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The new insurance group Mensura was formed in May 2007 in the wake of the merger of Assubel and Apra, bringing together several entities specialising in work-related accident prevention, insurance and assistance. The merger of the workplace accident business of Assubel and Apra would inevitably have an effect on the group’s requirements in terms of IT. Mensura has entrusted Telindus Belgacom ICT with its entire IT and telecommunications infrastructure. The 6-year contract will enable Mensura to implement its growth strategy based firmly on a robust, secure and future proof environment.

The challenge: flexible outsourcing to support growth

For years, Assubel’s computer systems, except for development, had been satisfactorily managed by the AGF Group. Leaving the AGF Group meant that Assubel had become independent in terms of IT and that its systems needed to be completely redesigned - switching from a mainframe environment to a Unix environment. In 2005, alongside the planned merger with Apra, which had its own IT department, a specification was drawn up with a view to outsourcing all IT, with the exception of development work, which was seen as critical. Compiled with the help of Comparex in the role of consultant, the tender process ended in June 2006 with the choice of Telindus-Belgacom (from 7 candidates) as the company who would take charge of all the IT for insurance activities. This decision to fully outsource was motivated by Mensura’s wish to concentrate its efforts on its core activities. The company also needed IT for the whole of its group. To achieve this internally at a professional level, a disproportionate amount of investment would have been needed. Mensura was therefore looking for and found a strong partnership that could support the company’s growth in business based on structured and long-term cooperation.

Belgacom solution: extremely stringent SLAs

After several months of negotiations for fine-tuning, Mensura concluded a 6 year global outsourcing contract with Telindus-Belgacom. The initial investment/set-up costs for the scheme amounted to 500,000 euros with 2.7 million euros per year for services. The contract includes, among other things, a service desk, hosting of business and technical applications (including storage solutions and infrastructure management), networks (LAN, WAN, IP telephony), security, change management and IT governance. Deployment is based on the Telindus Object-If methodology. This global outsourcing solution matches up perfectly with Mensura’s business objectives and their development. It concentrates on the 4 key themes of technology, human resources, processes and cost control. Services are provided on the basis of extremely stringent SLAs (Service Level Agreements). That way Telindus Belgacom ICT offered Mensura a more flexible outsourcing model than its nearest direct competitor at a competitive price. This model has more room for manoeuvre in the way the solution is constructed, with joint management characteristics which enable Mensura to not only develop its skills internally but also play a part in the fundamental pillars of the company’s own growth.

Result: added capacity within lead time and budget

Migration was carried out in four separate phases: the service desk in November 2006, IP telephony (VoIP) in December, local networks and workstations in January 2007, and migration of the mainframe to a Unix environment in May. The outsourcing contract has not resulted in any staff being transferred. Mensura has retained around forty people to develop and maintain its critical applications. Every process is closely monitored by an internal owner who is tasked with checking whether the service provided complies with the agreed SLA on the basis of precise standards. This rigorous project management has enabled Mensura and Telindus Belgacom ICT to overcome the problems that have inevitably arisen along the way and to complete the project within the anticipated lead times and budgets. Today, the Mensura group is completely satisfied and is even planning to extend the Telindus Belgacom ICT contract to IT for its secondary business. The return on investment is generated mainly, apart from economies of scale, by the capacity to build the future. Good governance, as well as a robust and secure infrastructure enable the company to create an IT plan that falls into line with its business strategy. Attention goes out to the possibilities of both internal and external growth. Thanks to a partner who is able to integrate the necessary added capacity, Mensura has exactly what it needs to grow.

Company profile

Mensura offers employers global solutions for prevention, insurance and assistance in the domain of physical and psychosocial risks at work. The group has 500 employees and 70,000 affiliated members, in turn employing a total of around 600,000 people in all sectors. Mensura generates an annual turnover of approximately 190 million euros, including receipts of 160 million euros (which places it in second position in its sector). In simple terms, Mensura’s business focuses on two major areas: industrial accident insurance and additional cover, on the one hand, and workplace accident prevention and workplace protection, on the other. These activities form part of a broader philosophy of welfare at work, which specifically includes psychosocial risks. Mensura’s business is based on the concept of ‘Protecting your human capital’.