Markerstudy Distribution’s Lakehouse Data Transformation Journey with NashTech

Industry

Technology

Introduction

Partnering with NashTech, Markerstudy Distribution sought to leverage offshore expertise to ensure consistent and efficient delivery of their Data Lakehouse project, overcoming the complexities of their fragmented data landscape.

About Markerstudy Distribution

Markerstudy Distribution (MSD) is a division of Markerstudy Group. It operates as a UK broker and provides a portfolio of insurance products from within its own and partner brands including, Co-op Insurance, Swinton, Carole Nash, and Purely Pets Insurance.

MSD is known for its innovative approach to underwriting and claims management. The company has grown significantly through acquisitions, expanding its portfolio and increasing its data complexity. With a commitment to digital transformation, MSD continuously seeks technological advancements to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.

The Challenge

As MSD expanded through multiple acquisitions, they found themselves dealing with a vast and fragmented data landscape, with over 50 data sources to integrate. Their business data was growing rapidly, but their internal resources couldn’t keep pace with the demand for insights, business intelligence, and operational visibility.

Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, joined MSD in 2021 with 25 years of data industry experience, including a decade in insurance. She quickly realised that the company needed to build a unified group data platform and a Data Lakehouse. However, the lack of internal expertise and the complexity of offshoring data projects posed significant challenges.

“Our resourcing issue was made more complicated as data challenges require in-depth knowledge and people to truly understand the business layer and the context of the data – I didn’t believe we’d be able to simply outsource the challenge and buy people in.”
Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, at MSD

Without outside support, MSD simply wouldn’t be able to deliver the Data Lakehouse project. Their UK-based team was spread across 16 projects and frequently pulled into meetings. What Ally needed, was a dedicated, focused team that could ensure consistent and efficient delivery.

Working with NashTech

MSD’s digital team was already collaborating with NashTech and, after a positive experience, recommended Ally explore NashTech’s services. In February 2024, Ally travelled from the UK to Hanoi, Vietnam, to assess how an offshore partnership would work. Initially, she had concerns about:

Time differences between the UK and Vietnam.

Cultural differences.

The team’s comprehension of data complexities.

Onboarding time.

However, after seeing NashTech’s capabilities firsthand, she was convinced. By April 2024, she had begun building an offshore team with NashTech.

Overcoming Challenges

1. Time Differences:

A UK-based core team prioritised morning hours to support the Vietnam team.

A dedicated group chat enabled quick responses to queries.

A virtual walk-in session at 8:00 AM UK time provided an open forum for the Vietnam team to ask questions without scheduling meetings.

2. Cultural Differences:

Adjusted communication styles to balance directness with cultural sensitivity.

Implemented Scrum Masters to monitor team well-being.

Fostered psychological safety, encouraging open discussions about challenges.

Invested in training, team-building activities, and in-person engagement.

Built strong relationships, appreciating the Vietnam team’s collaborative spirit.

3. Understanding Data & Technology:

Focused training on only the necessary parts of the technology (Data Bricks).

Created templates to standardise data processing.

Developed step-by-step guides, videos, and recorded sessions to minimise onboarding time.

The Data Challenge

MSD’s data was scattered across different SQL servers in various data centres, creating siloes. If one part of the business needed insights from another, they had to request help from teams managing those systems—a slow, inefficient, and costly process.

Due to the skill set available in-house, MSD initially opted to pull all data into a SQL Server-based data lake. However, this approach was expensive, accounting for 27% of their monthly costs.

While they now had a data lake storing raw data, their team lacked the skills to process it directly. As a workaround, data had to be copied into SQL Server for processing and reporting, requiring an additional data warehouse layer—adding further complexity and cost.

Transition to a Lakehouse

The NashTech team introduced a modern Lakehouse architecture, allowing MSD to eliminate SQL Server and the separate data warehouse. The processing logic was moved back into the data lake, enabling direct querying and analysis.

This change eliminated redundant data layers and significantly reduced complexity.

Key Benefits of the Lakehouse Approach

Lower costs – Eliminating SQL Server reduced infrastructure expenses.

Improved performance – The Lakehouse could handle larger data volumes and accelerate reporting.

Simplified architecture – Fewer data copies meant less redundancy and more efficient processing.

Scalability – As MSD continues acquiring new brands, the Lakehouse provides a scalable solution for integrating increasing data volumes.

AI enablement – The Lakehouse laid the groundwork for AI-driven insights and automation in their 2024 roadmap.

“The Lakehouse project was more of an architectural enabler, a tech project, rather than something the business wanted us to do. It’s something we wanted to create as an enabler for us to do a lot more things this year, like enabling AI elements of it.”
Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, at MSD

Rapid Results

Ally expected it to take three months to onboard an offshore team, but for the Lakehouse project, she didn’t have that luxury. Thanks to extensive preparation, the NashTech team was coding within one week.

“We work in an Agile method. Every two weeks, we’d implement new stories into a sprint. We didn’t do too many at first to allow the team to learn, but over time, they picked up more and more.”
Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, at MSD

MSD now processes approximately 992 data extracts daily, including those used for customer communications. With a centralised data platform, pricing models are built directly from the data lake, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.

“The NashTech team delivered everything we asked them to do, and the Lakehouse project finished ahead of the deadline. But what I was really impressed with was the team’s ability to learn and their proactive approach. They followed instructions, questioned things that didn’t make sense, and even made suggestions for better solutions.”
Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, at MSD

Long-Term Impact

This foundation is now enabling data self-service through AI-powered BI dashboards. Non-technical users can surface insights quickly, reducing the reliance on IT for reports. For example, users can simply ask, “Build me a dashboard of my top ten sales by brand” significantly cutting down manual reporting hours.

“Overall, it’s been a really, really good experience, and we’re continuing to build a great relationship with the team.”
Ally Wu, Head of Data Engineering and Architecture, at MSD

Need our help?

Looking to extend your onshore team, achieve more, and drive real business impact? NashTech can help you streamline operations, reduce backlogs, and unlock new opportunities for innovation.

Let’s talk about how we can support your growth. Get in touch today.