Foyer Assurance selected Sungard AS to implement a highly resilient, super-fast DR program to restore operations within two hours of an incident.
DownloadFoyer, the leading local insurance provider in Luxemburg, has turned to Sungard AS to put in place a highly resilient disaster recovery programme with the capability to restore operations within two hours of an incident.
Foyer Group wanted to implement a complete solution including a backup work environment with identical configuration, situated in a business recovery center close to its headquarters. From 2014, the decision to implement a business continuity plan was part of Foyer's move to pre-empt the Solvency 2 regulation, which made disaster recovery programmes mandatory for insurers.
Established in 1922, Foyer S.A is a key financial player in Luxemburg. Its endurance lies not only in the strength of its family ownership, but also the work of some 775 employees working in three countries and of the 660 workers in Luxemburg.
Foyer is the leading local provider of life and general insurance, operating in several European countries across three disciplines: insurance, planning and wealth management. Its extensive product range serves a client base of individuals, professionals and businesses.
As part of its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, the Foyer Group has also invested for a number of years in social and volunteering projects.
The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency.
The Foyer Group offers several services to its clients, including insurance (car, home, legal protection, planning, health, etc) and a number of high-end lifestyle services, such as wealth management solutions. In response to different regulations, Foyer wanted to strengthen its resilience and be well-prepared for the introduction of Solvency 2.
Beyond IT continuity considerations, Foyer was looking for a solution that would address the unavailability of its offices in the event of a disaster or an emergency. "The majority of disaster recovery plans are built on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. The building and the physical working environment are just as essential to the continuation of business activities. We therefore wanted to go further than classic disaster recovery plans, and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency," emphasised Paul Fohl, chief risk officer and executive committee member at Foyer.
"The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency."
Foyer turned to Sungard AS to build a backup plan which included:
As Luxembourg's biggest insurer, Foyer has more than 800 employees and many different business divisions. Sungard AS offered a solution that included a backup system at its Munsbach center, located less than 30 minutes by car from Foyer’s headquarters in Leudelange. Foyer has access to 240 shared spaces at Sungard AS recovery center, including 30 for its wealth management activities.
"During a major crisis, but also in case of a less serious incident such as a power cut in the building or the area, which could nonetheless interrupt our business for several hours, the backup system that we have in place at Sungard AS guarantees that our desks will be available at the recovery center in just a few hours" added Paul Fohl. "We chose shared positions in order to optimise our budget. In the event of the plan being triggered, these positions will be ready in two hours if they are available, and in four hours if a reconfiguration is needed. Either way, we will be operational again in less than half a day."
In keeping with the requirements of banking and insurance regulations, but also to continually improve the system, Foyer and Sungard AS also put in place an annual trial procedure in order to test the recovery procedure.
Today, Foyer has a resilience and business continuity solution which allows it to be prepared for any types of disaster, whether that's a major crisis which could paralyse its offices for several days, or a minor incident which nonetheless affects business activities and therefore the quality of service to clients. Beyond its capacity to recover its IT systems, Foyer can now depend on a true emergency work environment, configured to be identical to the one at its own offices.
Every year, Foyer and Sungard AS perform a test under "real conditions" at their Munsbach recovery center. Either for one day or two depending on the situation, all of Foyer's businesses and services send their employees to Sungard AS site to act out real-life situations and verify that the system is fully operational and that it matches the required configuration.
Finally, as well as an annual test, Sungard AS guarantees that the recovery system for Foyer evolves with every update to its IT systems. Specific tests are carried out after each change. A recent example is Foyer's replacement of all 240 of its workstations in order to equip itself with the right tools to meet market standards.
The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency.
Foyer, the leading local insurance provider in Luxemburg, has turned to Sungard AS to put in place a highly resilient disaster recovery programme with the capability to restore operations within two hours of an incident.
Foyer Group wanted to implement a complete solution including a backup work environment with identical configuration, situated in a business recovery center close to its headquarters. From 2014, the decision to implement a business continuity plan was part of Foyer's move to pre-empt the Solvency 2 regulation, which made disaster recovery programmes mandatory for insurers.
Established in 1922, Foyer S.A is a key financial player in Luxemburg. Its endurance lies not only in the strength of its family ownership, but also the work of some 775 employees working in three countries and of the 660 workers in Luxemburg.
Foyer is the leading local provider of life and general insurance, operating in several European countries across three disciplines: insurance, planning and wealth management. Its extensive product range serves a client base of individuals, professionals and businesses.
As part of its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, the Foyer Group has also invested for a number of years in social and volunteering projects.
The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency.
The Foyer Group offers several services to its clients, including insurance (car, home, legal protection, planning, health, etc) and a number of high-end lifestyle services, such as wealth management solutions. In response to different regulations, Foyer wanted to strengthen its resilience and be well-prepared for the introduction of Solvency 2.
Beyond IT continuity considerations, Foyer was looking for a solution that would address the unavailability of its offices in the event of a disaster or an emergency. "The majority of disaster recovery plans are built on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. The building and the physical working environment are just as essential to the continuation of business activities. We therefore wanted to go further than classic disaster recovery plans, and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency," emphasised Paul Fohl, chief risk officer and executive committee member at Foyer.
"The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency."
Foyer turned to Sungard AS to build a backup plan which included:
As Luxembourg's biggest insurer, Foyer has more than 800 employees and many different business divisions. Sungard AS offered a solution that included a backup system at its Munsbach center, located less than 30 minutes by car from Foyer’s headquarters in Leudelange. Foyer has access to 240 shared spaces at Sungard AS recovery center, including 30 for its wealth management activities.
"During a major crisis, but also in case of a less serious incident such as a power cut in the building or the area, which could nonetheless interrupt our business for several hours, the backup system that we have in place at Sungard AS guarantees that our desks will be available at the recovery center in just a few hours" added Paul Fohl. "We chose shared positions in order to optimise our budget. In the event of the plan being triggered, these positions will be ready in two hours if they are available, and in four hours if a reconfiguration is needed. Either way, we will be operational again in less than half a day."
In keeping with the requirements of banking and insurance regulations, but also to continually improve the system, Foyer and Sungard AS also put in place an annual trial procedure in order to test the recovery procedure.
Today, Foyer has a resilience and business continuity solution which allows it to be prepared for any types of disaster, whether that's a major crisis which could paralyse its offices for several days, or a minor incident which nonetheless affects business activities and therefore the quality of service to clients. Beyond its capacity to recover its IT systems, Foyer can now depend on a true emergency work environment, configured to be identical to the one at its own offices.
Every year, Foyer and Sungard AS perform a test under "real conditions" at their Munsbach recovery center. Either for one day or two depending on the situation, all of Foyer's businesses and services send their employees to Sungard AS site to act out real-life situations and verify that the system is fully operational and that it matches the required configuration.
Finally, as well as an annual test, Sungard AS guarantees that the recovery system for Foyer evolves with every update to its IT systems. Specific tests are carried out after each change. A recent example is Foyer's replacement of all 240 of its workstations in order to equip itself with the right tools to meet market standards.
The majority of recovery plans are based on a set of procedures aimed at getting information systems up and running again. These are effectively IT recovery plans. We wanted to go further and put into place a complete system that included a real recovery center where we could be up and running in several hours in the event of an emergency.