Sciurus Analytics uses AWS to bring its pension analytics platform to financial institutions

Overview

Sciurus Analytics, a provider of leading pension analytics software, sought to expand the reach and accessibility of its flagship product, Financial Canvas. Initially a Windows desktop application, Financial Canvas faced limitations in meeting the demands of modern enterprises for flexible, collaborative, and scalable solutions. To address this, Sciurus Analytics partnered with Lambert Labs to develop a complementary SaaS web platform on AWS. This transition involved migrating their existing technology to a cloud-native architecture, leveraging services such as Amazon S3, Amazon CloudFront, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server. The successful deployment on AWS enabled Sciurus Analytics to unlock the full potential of Financial Canvas and reach a wider audience.

Opportunity / Customer Challenge

Sciurus Analytics’ Financial Canvas, a leading pension analytics tool, is highly valued by actuaries and financial analysts for its in-depth capabilities. However, its delivery as a Windows desktop application limited its ability to meet the growing demands of modern enterprises. Clients sought a more flexible, collaborative, and accessible solution, one that could be deployed and managed seamlessly across their organizations.

Sciurus recognized the need to evolve its product offering, developing a complementary SaaS web platform that would leverage the power of Financial Canvas while offering enhanced visualization and interactivity. This transition required a significant shift, moving from a desktop-centric architecture to a cloud-native platform on AWS. By leveraging the power of AWS, they could bridge the gap between their established desktop application and the demand for a modern, scalable web platform, ensuring that their unique analytics could reach a wider audience.

Solution

To transform Financial Canvas into a scalable and accessible SaaS web platform, Sciurus Analytics leveraged a suite of AWS services. The frontend React application, featuring rich interactive visualizations, was deployed via S3 and CloudFront, ensuring high availability and global reach over HTTPS. This architecture allowed for seamless scaling across multiple clients.

The backend Flask API, previously running locally, was containerized using Docker and deployed using Elastic Beanstalk. This managed service simplified the deployment and scaling process, allowing Sciurus to focus on development rather than infrastructure management. Containerization provided several key benefits, including consistent deployment across environments, improved application portability, and simplified dependency management. The API connected to a MongoDB database, deployed on Amazon EC2 instances, providing a robust and flexible data layer.

To address their file storage needs, Sciurus migrated their existing file servers to FSx. This provided a scalable and highly available file storage solution, enhancing performance and reliability.

Crucially, CPU-intensive MATLAB Financial Canvas workloads were deployed on Windows Server EC2 instances. These instances are launched on demand, triggered by requests from users within the web platform, enabling the necessary computations to be run. To enable seamless access to the file shares on FSx, AWS Directory Service was configured to add these Windows Server EC2 instances to Active Directory domains.

To streamline the management of their expanding AWS environment, Sciurus Analytics implemented AWS Organizations. This eliminated the need to manually manage multiple separate AWS accounts, simplifying administration and providing consolidated billing, which had previously been a significant operational challenge.

Lambert Labs operate as an integral part of our team, joining regular stand-ups, and taking a lead in project management of the infrastructure. (Chris Squirrell, Founder, Sciurus Analytics)

Outcome

By successfully deploying their workloads to AWS, Sciurus Analytics unlocked the full potential of Financial Canvas, transforming it into a scalable and accessible SaaS web platform. This strategic move enabled them to reach a significantly wider audience. The platform’s newfound accessibility and enhanced features sparked a positive feedback loop, with end-users recognizing the product’s utility and potential resulting in numerous feature requests. This led to the product being expanded which in turn attracted more users.

The ability to deploy on AWS also allowed Sciurus Analytics to meet stringent security and compliance requirements, including support for ISO 27001, further bolstering customer trust and commitment. This combination of increased accessibility, enhanced features, and robust security created a virtuous cycle of growth. The resulting revenue increase enabled the company to invest more significantly in engineering resources, allowing Financial Canvas to solidify its position as a leading pension analytics solution.

Financial Canvas was a perfect example of how commercially valuable software can be scaled, secured, and monetized via SaaS in the AWS cloud. (George Lambert, Founder & CEO, Lambert Labs)

About Sciurus Analytics

Sciurus Analytics is a leading provider of advanced pension analytics software, empowering actuaries and financial analysts with the tools they need to make informed decisions. Their flagship product, Financial Canvas, delivers in-depth analysis and insightful visualizations, enabling clients to navigate the complexities of pension fund management. With a commitment to innovation and client success, Sciurus Analytics provides solutions that enhance transparency, improve risk management, and drive better outcomes in the pension industry.