Disaster Recovery Automation for Leading US Insurance Provider

Client

A major US-based insurance organization, managing approximately 200 mission-critical applications across a dual data center architecture, sought to modernize its disaster recovery automation capabilities through advanced business continuity solutions. The client operated a complex hybrid IT infrastructure with applications spanning multiple architectural patterns, requiring robust measures to meet regulatory compliance and minimize operational disruption during disaster recovery events.

Challenge

Legacy Systems Creating Critical Vulnerabilities

The client’s disaster recovery operations were severely constrained by their dependence on IBM Resiliency Orchestrator, creating multiple operational and strategic challenges:

Operational Impact:

• Extended downtime: Planned DR drills required approximately 24 hours to complete, causing substantial business disruption and limiting testing frequency.
• Slow incident resolution: Despite 30-minute response times for Severity 1 incidents, average resolution took 4-5 days, creating unacceptable risk during critical scenarios.
• Delayed modernization: Certifying new OS or database versions required 3-6 months, significantly hindering infrastructure upgrades.

Strategic Limitations:

• IBM RO was not compliant with the latest technology stack, preventing the adoption of modern infrastructure capabilities.
• Limited support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments restricted the client’s cloud strategy.
• Architecture gaps meant clusterless SQL database configurations couldn’t be automated through automated failover systems, excluding significant portions of the application portfolio.
• The organization needed a modern, flexible solution to dramatically reduce DR execution time, support their complete application portfolio, and enable rapid technology adoption.

Solution

Intelligent Automation Powered by Ansible

Hexaware designed and implemented a comprehensive migration from IBM Resiliency Orchestrator to Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, creating a disaster-recovery-as-a-service solution tailored to the client’s complex requirements.

Core Solution Architecture:

Three-Playbook Framework: Hexaware developed dedicated playbooks for each of the ~200 applications covering three distinct DR scenarios:

• Switchover Playbooks: Enable planned, controlled transitions from primary to secondary data center during maintenance or testing with graceful service shutdown, orderly database switchover, and automated validation.
• Switchback Playbooks: Facilitate seamless return to primary operations after planned events, mirroring the switchover process to ensure consistent operations.
• Failover Playbooks: Provide emergency recovery when the primary data center is completely unavailable, activating database replicas and routing updates automatically.

Key Technical Capabilities:

• One-click execution for all DR scenarios across a dual data center topology
• Git-based version control integration for maintainable, auditable procedures
• Centralized logging and reporting with complete audit trails
• Standardized templates enabling rapid onboarding of new applications
• Compliance automation capabilities, ensuring regulatory requirements are consistently met

Benefits

Transformational Business Impact

Operational Excellence:

• 75-85% faster DR execution: DR drill duration reduced from ~24 hours to just a few hours
• Enhanced testing frequency: Simplified operations enable regular DR tests with minimal effort
• Complete coverage: All ~200 applications protected with automated, version-controlled playbooks

Strategic Advantages:

• Cost optimization: Reduced licensing costs compared to IBM Resiliency Orchestrator
• Future-ready infrastructure: Support for hybrid IT infrastructure and multi-cloud environments enables a cloud adoption strategy
• Accelerated modernization: Rapid certification of new OS and database versions without 3-6 month delays
• Scalability: Standardized playbook templates allow easy onboarding of new applications

Governance & Compliance:

• Audit readiness: Version-controlled, auditable DR procedures support regulatory requirements
• Enhanced visibility: Centralized reporting provides complete operational transparency
• Risk mitigation strategies: Frequent, low-impact testing validates business continuity capabilities

Summary

Hexaware-enabled Ansible Automation Platform migration transformed the client’s disaster recovery from an operational liability into a strategic asset. The solution delivered an 85% reduction in DR drill time, automated 200 applications with a three-playbook framework, and eliminated modernization bottlenecks. Git-based version control ensures maintainability and auditability at scale, while standardized templates position the organization to extend automation capabilities across additional infrastructure domains.

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