In life and annuity insurance, success depends on balancing stability with innovation. In our latest case study, one U.S.-based provider, processing hundreds of thousands of policies each year, had a strong foundation in its reliable core systems. These systems delivered the scale and dependability required in a highly regulated industry. But as customer expectations shifted toward self-service and digital-first interactions, the company recognized an opportunity: extend the value of its existing technology to deliver faster, more modern services without losing the dependability it was built on.
The goal was to enhance proven infrastructure—strengthening compliance, improving efficiency, and providing policyholders with secure, user-friendly digital experiences.
The Challenge: Enabling Modern Customer Interactions on Trusted Infrastructure
The insurer wanted to introduce capabilities such as online account management, real-time payments, and more intuitive policyholder experiences. Its core systems provided the necessary reliability, but the green-screen interfaces limited how easily those capabilities could be delivered. Customers were still routed primarily through the call center, generating millions of calls annually and placing strain on resources. Without change, the company would have needed to significantly expand its call center headcount just to keep pace with demand.
The challenge wasn’t about leaving the mainframe behind—it was about reducing the number of applications that needed to run on it. The mainframe continued to serve as the company’s core system of record, but certain applications were better suited for other environments that could deliver faster updates and more user-friendly experiences.
Meanwhile, batch-based data transfer processes slowed the secure exchange of financial information with banking partners. Transfers handled through FTP created unnecessary latency and operational risk. At the same time, regulatory updates, such as stricter passphrase requirements and evolving PCI standards, introduced compliance gaps that the existing environment could not fully address without modernization.
The insurer carefully evaluated its path forward. Our client needed a strategy that would unlock greater adaptability, strengthen security, and support modern customer expectations, all while continuing to rely on the processing power of its established environment.
The Solution: API-Driven Integration Layer for Payments, Portals, and Policy Management
The insurer implemented Adaptigent’s Adaptive Integration Fabric to serve as a modern integration layer that connected core applications with new digital services. By securely exposing existing applications through APIs, the company enabled new capabilities without changing the way its core systems processed transactions.
Fabric was deployed in a Windows environment, chosen for scalability and ease of administration. An Enterprise Service Bus and secure enterprise gateway provided orchestration across millions of transaction requests, ensuring smooth, reliable performance. Automated retries were handled transparently in the background, so customers and agents always experienced seamless service.
With this architecture, the insurer was able to:
- Integrate policy administration with new customer portals and payment platforms.
- Introduce PCI-compliant, real-time payment processing with tokenization of sensitive data.
- Deliver modern, intuitive web-based and .NET interfaces for both policyholders and employees.
- Meet tightening regulatory requirements with a more secure, flexible environment.
The Results: Efficiency, Compliance, and Customer Engagement
The modernization program turned proven infrastructure into a springboard for growth. Policyholders could now manage accounts and make payments securely online, while operational teams saw repetitive, manual work replaced by automation. These advancements reduced cost pressures, strengthened compliance, and delivered a measurable lift in customer engagement.
Summary of results:
- 70% increase in customer engagement with digital self-service portals.
- $5M+ in annual labor savings by reducing call center demand and avoiding 100+ additional hires.
- 30% lower operating costs through automation and streamlined workflows.
- 80%+ satisfaction rates reflecting the success of digital-first interactions.
- Real-time, PCI-compliant payments with tokenization, eliminating latency from batch transfers.
- Continued reliability of core systems while extending functionality through APIs.
The Impact: A Foundation for Ongoing Innovation
By implementing Adaptive Integration Fabric as a connective layer, the insurer showed how proven core systems can be extended to support modernization initiatives. The program delivered measurable outcomes including higher customer satisfaction, improved efficiency, and strengthened compliance, while maintaining the reliability that the business depends on.
With an integration architecture designed for scalability and flexibility, the insurer is now positioned to expand its digital capabilities, adjust rapidly to new regulatory requirements, and continue providing policyholders with secure and seamless experiences.
Learn more about Adaptive Integration Fabric
To learn more about this insurer’s modernization journey and results, download the full case study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can life and annuity insurers modernize without replacing core systems?
Life and annuity insurers can modernize by implementing an integration layer that connects core systems to modern applications through APIs. This approach allows organizations to introduce digital experiences, real-time services, and new channels without disrupting the stability of existing policy administration and transaction systems.
What role do APIs play in insurance modernization?
APIs enable insurers to securely expose core system functionality to external applications such as customer portals, payment platforms, and partner systems. This allows data and services to be accessed in real time, improving customer experience while maintaining the integrity of the system of record.
Why is reducing reliance on batch processing important for insurers?
Batch processing introduces delays in data exchange, which can slow down payments, customer updates, and compliance reporting. Moving toward real-time or near-real-time integration reduces latency, improves accuracy, and enables faster decision-making across the organization.
How does modernization improve customer experience in insurance?
Modernization allows insurers to provide self-service portals, real-time policy updates, and faster payment processing. This reduces dependency on call centers and gives policyholders more control and visibility into their accounts.
How can insurers improve compliance during modernization?
By introducing secure integration layers with built-in validation, encryption, and monitoring, insurers can enforce compliance requirements such as PCI standards and authentication policies at runtime. This ensures that data is handled securely while adapting to evolving regulatory requirements.
How does Adaptive Integration Fabric support insurance modernization?
Adaptive Integration Fabric enables insurers to connect legacy systems with modern digital platforms through a governed, API-driven integration layer. It supports real-time data access, secure payment processing, and scalable orchestration, allowing organizations to modernize customer experiences and operations without replacing their core systems.