AI-driven, zero trust network yields business agility for AmeriTrust

AmeriTrust, a specialty insurance commercial underwriter and administration services company, looked to digital transformation to fuel growth. It embarked on an ambitious effort to streamline IT operations, strengthen cybersecurity, and drive business success in an unpredictable and changing world.

Overview


Company AmeriTrust
Industry Financial Services
Products used Wireless Access PointsWireless (Wi-Fi) AssuranceWired AssuranceSession Smart RouterSRX SeriesJuniper ApstraQFX SeriesMX Series
Region Americas
AmeriTrust Image
Customer Success At-a-glance

Deliver

Exceptional user and device experiences from campus to core

Meet

Stringent performance, security, and availability requirements with application-aware fabric

Secure

Applications with a zero trust data center architecture

Simplify

Design, deployment, and operations of data center network

Challenge

IT simplification lays foundation for growth

“We set objectives and key results around IT modernization from the data center to the office,” says Brent Riley, senior vice president of IT at AmeriTrust. “We wanted to simplify operations and put security first and foremost by following a zero trust framework.”

A zero trust framework can help AmeriTrust protect against cyberattacks and uphold data privacy mandates as it provides commercial, group health, specialty, and personal insurance services to customers.

A threat-aware network is essential to sustain a work-from-anywhere environment, which the company views as a strategic advantage in a competitive job market. “Hybrid work allows us to recruit talent nationwide,” says Riley.

As AmeriTrust set a course to IT modernization, it looked to AI and automation to simplify network operations and meet security objectives.

“We use AI in other areas of our business, and we wanted to apply AI to our infrastructure as we aim to deliver more value and accelerate time to market,” says Brennen Erickson, assistant vice president of enterprise architecture at AmeriTrust.

AmeriTrust Challenge
Solution

React faster and make better decisions with AIOps

AmeriTrust deployed a secure, AI-driven network from Juniper for its offices, data centers, and enterprise WAN, driving operational simplicity and strengthening security.

AmeriTrust took its enterprise WAN to the next level with the Juniper Session Smart Router for an application-aware network fabric that meets its performance, security, and availability requirements. It can deliver an optimized, secure user experience with zero trust access control and segmentation.

Juniper next-generation firewalls (NGFW) provide visibility, control, and prevention at the network edge. Combined with behavior and real-time threat detection, Juniper NGFW safeguards AmeriTrust’s users, applications, and devices.

AmeriTrust shifted to an IP fabric and EVPN-VXLAN in its data centers to provide employees with anytime, anywhere access to applications and data. Juniper Apstra intent-based networking software is key to automate and continuously validate the network design, reduce deployment time, and resolve problems faster.

Juniper Wired and Wireless Access solution, driven by Mist AI™, delivers predictable, reliable, and measurable connectivity at AmeriTrust’s offices. Juniper cloud services, including Wi-Fi Assurance, Wired Assurance, and Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, provide clear visibility into the user experience and speed troubleshooting when issues arise.

AmeriTrust Solution
Outcome

Sustainable growth in a changing world

“We’re laying a solid foundation for improved resiliency and customer experiences,” says Erickson.

Juniper’s AI-driven automation and assurance capabilities support efficient and flexible IT service delivery. “Having Mist AI and automation in our environment helps us react more quickly, make better decisions, and speed service delivery to our business stakeholders,” says Erickson.

AIOps frees up IT resources for strategic initiatives. “With the visibility of Mist AI, we can better prioritize our work and work at a faster cadence,” says Riley.

“Simplifying our infrastructure also makes it easier to integrate future mergers and acquisitions,” says Erickson.

Network modernization with Juniper brings agility for future unknowns, with the first test coming soon. In May 2022, AF Group, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan, announced plans to acquire AmeriTrust upon fulfillment of certain conditions and regulatory approvals. 

AmeriTrust Outcome
“Juniper’s connected security approach helps us implement a zero trust framework from a network perspective. With different industry- and state-level security regulations, including New York and California, we want to make sure we do everything we can to protect our customers and data.”
Brent Riley Senior Vice President of IT, AmeriTrust

Published September 2022