More Machines, More Problems: How Automation saved this Insuretech Pioneer
Insuretech is the future of insurance and we are in WeSure, are at its forefront. Being a tech-heavy insurance company, means handling sensitive information, with extremely short response times, and the need to prevent the loss of any critical information. This problem escalates when it comes to backing up sensitive data on the cloud, which is where we utilized our specialties to meet the business demands, as part of our ongoing architecture and DevOps services.
Aspiring to lead the Insuretech Revolution
WeSure is Israel’s first digital insurance company. The company develops a digital insurance platform which is highly advanced, yet easy to use. The company aims to lead the insuretech revolution in Israel and worldwide by creating an agile, end-to-end digital insurance company, based on the newest technology, while maintaining maximum efficiency, flexibility, and transparency.
Using Azure cloud services has freed the company from being dependent on physical servers, managing operating systems and maintaining platforms such as databases and app servers. By using the cloud, WeSure can focus on the insurance itself and provide its customers with faster, more efficient service.
The Problem: Too Many Machines
WeSure works with a copious amount of Virtual Machines (VMs), which are replicated using the Azure Site Recovery (ASR) service, and backed up using the recovery service mode.
After the backup and replication, each VM needs to be checked in order to ensure it was successful. This is a daunting, manual process, which requires the inspection of each individual vault. Aside from being rigorous, this method also had plenty of room for error. It was impossible to quickly distinguish which machine was successfully replicated if replication was necessary for a certain machine in the first place and if machines that needed deletion were deleted.
For an insuretech company, getting real-time, accurate and relevant data is paramount for smooth operation. The existing situation was unbearable since WeSure was unable to efficiently track and monitor the status of each backup.
The Solution: All of the Information in one Place
We needed to create a solution that will present only relevant information and will provide clear visibility for the status of each machine and the entire environment.
To meet WeSure’s business requirements, we created a daily automation process, operating as a runbook using Azure’s Automation Account service. With Azure PowerShell, the automation connects to each Recovery Service Vault (RSV) and collects the data from all of the backups and replications in the environment, including machine names, backup status etc.
The automation then creates Excel sheets containing objects for backup and replication, which are filtered using an imported PowerShell module. A SendGrid account delivers a summary email once a day using an automation account scheduler.
The end result is a single daily report that gives WeSure IT & Business – everything they need to know about their VM backup process, including exact data regarding each machine’s status. The report is an efficient and elegant solution, which presents all data accurately and in one place.
