The Customer
Westfield Insurance is one of Ohio’s oldest family-owned insurance providers, offering personal and commercial insurance solutions with a focus on long-term relationships and operational excellence.
The Project
Confluent Kafka Platform and Developer Enablement
Overview
Improving had the opportunity to assist Westfield Insurance, one of the oldest family-owned insurance providers in Ohio, with their middleware modernization efforts. Westfield Insurance aimed to implement Confluent Kafka to enhance their data processing and application interaction capabilities. The project entailed deploying multiple environments, providing developer training, and establishing a self-service framework to streamline operations. This initiative was critical in supporting Westfield’s application modernization journey and improving their overall efficiency.
The Business Challenge
Westfield Insurance faced the challenge of modernizing their infrastructure to support future application development and data processing needs. They needed an efficient, scalable, and secure method to handle vast volumes of data, integrate microservices, and streamline data ingestion and transformation processes. Existing point-to-point communication systems were insufficient for their growing requirements, and they lacked the expertise to deploy and manage Confluent Kafka on AWS.
Our Solution
Improving leveraged its expertise to deploy Confluent Kafka across multiple environments (dev, test, prod) on AWS, ensuring secure and efficient data flow. We created a self-service API allowing Westfield’s development teams to manage Kafka topics and resources independently. We also provided extensive training to their developers on leveraging Kafka for various use cases, integrating it with existing systems, and implementing best practices for data partitioning and transformation. This comprehensive approach facilitated a smooth transition to a modernized data infrastructure.
Technologies & Methodologies Used
Confluent Kafka: Core platform for data streaming and processing.
Terraform: Automated deployment of infrastructure across environments.
AWS: Cloud platform for hosting Confluent Kafka and related services.
Azure DevOps: Managed continuous integration and deployment pipelines.
Python: Developed scripts for self-service functionalities and resource provisioning.
GitHub: Version control and management of infrastructure as code.
Business Benefits
Scalability: Enabled seamless scaling of data processing capabilities to handle growing data volumes.
Efficiency: Automated environment setups reduced manual efforts, allowing new environments to be spun up in minutes instead of weeks.
Cost Savings: Reduced the need for additional hires and long-term external support by equipping internal teams with the necessary skills.
Developer Empowerment: The self-service framework allowed developers to innovate and manage their resources without middleware dependency.
Standardization: Implemented a standardized process for data ingestion, transformation, and deployment across multiple environments.
Future-proofing: Established a robust infrastructure to support future application development and integration needs.
Partnerships
Improving has a longstanding relationship with Westfield Insurance, facilitating trust and collaboration. Our partnership with Confluent provided additional leverage, ensuring that we could deliver a solution aligned with best practices and industry standards. While we did not directly engage Confluent’s partner team for this project, our understanding of their platform and resources significantly contributed to the project's success.
Lessons Learned
Effective Communication: Critical for addressing challenges promptly in a fast-paced project.
Agile Methodology: Flexibility and responsiveness are vital for meeting tight deadlines
Client Collaboration: Close partnership with the client's team ensures alignment and smooth implementation.
Self-Service Enablement: Empowering developers with self-service tools enhances innovation and reduces bottlenecks.
Documentation and Training: Comprehensive documentation and training are essential for client self-sufficiency post-implementation.
Customization: Adapting solutions to fit the client's existing workflows and practices ensures higher acceptance and usability.
Why Improving
The Confluent Kafka Platform and Developer Enablement project for Westfield Insurance exemplifies Improving’s capability to deliver tailored, efficient, and scalable solutions. By leveraging our expertise and maintaining close collaboration with Westfield’s team, we facilitated a seamless transition to a modernized data infrastructure, significantly enhancing their operational efficiency and developer empowerment. Our unique approach of integrating customized solutions within existing workflows ensured a smooth implementation, leaving Westfield well-equipped for future growth and innovation.
