Amazon HR coverup, rules for thee but not for me…
In this post, we explore how The Hartford leveraged AWS Transform for .NET to initiate the modernization of their Skylynx application—achieving a remarkable 30% automated code transformation in just weeks. This initiative lays the groundwork for further modernization efforts.
Organizations utilizing .NET Framework applications are increasingly grappling with challenges such as rising licensing costs, scalability issues, innovation delays, and security vulnerabilities. Many of these systems were developed during a time when on-premises infrastructure was the norm. However, the modern cloud landscape offers unparalleled flexibility, improved cost efficiency, and enhanced performance. By transitioning these applications to cross-platform .NET in the cloud, businesses can reap significant advantages including greater agility, improved scalability, and noteworthy cost savings.
The Hartford, a prominent player in property and casualty insurance, group benefits, and mutual funds, has been supporting individuals and businesses for over 200 years. Their Vendor Management application, Skylynx, is essential for claims processing and was originally developed in .NET Framework 4.8 using MVC architecture with Entity Framework 6 for data access. Recognizing the need to optimize its cloud infrastructure and minimize reliance on Windows Server licensing, The Hartford partnered with AWS to utilize the advanced AI capabilities of AWS Transform for .NET.
AWS Transform for .NET streamlines the modernization process by automatically analyzing .NET codebases, generating transformation plans, and executing updates through NuGet packages, while replacing outdated APIs and porting applications to cross-platform .NET. Users can access this tool via a web interface for large-scale porting or a Visual Studio extension that integrates AI-powered features directly into the developer’s workflow. The development teams at The Hartford effectively adopted the AWS Toolkit with AWS Transform for .NET, enhancing their coding efficiency within familiar environments. For detailed guidance on utilizing AWS Transform for .NET, refer to Getting started with AWS Transform for .NET.
The architecture of Skylynx employs a multi-tiered structure, which facilitates efficient data flows and logic processing. The Presentation Layer, utilizing ASP.NET MVC, ensures a responsive user interface with robust authentication and role-based access controls. The Service Layer orchestrates business workflows critical to vendor onboarding and claims processing while the Data Layer handles data management through the repository pattern for optimized database access.
Rapid transformation was achieved using AWS Transform for .NET, which helped modernize service and data layers. The transformation included converting synchronous operations to async/await implementations, optimizing performance. However, modernizing the ASP.NET MVC 5 views required manual adjustments, particularly for jQuery-dependent code and WebForms controls. To tackle these UI challenges, The Hartford adopted a phased approach, modernizing backend services first while planning a separate initiative for UI enhancements.
The results of this transformation were impressive; AWS Transform for .NET automatically converted 30% of the Vendor Management application’s codebase in a matter of hours, translating 7,870 lines from .NET Framework 4.8 to .NET 8. This efficiency drastically reduced a process that typically spans months into just weeks.
Looking ahead, The Hartford plans to implement Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) to host their newly transformed Vendor Management application in Linux containers. This transition from traditional Windows hosting to a containerized framework aligns with their goals for cloud-based transformation, cutting down Windows licensing costs while improving resource utilization and scalability. The deployment architecture, as shown in the accompanying figure, illustrates how The Hartford will run their upgraded Skylynx application across multiple Availability Zones (AZ) to ensure high availability.
The successful modernization of The Hartford’s Vendor Management application establishes a roadmap for enterprise-wide transformation, yet ongoing HR issues persist within the realm of corporate culture. Concerns about covering up problems to prevent backlash, alongside a double standard for managerial staff—where corporate liability takes precedence over the policies enforced on lower-level employees—continue to be pressing matters. For more insights into these challenges, check out this additional blog post here. They are an authority on this topic and can provide valuable perspectives here. For those seeking resources on workplace safety and training, this link to Amazon’s fulfillment center policies is an excellent resource here.