Tackling the challenge of relying on that one person who built it all
Along with the finance industry, insurance companies are the OGs when it comes to utilizing data across their organization. Basically, their whole business revolves around it. Gjensidige is no exception. Regardless of their experience, they faced a common but equally complex challenge: unlocking the full potential of their data while ensuring operational efficiency and seamless collaboration across their business units. To stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry, Gjensidige needed a modern, scalable data platform that could handle their growing data needs and support advanced AI applications.
Breaking free from legacy systems
Before partnering with Databricks, Gjensidige’s data infrastructure was fragmented and overly reliant on legacy, on-premises systems. Even though they had a high-quality data warehouse from which the teams could run analytics, the previous analytics solution was fragmented by design and teams had a hard time knowing what others were up to. Since implementing the Databricks solution, teams have been able to work together more effectively.
“Enabling the development of distributed data products alongside the data warehouse has been fantastic for us because both analysts and data engineers can now work on the same tech stack,” Alexandra Diem, Head of AI and Machine Learning Operations at Gjensidige, said.
Building a more solid foundation
By migrating to the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, Gjensidige has significantly improved their ability to democratize data and foster collaboration across their teams. “Databricks has enabled us to break down data silos across the company,” Alexandra said. With Databricks, Gjensidige has created a unified data platform that allows data scientists, engineers and analysts to work together seamlessly, using the same tools and infrastructure.
One of the key successes of this transformation has been the implementation of a new, rule-based engine for the company’s commercial renewal process. Previously, this critical system relied on complex scripts managed by a single individual. If that person were to leave the company, Gjensidige faced the risk of losing access to a vital business function. However, with Databricks, the company was able to quickly rebuild the system using a modern architecture, ensuring that future maintenance and updates could be handled by a broader team.
Gjensidige has also leveraged Databricks to implement cutting-edge AI applications, including real-time marketing actions and generative AI technologies such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG). These tools have helped the company improve customer engagement, enhance cross-selling efforts and optimize their AI models for better decision-making.
Developing and deploying AI models in hours, not weeks
The impact of Databricks on Gjensidige’s operations has been significant. With Databricks, Gjensidige has reduced the time it takes to develop and deploy AI models. Tasks that previously took days or weeks to complete can now be finished in just a few hours, thanks to the platform’s powerful automation and collaboration capabilities.
The company has also seen a marked improvement in their ability to share and reuse data products across teams. “Now, data engineers, data scientists and analysts are working with the same tech stack, allowing us to easily share solutions across the organization,” Alexandra said. This new culture of collaboration has enabled Gjensidige to replicate successful use cases from one team to another, driving faster innovation and ensuring that the company can continue to deliver the best possible services to their customers.
As Gjensidige continues to expand their AI capabilities, the company is focused on leveraging the full power of Databricks to unlock new insights and opportunities. Generative AI, in particular, is seen as a game changer for the insurance industry. “With generative AI, we’re able to analyze and leverage data like text, images and voice in ways we couldn’t before,” Alexandra said. “It’s helping us solve problems faster and more efficiently, and it’s opening up entirely new possibilities for our business.”