Gen Re Delivers 30 Applications in Nine Months With New High-Performance Dev Team
Leading reinsurer Gen Re faced the challenge of retiring a complex IT architecture that included custom-developed software, packaged applications, and a legacy of Lotus Notes apps. To achieve large-scale modernization, Gen Re decided to adopt OutSystems and assembled a high-performance development team. In an impressive efficiency display, this team successfully delivered 30 applications within the first nine months. As a result, Gen Re now possesses the agility required to rapidly deploy strategic systems, both internally and for customers, surpassing previous delivery speeds.
30 Apps
delivered in 9 months
4 months
to deliver first app after dev team
onboarding and training
Integration
with multiple systems, including Azure Active Directory for authentication and authorization, Office 365, Documentum, RPA (Automation Anywhere), SAP, Dynamics 365
Escape Technical Debt and Improve Agility
Gen Re had a varied technology landscape built over many years. Legacy systems included mainframe apps, Lotus Notes apps, and various process automation technologies. Alongside these, the company had packaged software products and in-house Cloud applications running on Microsoft Azure. The company wanted to reduce technical debt, speed up development, and break down the silos between applications, that in some cases, led to the rekeying of duplicative data.
A Foundation of Reusable Components Pays Dividends
Having selected OutSystems, Gen Re onboarded its development team, and rather than rushing full speed at its development backlog, they spent the first three months defining a reference architecture and establishing a foundation of reusable modules.
The first wave of applications went live on time and on scope in September 2021. In the next wave, Gen Re onboarded more complex applications and delivered them successfully in January 2022. A third wave of applications followed, including complex, business-critical, and time-sensitive projects, which the team also delivered on scope in March 2022.
Now that Gen Re’s development team has reached its racing stride, they’re delivering apps for multiple use cases, including:
Process improvement and innovation—service requests, decision and approval workflows, Office 365 integration
Internal-facing business-critical apps—SAP integration, invoice and payment requests, complex workflows, and process automation
External-facing business-critical apps—process incoming customer requests, pricing algorithms, and quote automation.
A Roadmap to Technical Debt Reduction and Modernization at Scale
Gen Re's development team has embraced low-code development with OutSystems and is experiencing significant benefits. Developers are delighted with OutSystems as it provides a consistent development approach across various layers, including front-end UI/UX, back-end services, and API integration. Leveraging OutSystems, Gen Re's team has successfully delivered apps for multiple use cases, including process improvement, internal-facing business-critical, and external-facing business-critical apps. Gen Re has substantially saved support and infrastructure costs by integrating various systems and retiring outdated applications like Lotus Notes. With a roadmap to reduce technical debt, the team now delivers applications in weeks instead of months or years. Low-code development with OutSystems has empowered Gen Re to modernize at scale, simplify their application landscape, and improve business agility through faster feedback loops and agile development processes.
