20% Cost Savings, 30% Faster Performance: How a Leading Insurer Modernized Cloud Storage on AWS

A leading insurance group with over 190 years of heritage recognised the need to modernize its IT infrastructure to support growing digital demands and meet stringent data governance requirements. The company had long relied on a 16-terabyte on-premises file server that had become increasingly expensive, difficult to manage, and risky in terms of performance and compliance.

Partnering with Galactic Network, the organization migrated to Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP and engaged 24x7 Cloud Management & Optimization Service (CMOS) to manage its multi-vendor cloud environment. The engagement delivered 20% cost savings, improved file access speeds by up to 30%, and secured 99.9% uptime — while freeing internal IT resources to focus on innovation and strategic initiatives.

The client is a large insurance group with a global presence spanning over 50 countries. Guided by a mission to be a trusted lifetime partner, the organization serves a wide network of policyholders, agents, and partners. With strict data governance and compliance obligations as a financial services institution, the group continually invests in technology to safeguard policyholder data and ensure operational resilience.

The organization had been relying on a 16-terabyte file server hosted on-premises, which had become costly and increasingly difficult to manage. IT staff were investing over 25 hours each month into maintenance and manual oversight, limiting their ability to focus on strategic initiatives. Beyond cost and efficiency, the infrastructure faced key technical challenges: existing workloads required native file protocol compatibility to continue running without disruption, while the lack of effective quota management created inefficiencies and compliance risks.

At the same time, the client had deployed NetApp data classification and infrastructure monitoring tools on AWS to meet data governance requirements. These workloads ran across multiple Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances and an Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP file system, creating a complex multi-vendor environment that required specialised operational expertise and coordinated support across both AWS and NetApp ecosystems.

Galactic Network led the migration from the on-premises file server to Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP as a fully managed file storage solution on AWS. The migration was executed smoothly, with native file protocol compatibility ensuring continuity for existing applications and workflows. Centralized quota management was introduced, giving IT teams full visibility and control over resource allocation. AWS Backup integration strengthened data resiliency, with recovery objectives of less than 15 minutes RPO and under one hour RTO.

To manage the client's multi-vendor environment on an ongoing basis, Galactic Network deployed its Cloud Management & Optimization Services (CMOS) Premium Package, covering incident management, infrastructure monitoring, security, and patch management. A critical alert delivery stack was deployed to integrate Amazon CloudWatch alarms and Amazon GuardDuty findings with Galactic Network's ticketing system, enabling automated incident creation and escalation. All managed Amazon EC2 instances were brought under a structured patch management process using AWS Systems Manager, coordinated around the NetApp container ecosystem to minimise service disruption.

Galactic Network also served as the operational bridge between the client and NetApp support — triaging issues, engaging NetApp with detailed diagnostics, and keeping the client informed throughout. Given the client's obligations as a financial services institution, data lifecycle policies and access controls were applied to ensure audit readiness and compliance.

The combined migration and CMOS engagement delivered substantial and measurable improvements. By moving to Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, the organization achieved a 20% reduction in storage costs compared to its legacy on-premises environment. File access and workload performance improved by 25% to 30%, accelerating critical business operations. The introduction of quota management cut wasted capacity by 15%, ensuring storage was allocated effectively across business units.

Uptime was consistently maintained at 99.9%, providing uninterrupted access for employees and policyholders. With CMOS in place, Galactic Network established 24x7 operational coverage across the multi-vendor environment, handling patching, incident triage, and vendor escalation end-to-end. Automation and proactive support enabled IT teams to reclaim more than 20 hours of manual work each month, redirecting their efforts to innovation and customer service improvements.

With a modernized and resilient infrastructure in place, the organization reinforced its reputation as a trusted insurer committed to protecting policyholders and enabling sustainable futures.

With its file storage environment modernized and stabilised, the organization is preparing to expand its use of AWS-managed services into new areas such as analytics, compliance automation, and customer experience platforms. The success of the Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP migration has provided a strong foundation for continued digital transformation — reinforcing the organization's mission of protecting lives and enabling sustainable futures across its global footprint.