Colonial First State carves out a niche for itself in the Australian superannuation industry
TCS enables accelerated separation and seamless transition in record time
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TCS enables accelerated separation and seamless transition in record time
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Highlights
CFS leveraged their strategic relationship with TCS to drive a seamless transition and digital transformation of their IT environment.
Colonial First State (CFS) is a leading Australian wealth management group, having helped over three million members achieve financial freedom through investment, superannuation, and retirement products.
After the separation from CBA, CFS—now majority owned by private equity firm KKR—sought to reinvent its member engagement and advisor channels to fuel growth. With TCS as a trusted partner for over a decade, CFS was well-positioned to drive this ambitious transformation.
CFS faced a tight deadline to transition its entire IT estate, including the FirstChoice platform, to a CFS-controlled environment.
The challenges were significant:
TCS stepped up, bringing their innovation ecosystem, TCS COINTMpartnerships, and proprietary solutions to craft a detailed transition roadmap.
To boost resilience, reliability, and customer experience, we integrated and migrated systems and data using our flagship products.
TCS’ AI and Cloud business units worked in to build an APRA-compliant AWS Cloud Foundation from scratch, meeting CPS 234 and CIS 2.0 standards. This platform hosted all FirstChoice applications, delivering a superior digital experience for members. Over 22 systems were migrated to the new TCS-managed AWS platform.
TCS also established a robust cybersecurity framework aligned with NIST, CIS, and APRA standards. Advanced protection measures and customer identity management (via IDP) were implemented, alongside a proactive vulnerability mitigation strategy.
CFS’s customer correspondence and document management systems were transformed into AWS-native applications using TCS IP Container as a Service solution and TCS Cloud Content and Information Management. TCS Cloud Exponence, with its finops capabilities, optimised AWS resources, while a dedicated cyber security operations centre (SOC) team ensured platform security.
The core registry system was migrated from mainframe to a TCS-governed Kyndryl data centre, ensuring infrastructure efficiency and scalability.
By leveraging our global innovation ecosystem—TCS Co-Innovation NetworkTM (TCS COINTM)—we brought together fintech startups, researchers, and corporate experts to deliver agile, innovative solutions.
The reimagined FirstNet system is accelerating CFS’s digital-first journey, while a rebranded and updated website is helping members make better decisions about their financial future.
Swipe LeftSwipe RightWhen we needed to select a partner for our transformation program, we wanted to make sure obviously that we found the right capability. We selected TCS as a strategic partner for its almost perfect alignment to our culture - a culture of owning it, making a difference and being client obsessed.
Jeroen Buwalda
Chief Operating Officer, Colonial First State
The accelerated transformation has positioned CFS as a standout in Australia’s superannuation industry.
With a scalable, reliable, and efficient cloud-first platform built by TCS, CFS is now able to deliver exceptional advisor and member experiences while reducing the time to market for new offerings.
Key outcomes include: