Microsoft Server Product PortfolioCustomer Solution Case Study

Investment Company Strengthens Security and Performance of Critical Website

OverviewCountry or Region: JapanIndustry: Financial services—Pension, health, and welfare funds

Customer ProfileSompo Japan DC Securities (SJDC) offers end-to-end pension services for other companies’ employees. Founded in 1999, the Tokyo-based company was the first in Japan to specialize in this market.

Business SituationAnswerNet, the company’s customer-facing website, offered extensive administration and research services, but the system’s complex features and disparate IT components slowed performance and complicated security.

SolutionSJDC developed and deployed a new version of AnswerNet on the Microsoft platform. The solution includes robust security tools and a homogeneous environment for improved interoperability.

Benefits Faster performance Stronger security Mission-critical reliability Improved customer satisfaction Flexible development options

“By deploying Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008, we have improved our load distribution and achieved much faster processing speeds.”

Akihito Tamura, Deputy Section Manager, Information Systems Department, Sompo Japan DC Securities

Sompo Japan DC Securities (SJDC) contracts with other companies to provide their employees with pension plans. SJDC offers a variety of services and features on AnswerNet, its one-stop customer-facing website, but this complexity taxed the system’s disparate platform components. With its partner, Nihon Unisys, SJDC updated AnswerNet with the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 and deployed it on a platform that included Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008. The Microsoft platform’s performance-optimization features and strong scalability help the company better manage its website traffic, and security tools have improved the safety of participants’ sensitive financial data. Customer satisfaction has increased because of the website’s improved ease of use, and flexible development options will help SJDC adapt more cost-effectively to changing business needs.

SituationSompo Japan DC Securities (SJDC), a subsidiary of Sompo Japan Insurance, offers defined contribution pension plans—similar to 401(k) retirement savings accounts in the United States—for the employees of Japanese companies. SJDC, which was founded in 1999, was the first Japanese company to specialize in these pension plans, and it has remained a market leader ever since. The company, which is based in Tokyo, considers customer satisfaction to be its top priority; to demonstrate its commitment to protecting customer data, SJDC sought and obtained certification of its compliance with the ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management System standard.

SJDC provides end-to-end services related to defined contribution pension plans. The company purchases investment products, manages assets, provides educational services to employees of its customers, and maintains a website and a call center to help those employees view and manage their retirement investments.

Because defined contribution pension plans are relatively new in Japan, many of the people using the company’s services are participating in this form of investment for the first time. To reduce obstacles for these participants, SJDC has a strategy of delivering all services related to account management, investment purchases, financial analysis, and retirement planning through single points of contact, either at its call center or through its customer-facing website. “If our services were not bundled in this way, our participants would have to travel back and forth between different websites or make multiple calls to

companies we are partnered with,” says Kazuo Hayashida, Assistant General Manager of the SJDC Information Systems Department. “If we force new investors to leave the SJDC system, we lose control of the quality of services they encounter and increase the risk that they will become overwhelmed and give up on the process.”

The SJDC customer-facing website is called AnswerNet. As customer demands on AnswerNet increased, and as SJDC added new online services and functionalities, DCPARK, the IT platform that served as the website’s foundation, grew increasingly heterogeneous. As a result, the various components of the system did not always interoperate as effectively as possible, which slowed performance, hampered stability, and presented security challenges. Also, the main AnswerNet application was not language-agnostic, which complicated the development of new functionalities.

Akihito Tamura, Deputy Section Manager of the SJDC Information Systems Department, explains that his company cannot tolerate these problems in such a critical, customer-facing system. “If people are going to trust us with their retirement investments, they must be absolutely certain that our services will be available any time they are needed, and that our systems are capable of protecting sensitive personal financial information for the lifetime of the customer.”

SJDC needed an enterprise-ready platform that would improve the performance, reliability, and security of its AnswerNet service. The platform also had to be scalable and offer flexible expandability.

26

Kazuo Hayashida, Assistant General Manager, Information Systems Department and General Planning Department

Sompo Japan DC Securities Inc.

SolutionIn August 2009, Sompo Japan DC Securities began working with its partner, Nihon Unisys, to identify a new platform for an updated version of AnswerNet. After comparing various technologies, SJDC decided to deploy a platform based on the Windows Server 2008 operating system and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 data management software. The company also chose to develop the new version of AnswerNet on the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.

“Windows Server 2008 has outstanding capabilities as a server operating system, and it gives us peace of mind because it is compatible with so many security products and appliances,” says Tamura. “SQL Server 2008 is employed in the core systems of many banks, so there is no unease about it either.”

Development of the updated AnswerNet website and its underlying platform began in October 2009, and the new solution went live in July 2010. Customers interact with the solution through the AnswerNet web portal, which obtains data from both the company’s own SQL Server 2008 databases and from financial services companies that are SJDC partners. The servers underlying the solution use Windows Server 2008 as their operating system.

With SQL Server 2008, SJDC has access to a robust database engine that optimizes the performance of large relational databases and complex queries. A query processing engine analyzes statistics about volumes, indexes, and key selectivity to maximize efficiency. Dynamic caching and native support for data compression reduce the

amount of physical disk access that is necessary for modifying or retrieving data, which improves processing speed by reducing disk input/output. Tools such as the SQL Server Profiler and the Database Engine Tuning Advisor help generate and execute recommendations for optimizing application performance.

The solution is also highly scalable. If SJDC needs to scale up servers in the future, as many as 50 SQL Server 2008 instances can be installed on a single server without reducing performance. And because administrators can install copies of read-only databases on multiple reporting servers, SJDC can more easily scale out even very large databases without negatively affecting page-load times or other aspects of the user experience.

