Case Studies
Blenheim wanted to move its previously outsourced IT infrastructure and services to an in-house operation, supported by managed services, to align to their business transformation.
The Client
Blenheim Underwriting is an insurance syndicate with wealth of underwriting experience and expertise operating from an independent platform at Lloyd’s. Blenheim writes insurance across five lines of business; Speciality Reinsurance, Accident and Health, Property Treaty, Direct and Facultative Property and Contingency.
The Challenge: Move to a lean internal IT team, with MSP support
Since its formation in 2017, Blenheim’s IT infrastructure and IT services had been outsourced. With plans to become an independent Lloyd’s syndicate, Blenheim’s goal was to reinstate its IT infrastructure service in-house as part of a managed service, giving them the freedom to move away from outsourcing and allowing them to become their own Managing General Agent (MGA). This would permit them to write business directly through Lloyds.
They needed someone to act as an extended IT team, providing the technical expertise and support to allow Blenheim to maintain a lean internal IT function. They wanted a trusted partner to look after the design, selection, procurement and build of their infrastructure.
They wanted a trusted partner to look after the design, selection, procurement and build of their infrastructure. As a start-up Blenheim also needed an outsourced managed service provider to manage, monitor and maintain the environment, ensuring high performance and minimal downtime.
As a result, strong supplier relationships and a broad knowledge of the cloud market was required to negotiate on Blenheim’s behalf and deliver a cost effective, scalable solution. This had to be combined with experience in delivering a high end infrastructure that met existing and future requirements.
The Solution
Blenheim selected Ekco because of our technical capability, personal approach, and knowledge of the insurance sector. The IT Operations Manager at Blenheim said ‘It is all about trust. Trust was there from day one.’
With many underwriters travelling globally Blenheim needed a flexible cloud solution that would allow users remote access from anywhere. A virtual environment that supported growth plans, that would allow Blenheim to scale quickly and increase storage capacity as required.
After a rigorous discovery process, Ekco presented several infrastructure options. The chosen solution was a dedicated hyper-converged infrastructure that provided a virtual environment for remote workers to access securely.
Ekco’s team of cloud architects provided the configuration, maintenance, and ongoing management for the solution. Being FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) Regulated, Blenheim is required to patch infrastructure regularly. Ecko’s team does this, freeing up internal IT resources to focus on more strategic tasks, while being confident that they are meeting regulatory standards.
Ekco quickly resolves service issues, via 24/7 monitoring and alerting and takes a proactive approach to infrastructure maintenance. Should Blenheim’s users have a service issue, Ekco’s team provide immediate escalation support to the onsite technical resources to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.
The Client’s Review
“The support I get around the day-to-day operations is always there; it can be relied upon. The technical knowledge of the team we work with is great. It’s a great comfort to know Ekco are on hand for My team to contact any time, day or night.”
IT Operations Manager with Blenheim Underwriting
The Outcomes
Day-to-day infrastructure management is streamlined and with Ekco acting as an extension to the onsite team, Blenheim have additional expertise to call upon should they need it.
“The support I get around the day-to-day operations is always there; it can be relied upon. The technical knowledge of the team we work with is great. It’s a great comfort to know Ekco are on hand for My team to contact any time, day or night.”
Blenheim has grown in size since the start of the partnership with Ekco and opened a small branch office in the Channel Islands. With plans to open more MGAs, the infrastructure has scaled seamlessly and enabled Blenheim to meet their growth plans.
A highly scalable infrastructure
Expertise on tap acting as an extension of the team
Monitoring, management and maintenance of all infrastructure
Minimal downtime
Fast resolutions
A partner for growth
Strategic guidance
Improved operations
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