native capabilities
500+ TB migrated on time with zero disruption and full performance parity
Clean, reliable audit flows integrated directly into Splunk
CSAT score of 5/5 from the customer
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Why it worked.
Success was driven by close collaboration, deep technical expertise and a focus on delivering measurable outcomes. By combining a strong understanding of business priorities with advanced cloud capabilities, Nordcloud exceeded expectations.
The client summed it up best:
“Highly committed team with strong business understanding and clear focus on results. Collaborative, skilled, and dedicated professionals with supportive management and deep expertise.”