SQL Server 2008 also gives SJDC access to a range of security tools. Policy-based management provides administrators with centralized monitoring and control of companywide security policies, and data can be encrypted without modifying any connected applications. Windows Update automatically applies new SQL Server 2008 updates to reduce vulnerabilities to known threats.

On the updated AnswerNet website, users can access all of their account information, make new purchases and investments, and obtain financial analyses. The application pulls data both from the company’s own servers and from investment companies that SJDC partners with. The user interface includes detailed graphs and charts that are customized to show the performance of each individual user’s investment portfolio. The redesigned interface is more intuitive

36

Akihito Tamura, Deputy Section Manager, Information Systems Department

AnswerNet, a web-based service with a unified design for participants

and includes Help screens and other support features to help inexperienced investors understand their options. The new version of AnswerNet was built on the .NET Framework, so it complies with the Common Language Infrastructure standard and is compatible with multiple programming languages. As a result, SJDC will have more flexibility in the future when it develops new features and functionalities.

During the development and deployment process, SJDC benefited from the expertise of its partner. “Nihon Unisys has a proven track record of developing financial systems in collaboration with Microsoft,” says Tamura. “And it kept in close contact with Microsoft to quickly resolve any problems.”

BenefitsBy developing and deploying its updated AnswerNet website on the Microsoft platform, Sompo Japan DC Securities has improved system performance and website responsiveness. The company is better able to provide high levels of security for its customers’ sensitive financial information and high levels of reliability that are vital for a mission-critical system like AnswerNet. Customer satisfaction is even stronger, and SJDC has the flexibility to make future development decisions based on business needs, not technical limitations.

Faster PerformanceThe new solution has resulted in significant performance gains that improve the AnswerNet system’s current functioning and prepare it for ongoing growth. “By deploying Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008, we have improved our load

distribution and achieved much faster processing speeds,” says Tamura. “As a result, we are in a strong position to scale up as our user base continues to expand.”

Also, because AnswerNet is now based entirely on a Microsoft infrastructure, the component technologies interoperate more efficiently. “With a solution on the Microsoft platform, we are able to complete complex financial calculations more quickly than was possible in our previous mixed environment,” says Tamura. “One result is that the graphs and charts showing the performance of each customer’s investments load much faster than before, improving the user experience.”

Stronger SecurityWith the Microsoft solution, SJDC has further strengthened the security of its AnswerNet system. “We store our customers’ personal financial information for decades, so security is our first concern,” says Tamura. “Because Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 interoperate so well, it was easier for us to provide a more secure environment for customer data.”

The improved security measures also helped strengthen the company’s reputation as a trustworthy guardian of its customers’ sensitive information. “With the security features available on the Microsoft platform, we were able to demonstrate compliance with national information-security and privacy standards,” says Tamura. “These certifications tell our customers that we are taking significant measures to protect their data.”

46

“Because Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 interoperate so well, it was easier for us to provide a more secure environment for customer data.”Akihito Tamura, Deputy Section Manager, Information Systems Department, Sompo

Japan DC Securities

Ai Komaki, Information Systems Department

Mission-Critical ReliabilityBy increasing its reliance on Microsoft technologies, SJDC is better able to achieve its high-reliability requirements. “We consider our customer-facing web services to be absolutely critical, so we require a system that never stops,” says Ai Komaki, a member of the company’s Information Systems Department. “We have had no problems at all since we deployed the Microsoft platform, despite the large increase in traffic.”

Komaki is glad to have easy access to the resources she needs to maintain the new solution’s high level of stability. “Because of the widespread adoption of SQL Server and other Microsoft technologies in Japan, there is a large pool of skilled technicians who can support these technologies,” she explains.

Improved Customer SatisfactionBecause the improved AnswerNet website is easier to use, SJDC is seeing greatly increased traffic. “We have been offering web-based services longer than any other Japanese companies in our industry, and we have a strong reputation for ease of use,” says Komaki. “The new website, based on the .NET Framework 3.5, is even more intuitive and easy to use, even for users who are unfamiliar with these investment products. As a result, our web services are as important a customer contact point as our call center.”

For the IT department, the new solution represents a strong contribution to the overall company goal of strengthening customer relationships. “The customer-facing side of our company works hard to provide service that exceeds our customers’

expectations,” says Toshiyuki Fujita, Lead Department Manager in the SJDC Information Systems Department. “Now, by deploying the updated version of AnswerNet on the Microsoft platform, the IT department is helping to support strong customer service by delivering the reliability, security, and ease of use that is vital for earning and keeping our customers’ trust.”

Flexible Development OptionsBy basing the new version of AnswerNet on the .NET Framework 3.5, SJDC can more easily adapt the solution to future business needs. “Because we used the .NET Framework, our system is not tied to a specific computer language,” says Tamura. “As a result, future development is not restricted by the operating system, which will make it simpler and more cost-effective to add new functionality while continuing to maximize the benefits of our current investment.”

Fujita concludes, “The success of our business is inextricably tied to the technologies we use. With the Microsoft platform, I know I don’t have to worry about the functioning of this mission-critical system.”

56

“With the Microsoft platform, I know I don’t have to worry about the functioning of this mission-critical system.”

Toshiyuki Fujita, Lead Department Manager, Information Systems

Department, Sompo Japan DC Securities

Toshiyuki Fujita, Lead Department Manager, Information Systems Department

Microsoft Server Product PortfolioFor more information about the Microsoft server product portfolio, go to:www.microsoft.com/servers

66

For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Nihon Unisys products and services, call 03-5546-4111 or visit the website at: www.unisys.co.jp

For more information about Sompo Japan DC Securities products and services, call 03-5326-1417 or visit the website at: www.sjdc.co.jp

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published May 2011

Software and Services Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Windows Server 2008 Enterprise− Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise

Technologies− Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5

Partners Nihon Unisys

Hardware HP ProLiant server computers