Azure Migration Costs for Insurance SMEs: Devon Case Study
Real-world Azure migration costs, timeline, and ROI analysis from a Devon insurance brokerage. Detailed breakdown of all phases, compliance requirements, and actual savings achieved.
Case Study Overview
Complete Azure migration for a Devon-based insurance brokerage
About the Company
Devon & Cornwall Insurance Services is a 95-person independent insurance brokerage based in Exeter, Devon. They provide comprehensive insurance services to SMEs across the South West, running legacy policy management systems, on-premise servers, and facing regulatory compliance challenges with aging IT infrastructure.
Complete Cost Breakdown
Detailed breakdown of all migration phases and associated costs
Assessment & Planning
Duration: 5 weeks
Infrastructure audit, compliance requirements assessment, data classification, migration strategy
Azure Environment Setup
Duration: 3 weeks
Azure tenant with enhanced security, compliance configurations, backup systems, regulatory controls
Application Migration
Duration: 16 weeks
Policy management system, claims processing, CRM, document management, telephony integration
Training & Support
Duration: 6 weeks
Staff training, compliance documentation, knowledge transfer, regulatory reporting setup
Ongoing Costs (Year 1)
Duration: 12 months
Azure consumption, enhanced security monitoring, compliance tools, ongoing support
Total Project Investment
Including all migration phases, setup costs, training, and first year of operation
Monthly Operating Costs
Ongoing Azure costs after migration completion
Virtual Machines (5x Standard D2s v3)
Policy management, claims processing, and telephony servers
Azure SQL Database Premium
Customer data, policy records, claims database with enhanced security
Storage & Document Management
Policy documents, claims files, compliance records, secure archives
Microsoft 365 E3 Licenses
95 user licences with advanced compliance and security features
Enhanced Security & Compliance
Azure Security Center Premium, Sentinel SIEM, compliance monitoring
Network & VPN Connectivity
Site-to-site VPN, load balancers, bandwidth for remote workers
Total Monthly Operating Cost
Compared to £5,200/month for previous on-premise infrastructure
Measured ROI & Benefits
Quantified improvements achieved after Azure migration
IT Infrastructure Costs
Claims Processing Time
System Availability
Data Security Incidents
Migration Timeline & Phases
9-month structured approach to complete Azure migration with enhanced security
Discovery & Compliance Assessment
Weeks 1-5
Design & Security Planning
Weeks 6-8
Pilot Migration & Testing
Weeks 9-14
Production Migration
Weeks 15-28
Optimization & Compliance
Weeks 29-36
Key Lessons Learned
Critical insights from the migration that can help other SMEs
1Regulatory Compliance Planning Critical
FCA compliance requirements needed detailed planning. Engaging compliance specialists early prevented delays and ensured all regulatory requirements were met from day one.
2Legacy Policy System Integration
20-year-old policy management system required custom API development. Budget extra time for legacy system integration in insurance environments.
3Claims Processing Continuity
Maintaining 24/7 claims processing during migration was essential. Phased approach with failback capability prevented any customer service disruption.
4Data Security Investment Pays Off
Enhanced security measures cost 25% more but prevented potential £2M+ regulatory fines. Security investment in insurance is non-negotiable.
Migration Results Summary
"The Azure migration has revolutionized our insurance operations. Enhanced security gives us and our clients confidence, claims processing is 46% faster, and we've achieved significant cost savings. The compliance features alone justified the investment, and we're now exploring AI capabilities to further improve customer service."