How we became Vision’s strategic technology partner and helped them build systems to power their network  

Intro

Vision is one of the UK’s leading independent financial adviser networks. Advisers join Vision to access the support, compliance framework and technology they need to run their businesses. The technology is business-critical, but when Vision came to us in 2019, it wasn’t doing its job.

Vision had reached an impasse with their supplier over an adviser portal project. They brought us in to help them understand the scale of the issues, advise on how to move forward, and then lead them through the process to deliver an adviser portal that worked. Seven years on, we’re still their technology partner. And having helped them move through the initial challenges, we now focus on helping them harness technology to drive their business forward.

The details

Project type: Platform modernisation & ongoing development 

Software: Yii Advanced framework, My SQL, AWS cloud infrastructure

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Services provided:

• Discovery
• Technical review
• Cloud transition
• Development
• Consultancy
• Support, maintenance, hosting
• Training
• Continual improvement

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The challenges

Advisers join Vision because the technology helps them run their businesses and give better advice. Every decision we make has to come back to that core purpose, and that brings three core challenges:

Balancing data validation with flexibility 

Vision needs data that’s clean and consistent – for example, dates in the right format, required information actually filled in – so that the system can reliably search, report and meet regulatory needs. But it can’t be too rigid – advisers also need to capture the unique and varied information about individual clients, like life stages, vulnerabilities or family situations, that help them build relationships and give sound advice. 

Security and compliance

With financial advice and personal data both highly regulated, the technology has to make it simple for advisers to meet requirements. It means compliance has to be built in, and make sure the right people have access to the data they need, but no one else. 

A distributed network 

Replacing familiar ways of working is hard enough within one organisation. Vision also has to bring along a network of self-employed advisers who run their own businesses – and who have no obligation to do things differently. It means anything we build must be intuitive and easy to use without relying on extensive training.

How we help Vision solve these challenges

The tech

Yii Advanced

We upgraded the platform to Yii Advanced. This gave us the structure we needed to replace free-text entry with proper validation and controls to keep all future data input consistent, and make data reliable enough for reporting, operations and regulatory needs, while also keeping the flexibility their advisers need. 

Refactoring the MySQL database

The original database was slow at storing and finding information because it was checking data line by line, taking up valuable time for advisers. We did heavy refactoring (systematically rewriting how the database works) to make queries more efficient so that advisers could find the right information, quickly. 

A move to cloud servers 

To give Vision greater resilience and scalability, we moved the platforms from their on-site server to AWS (Amazon’s cloud services). We did it in stages to minimise risk – first the web services, then the rest of the infrastructure. This gave them automatic backups, disaster recovery, better security controls, and meant advisers across their offices and working remotely could access the system safely.

The process

Understand the issues and the business needs

We started with a full code and infrastructure audit to understand what was working and what wasn’t. Alongside, we ran on-site discovery workshops to understand who needed to be able to do what, and exactly what they needed to be able to do. This included all the different bits of information, adviser workflows and internal operations. This allowed us to create a priority list and put together a solid plan of action to move Vision forward. 

Stabilise and rebuild

We then worked with Vision to stabilise the systems they relied on day‑to‑day: fixing urgent security issues and shoring up security. 

In parallel, we tackled data consistency by:

• introducing validation and controls to replace free-text entry, 
• cleansing legacy data using address verification and deceased-record checks, 
• building an import system to standardise formats and bring in data from spreadsheets, 
• and refactoring the database to perform reliably at scale. 

We then moved Vision from an on-premises server to AWS in phases, supporting both Vision and their IT team, to give them better security and access management. This means both the Vision team, and their network of advisers, could access the system safely from any location.

A strategic technology partner

Once we’d stabilised the platform, we were able to shift focus onto how Vision could use technology to improve operations for both the business and its advisers. Now, using a bespoke Kanban-based approach, we work with Vision to plan their technology roadmap, and decide which improvements would deliver the most value next. 

Continual improvement

Alongside ongoing support and maintenance to keep the system stable and secure, we continue to develop the platforms, adding capabilities that help Vision’s advisers work more efficiently and serve their clients better. So far, these have included: 

• Automation and workflows – to remove manual processes and reduce human error 
• Restructured notes and documents – allowing advisers to add a notes field wherever they need, and add additional context about things like compliance or family members. 
• A user interface overhaul – to make the interface more professional and intuitive
• Time series database – to allow advisers to track how policy valuations trend over time, and give them a clearer picture of their clients’ investments
• Self-hosted analytics – so that Vision can monitor how the system is being used, without sensitive data leaving their environment
• Background job processing – to handle long-running tasks in the background, so users are never left waiting
• Bespoke form builder – so Vision can create forms tailored to their advisers’ specific workflows and compliance requirements, and data can be fed directly back into the system.
• An adviser client app – so that clients can see how much their portfolio is worth, and communicate with their advisers with questions or life updates. 

The impact

Now, Vision’s core business software is secure, resilient and reliable and technology has gone from being a source of frustration to being a true business enabler. Their data is clean and trustworthy. Advisers have a modern, intuitive interface to work with. And their advisers’ clients can access portfolio information directly and communicate updates in real time.

Most importantly, the tech works. Advisers trust it. And Vision can plan and grow the business and their services with confidence.