Digital Keystone, the leading provider of portal technology for platforms, asset managers and wealth managers, was awarded the much-coveted ‘Best Use of Platform Technology Award’ at this week's Schroders UK Platform Awards 2016. The award recognises its exemplary work to deliver straight through processing capabilities as well as highly visual online new business user journeys and interfaces for IFAs using the Aegon Retirement Choices Platform (ARC).

Digital Keystone was tasked by Aegon UK with enabling connectivity between a range of adviser front office systems handling new business and top-ups for multiple product types. The project demanded integration with multiple back office systems for document generation, illustrations and asset data, as well as the core GBST Composer technology platform which runs Aegon UK’s platforms.

Digital Keystone delivered the core solution in just eight weeks and the whole project in under six months, providing rapid response times and highly intuitive customer experiences.

Digital Keystone’s Adaptive Portal uses leading-edge technologies to integrate disparate data sources - bringing them together into a single user experiences as well as enhancing usability and extending the life of existing legacy back office systems. Its advanced workflow engine enables rapid implementation of user journeys, cutting time to market dramatically.

Richard Denning, Chief Operating Officer, Aegon UK, said: “I have worked with Graeme for 16 years. When he founded Digital Keystone we both hoped we would be able to deliver technology solutions like this. Digital Keystone’s acquisition by Dunstan Thomas has cemented a strategic relationship for both Aegon and the Dunstan Thomas Group.

The feedback on the functionality in respect of this award, is a game-changer - vastly improving user experience and usability. The design patterns use Digital Keystone's user experience innovation fully integrated with Aegon’s service orchestration and platform technology. This delivers an easy to use experience with full straight through processing. Aegon are delighted and will be using Digital Keystone and this approach going forwards as we integrate the Cofunds platform."

Digital Keystone has been a key technology supplier to Aegon UK since its launch of its IFA-focused retirement wrap platform Aegon Retirement Choices (ARC) Platform in 2011. Digital Keystone’s parent company, Dunstan Thomas, also provides its Imago Front Office business illustrations toolset to Aegon.

Chris Read, Group CEO, Dunstan Thomas Holdings, concluded: “Winning the Schroders UK Platform Award 2016 for Best Use of Platform Technology is a considerable accolade which reflects the fact that Digital Keystone has managed to combine two rare qualities of providing highly configurable state-of-the-art portal technology with brilliantly designed front-end user experiences and customer journeys. No wonder we are seeing demand for Adaptive Portal implementations rocketing.”