SE2 is a technology vendor providing insurance software-as-a-service to its customers. SE2’s main product is the SE2 Aurum® Platform. To ease the buying process, SE2 Aurum® needs to integrate with many disparate systems. Below, Ambrish Patel and Indra Bhattacharya, Enterprise Architects at SE2, describe how SE2 transformed the life insurance new business and underwriting support process using MuleSoft to switch to an API-led integration approach.
Typically, the new business and underwriting process support for life insurance is a manual and operations heavy process. This results in difficulties meeting service-level expectations for insurance carriers and its service providers. Additionally, customers expect to have seamless, consistent, and connected journeys. They are no longer satisfied with “timely responses.” Thus, the main concern is prioritizing customer experience for carriers during sales and post-policy issues. However, this poses the challenge of continuing to meet compliance regulations and service levels, while creating a seamless and engaging experience for all parties involved.
Before shifting to an API-led approach, SE2 had several integration problem areas impacting the creating better customer experiences. Specifically, SE2’s current integration processes limited its ability to successfully implement and deliver on new business and underwriting support processes. The first problem was creating quick and accurate designs of APIs through effective collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, SE2 needed to integrate many disparate applications in terms of supported messaging standards, protocols, and security. This also required validating the integrated design prior to full-blown implementation. These integration problems resulted in challenges meeting strict delivery timelines and ultimately, did not provide the customer experience that both parties expected. As a result, SE2 decided its original approach to integration no longer supported its goals. Thus, SE2 leaders decided to switch to an API-led approach with MuleSoft, and various SE2 Aurum® platform components, to effectively integrate client sales and orchestrate end-to-end new business and underwriting processes.
SE2’s new integration process using Anypoint Platform
Using Anypoint Platform, integration architects quickly transformed requirements into API specifications using API Designer. Teams iterated over fewer versions and reached agreements faster. Additionally, SE2 shared these specs with external partners by giving them access to API specs with a mock endpoint. This allowed the integration to be tested before full implementation. Once the API was ready for implementation, the development team used the same specifications and quickly transformed payload into process and eventually into a system layer. The DataWeave and DataSense aspects of Anypoint Platform allowed the development team to efficiently convert message formats while making it easy to maintain.
With the use of a JMS connector, which also supports a redelivery strategy, the development team rapidly implemented a Reliability Messaging Pattern. Using MuleSoft provided plugins, SE2 leveraged the Maven build-in conjunction with build pipelines to accelerate the delivery timeframe. Similarly, the entire release process was completely hands-off for developers, resulting in faster deployment of changes and spending more time developing core functions — rather than supporting the release.
Benefits of API-led connectivity
By changing to an API-led approach, SE2 experienced a faster, easier, and more adaptable solution to create and implement a better customer experience. Using Anypoint Platform, SE2 built state-of-the-art API layers over the Aurum® platform. These API layers integrated the Aurum® platform with the E-App and underwriting platform owned by an insurance carrier. The entire project was completed in a short span of four to five months. This included specifying requirements, designing, and releasing the integrations. The support for enterprise integration patterns and full API development lifecycle in Anypoint Platform, enabling the team to collaborate, integrate, and test rapidly. By building REST and event-based integration solutions, SE2 built loosely coupled solutions that are easy to maintain. With an API-led approach, SE2 Aurum® Platform is now ready to integrate with additional clients and vendors to provide seamless, engaging experiences to life insurance customers and carriers.
If you would like to try the solution described in this blog, SE2 has built an SE2 Digital Marketplace using Anypoint Exchange to share API assets with interested parties.
