AEGON improves the efficiency of its sales operation with mobility solution

Customer challenge

The efficiency and flexibility of AEGON's sales force is key to the future success of the business. With its sales teams increasingly working away from the office, AEGON needed to ensure quick and easy access to key applications from remote locations. This need to increase mobility, however, had to be balanced with security, which is essential for maintaining regulatory compliance and reducing risk.

Computacenter solution

A secure and effective remote access solution has been created using a virtual private network, two-factor user recognition and personal laptop firewalls. As a result, sales staff can now access the AEGON network using 3G, Wi-Fi or broadband connections, which are at least seven times faster than the dial-up method. To ensure the availability of the new solution, Computacenter is providing ongoing support and management.

Results

By increasing the mobility of its sales force, AEGON has enabled the team to spend more time selling and meet their targets, which are essential for sustaining growth and profitability. At the same time AEGON has been able to minimise security risks and continues to comply with key regulations. By enabling remote working, AEGON is also able to reduce the travel that was formerly required to access essential systems, therefore reducing its environmental impact.

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Customer profile

Building strong financial futures
AEGON is one of the world's largest life insurance and pension companies. Its businesses serve millions of customers in over 20 markets throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. The UK is one of the group's major locations with more than 4,500 employees.

AEGON is very much focused on the future and on reshaping its business to respond to the needs of its two million UK customers. The company is committed to helping these individual and corporate customers build strong financial futures while at the same time continuing to grow a profitable business.

Business challenge

Mobilising the sales force
Following a strategic decision by the Sales Division to restructure the branch network, the sales teams have become increasingly mobile and as a result, they need to be able to access core applications and data while working remotely – whether they are at home, a customer's site, hotel room or airport lounge.

Although AEGON had an existing remote access solution, this no longer met the needs of the sales community and was hindering them from meeting their targets. As Sandra Tuddenham, Head of IT, AEGON UK, explains: "Remote access to applications was based on a dial-up connection which was very slow. We needed to provide an IT solution that would empower the sales force and help them meet their objectives."

Security was also a key concern for AEGON, which is subject to both international and national laws – such as Sarbanes-Oxley and the Data Protection Act – as well as regulations laid down by UK's Financial Services Authority.

"At the same time as increasing the flexibility of our sales force, we had to ensure that customer and corporate data was protected," comments Sandra. "Allowing staff to access applications through public Wi-Fi hotspots could expose the AEGON network to malicious activity. We had to minimise these vulnerabilities and the business risk inherent with remote access solutions."

In addition to enabling Wi-Fi access, AEGON also wanted to equip its sales force with home broadband and 3G connectivity options.

Computacenter solution

Secure and high-speed remote access to applications
To help develop, implement and manage the new mobility solution, AEGON engaged with existing IT partner, Computacenter. The company was already responsible for the management of AEGON's 5,000 desktops and laptops under a long-standing managed services contract and had the technical expertise needed to deliver the project. "We wanted to leverage Computacenter's mobility and security experience to ensure a professional and efficient deployment," comments Sandra.

Although AEGON had specific access and security requirements, the design of the new solution was devised by Computacenter. The chosen technologies and architecture were strongly influenced by the need to protect AEGON's network from being penetrated by unauthorised individuals or devices.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) based on Check Point software forms the foundations of the mobility solution, along with three HP servers. Although the VPN gateway enables AEGON to encrypt the remote link to a sales person's laptop, it also needed to be able to authenticate individual users and devices.
Andrew Colliar, a Computacenter Project Manager, comments: "To reduce the security risks, we deployed a two-factor authentication model and equipped the sales teams' laptops with personal firewalls. As well as confirming a device is registered with AEGON, Check Point Integrity will also detect if a laptop is missing any security patches or antivirus definitions. If the integrity checks fail, a laptop is only permitted limited access to the AEGON network. This access is sufficient to allow remediation to take place without compromising the security of the AEGON corporate network."

User authentication is based on a PIN and unique token from a personal RSA key fob, which changes every 60 seconds. Susan Shivji, Head of IT Programme Management at AEGON, comments: "The security infrastructure implemented by Computacenter has helped us ensure that the mobility solution adheres to our own internal policies as well as those set down by external parties."

The solution was piloted by 30 members of the sales team before a full roll-out. To help ensure the 350-strong sales force took rapid advantage of the new technology, AEGON and Computacenter carried out a series of user seminars. As Susan explains: "We wanted to ensure that the sales team could gain maximum benefit from the solution – and understand the potential limitations around connectivity in some locations. This customer-focused approach was very successful and helped to ensure a good uptake and return on investment."

Results

Increased flexibility helps sales team meet their targets
Connecting to the corporate network from a remote location is now much faster. In the majority of locations across the UK, AEGON's sales force has access to a link that is seven times faster than dial-up, which makes it much easier to access key applications including email, the company's sales contact database and expenses system. This improved accessibility has helped to:

Increase customer service: Sales people can now access information from the company's extranet while on-site with their customers. They can also follow-up on meeting actions much more quickly, which improves the quality and speed of customer service.

Enhance efficiency: AEGON's sales force now has the flexibility to work from any location, which means they are less reliant on physical access to an office. Time spent travelling can be maximised as staff can take advantage of public wireless hotspots across the UK.

Boost staff satisfaction: Surveys carried out by AEGON have demonstrated that the solution has improved the work/life balance for its sales force, which influences morale.

Reduce environmental impact: By facilitating remote working, AEGON can reduce the additional travel that was previously necessary to access systems, therefore lessening its impact on the environment.

All these factors mean that the company's sales staff can spend more time on their core activity: selling more AEGON products and services. "Based on our sales performance this year, the mobility solution is helping the team attain their targets," comments Sandra.

With the solution now being viewed as a critical service within the business, AEGON needs to ensure that it remains available and future-proofed – both in terms of new security risks and mobile technologies. Ongoing responsibility for management of the solution has been incorporated in Computacenter's existing managed service.

"If the availability of the solution is compromised, it could have a significant impact on the business," comments Susan. "As well as managing the mobility platform on a day-to-day basis, Computacenter is responsible for the strategic direction of the solution and for enhancing its architecture to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the sales team."

The success of the sales force implementation has led AEGON to extend the solution to some of the company's asset management team. "Computacenter has developed a secure and scalable solution that will support our current and future mobility needs," comments Sandra. "The flexibility and efficiency of our sales team is critical to the business, and by providing them with improved mobile access, we have increased our competitive edge."