About AFR Insurance

Founded in 1905, American Farmers & Ranchers Mutual Insurance Company (AFR Insurance) is one of Oklahoma’s oldest and most trusted carriers. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, AFR serves a statewide network of policyholders with Home, Auto, Farm & Ranch, and Life insurance products. Its “neighbors-helping-neighbors” ethos has made it a cornerstone of Oklahoma communities for generations – and earned it repeated recognition on Forbes’ America’s Best Insurance Companies list.

As AFR expanded its business, particularly within its fast-growing Life division, the company needed a modern, secure, and scalable way to exchange sensitive documents among customers, agents, vendors, and internal systems.

The Challenge: Legacy Systems Slowing a Modern Business

AFR’s document exchange process relied on a patchwork of outdated methods – SharePoint uploads, email attachments, and aging WS_FTP/WINSCP servers. These manual workflows introduced inefficiencies and unnecessary risk.

One of the biggest issues AFR was encountering was that these unsecure transfer methods, such as email, were being used to send sensitive data like personal information and medical records.

Customer and agent uploads were slow and error-prone, while IT teams spent valuable time decrypting files, moving them between servers, and converting XML data to CSV for internal systems. This process created bottlenecks across underwriting workflows and increased the potential for compliance issues in a heavily regulated environment.

In short, AFR’s legacy tools couldn’t keep up with the pace and precision the business demanded.

The Solution: A Unified File Orchestration Platform

AFR selected Files.com as its secure, cloud-native, file orchestration platform to unify all document exchange workflows under one roof. The implementation replaced AFR’s legacy SFTP estate and brought automation, visibility, and compliance to every step of the process.

• Branded Client Portals: AFR launched intuitive, customer-facing “inbox” portals embedded in email signatures and on its website. Clients simply upload their documents, then Files.com automatically tags, encrypts, and routes them to the correct department.
• End-to-End Automation: Files.com now manages PGP decryption, file expiration, and folder routing automatically. Decrypted files are cleaned up after three days, reducing manual work and eliminating the risk of human error.
• Agent Integration: Installed on AFR’s internal database server, the Files.com Agent syncs decrypted XML files and converts them to CSV every four hours, ensuring a single, consistent source of truth for downstream systems.
• Granular Permissions and SSO: Life, Accounting, and IT teams all access Files.com through single sign-on with precise role-based permissions. Audit logs and instant notifications deliver complete transparency.
• Seamless Branding: AFR customized Files.com with its own domain and color scheme, providing agents and customers a frictionless, professional experience.

The Results: Faster, Simpler, and Fully Compliant

The transformation was immediate and measurable:

• Faster Policy Turnaround: Decrypted, correctly labeled documents now reach underwriting teams within minutes instead of hours or days, speeding policy issuance and improving the customer experience.
• Stronger Compliance Posture: AFR’s new process meets NAIC, GLBA, and HIPAA-grade standards with end-to-end encryption, access controls, and immutable audit trails. Audit prep time has dropped dramatically.
• IT Efficiency and Cost Savings: Retiring legacy systems like WS_FTP and manual scripts freed engineers for higher-value initiatives while reducing maintenance overhead.
• Improved Client Experience: The new, mobile-friendly portal allows customers and agents to securely upload documents without worrying about file size limits or connection issues.
• Scalable for the Future: New automations, partners, and departments can be onboarded in minutes, ensuring AFR can continue to scale securely and efficiently.