Superannuation Fund’s Journey to Becoming a Data-Driven Organisation

One of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, with over $150 billion in funds under management and more than one million members, is dedicated to providing sustainable, long-term returns. Facing increased competition and a need for enhanced member services, the fund realised it needed to modernise its data infrastructure to stay ahead of the competition and improve operational efficiency.

The opportunity

The fund’s existing data platform, developed by an external vendor, was not integrated with their internal networks and had become outdated and inefficient, resulting in delays and manual data retrieval. Weekly data updates took over 24 hours, with the reporting solution being inaccessible while processing took place.

The organisation primarily managed and shared data using Excel spreadsheets, leading to inconsistent reporting across departments and introducing considerable security vulnerabilities.

With looming mergers and acquisitions on the horizon, the fund needed a modern, scalable, and secure platform to consolidate its data, streamline operations, improve decision-making, and enhance customer engagement.

The solution

The fund partnered with Altis to design and implement a modern data platform using Snowflake and Microsoft Azure. Altis brought in its extensive data expertise, using the Altida Data Load Accelerator to automate data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes. This streamlined data integration from various systems, improving data accuracy and eliminating manual efforts.

A data vault layer seamlessly integrated data from various sources into an enterprise data model. This rapid processing and consolidation of data across brands was particularly crucial given the upcoming mergers and acquisitions. Finally, the data was transformed into dimensional models for consumption across the organisation.

A key benefit of the new platform is its scalability. The Altida framework rapidly integrates data from multiple sources, centralising the fund’s data into a unified architecture. This provided a single view of the fund across its multiple brands and a comprehensive profile of its members.

Altis provided more than just a technical solution. Their strategic insights and business-driven approach helped the fund modernise its data infrastructure while addressing future challenges, such as improving member experience and reducing the complexity of mergers and acquisitions.

The outcome

The modernised data platform delivered by Altis Consulting had a transformative impact on the fund:

• The platform reduced data processing time from 24 hours to just a few hours, enabling faster reporting and more accurate business insights.
• The platform’s flexibility allowed for seamless integration of data from new funds, ensuring smooth transitions during mergers and acquisitions.
• The organisation achieved significant cost reductions by decommissioning outdated systems
  and leveraging the efficiencies of a cloud-native, automated solution.
• The 360° member view enhanced the member experience by enabling more personalised and timely communication while proactively engaging members at risk of leaving the fund.

The platform improved decision-making through more accurate and reliable data while also enhancing
customer engagement by delivering a seamless, datadriven experience for members.

The success of the solution enabled Altis to remain a trusted partner upon completion of the project. This involved providing ongoing leadership in the areas of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, further driving operational efficiencies and enhancing member services.

Platform architecture

Altis' advantages

1. Altida Data Load Accelerator: Altis’ proprietary prebuilt framework drastically reduces the time needed for data extraction and processing, providing faster insights and greater business agility.
2. Proven Expertise: With extensive experience in largescale data transformations, Altis guided the fund through system consolidation and large-scale data migrations.
3. Scalability and Flexibility: The platform’s design allows for future growth, mergers, and acquisitions, ensuring a sustainable, long-term solution.
4. Security and Compliance Leadership: Altis implemented best-practice security controls, ensuring data privacy and regulatory compliance through the use of Azure and Snowflake technologies.

Services used

• Snowflake on Azure for centralised data storage and disaster recovery
• ALTIDA Data Load Accelerator for automated data processing and transformation
• Azure Data Factory for orchestration and management of data workflows
• Power BI for reporting and visualisations
• Azure DevOps and Flyway for code management and automated deployments