Focus on business requirements thanks to upstream security
16.03.2020 – Airlock-Reference Visana
The insurance industry is a static business – one would think. But what used to be, has now changed fundamentally. Agility and fast innovation cycles are currently the dominant challenges in the insurance business. Visana knows that too. And that’s precisely why it has opted for Airlock.
How can we offer our customers real added value? And with which digital services can we convince consumers in the long term? These questions were asked by one of the largest Swiss health insurers – the Visana Group, headquartered in Bern. And with myVisana it has provided a successful answer. For that reasons myVisana was awarded as the most customer-friendly online portal in Switzerland, which is also clearly ahead of the competition in terms of user-friendliness, functionalities and system stability. The Credits for this success go naturally to the development team of the insurance company – but also to Airlock.
With Airlock Visana was able to solve the security issue comprehensively. The insurer now has a coherent security architecture which allows it to launch new services and integrate them into an IT ecosystem without having to worry about security afterwards. The big advantage for the company: Significantly shorter innovation cycles and a faster time-to-market. Visana can therefore focus entirely on business requirements. Or as one of the project participants put it: “If you don’t have to think about security all the time, you can focus on the customer.” And this client centered approach is the central success factor for Visana’s online customer portal.
“Airlock has made us agile and secure. Because it provides the upstream security layer that enables us to develop what is really important: convincing digital services for our customers.”
The interesting aspect here is that proprietary customer portals are one thing. But connecting to third-party services – such as external health apps and fitness trackers – is another. This is where it becomes particularly evident how future-proof an integrated security solution is, because today it is mainly web applications, mobile applications and proprietary or third-party APIs that have to be integrated into a convergent security solution.
It seems clear that the tendency is towards up-stream API security layers. As Gartner states: “By 2021, 65 percent of new applications will be built as a system of multi-channel applications and multi-layer back-end services that communicate via APIs”.
By the way, 2021 is tomorrow. That’s why there is already some pressure to act today, and more and more companies are opting for upstream API security layers, which offer insurance companies three clear advantages: They are future-proof, they allow agile innovation processes and they guarantee data security and reliable content management, which are particularly important for the insurance industry.
About Airlock
The Airlock Secure Access Hub combines the important IT security issues of filtering and authentication into a well-coordinated overall solution that sets standards in terms of usability and services. The Secure Access Hub covers all important functions of modern IT security in this field: from a web application firewall (WAF) awarded by journalists, to a customer identity and access management system (cIAM) trusted by Swiss banks, to API security that meets the latest requirements. The Airlock IT security solution protects more than 20 million active digital identities and 30,000 back-ends from over 550 customers around the world.
For more information, visit www.airlock.com