How a Leading Wealth Manager Turned Legacy Risk into Strategic Advantage
The Sanlam Private Wealth Story
In the heart of South Africa’s financial district, where multi-million rand decisions are made daily, Sanlam Private Wealth (SPW) has built its reputation on two fundamental principles: protecting client wealth and maintaining absolute security. As a subsidiary of the Sanlam Group—one of Africa’s largest financial services providers—SPW serves high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions where trust isn’t just important, it’s everything.
However, even the most respected wealth managers face moments when legacy technology threatens to undermine years of careful relationship-building.
“In wealth management, our clients entrust us with their life’s work. When you’re handling that level of responsibility, you can’t afford to have any weak links in your security chain.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
The Discovery: When Security Audits Reveal Hidden Risks
It started with a routine security assessment—the kind of comprehensive review that financial institutions conduct regularly to maintain their regulatory standing. The SPW technology team knew they had an older application built on AngularJS, but it had been running smoothly for years, handling client interactions and supporting critical business processes.
The audit results, however, painted a different picture.
The Risk Profile That Kept Everyone Awake
The security team’s findings were stark:
- Framework End-of-Life: AngularJS had officially ended support, leaving the application vulnerable to newly discovered exploits.
- Regulatory Exposure: The outdated framework could potentially compromise compliance with South African financial regulations.
- Client Data at Risk: High-net-worth client information was processed through an application that could no longer receive security patches.
For a wealth management firm, this wasn’t just a technical issue—it was an existential business risk.
“Our existing systems and processes did not provide a viable path for continued support, updates, or security patching within the outdated AngularJS framework. The application was functioning perfectly, but we had a ticking time bomb from a security perspective.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
The Strategic Dilemma
SPW faced what many financial institutions encounter: the collision between operational necessity and security requirements. The legacy application wasn’t just some forgotten piece of software—it was integral to their daily operations.
Option 1: Complete Application Rewrite
- Timeline: 12-18 months
- Cost: Significant resource drain
- Risk: Business disruption during critical client interactions
Option 2: Accept the Risk
- Timeline: Immediate
- Cost: Potential regulatory penalties and reputation damage
- Risk: Unacceptable for a fiduciary
Option 3: Find a Bridge Solution
- Timeline: Unknown
- Cost: Unknown
- Risk: Unknown—but worth investigating
The wealth management business doesn’t allow for the luxury of long development cycles when client relationships are at stake.
The Investigation: Due Diligence in Action
True to their wealth management roots, the SPW team approached this challenge with the same methodical due diligence they’d apply to any significant investment decision. They needed a solution that would:
- Eliminate immediate security risks without business disruption
- Maintain regulatory compliance with South African financial regulations
- Preserve operational continuity for client-facing applications
- Provide strategic flexibility for future technology decisions
After careful evaluation, they discovered HeroDevs’ Never-Ending Support program—a solution that promised to address their specific AngularJS security concerns while allowing business operations to continue uninterrupted.
The Solution Architecture: A Layered Security Approach
HeroDevs’ approach aligned perfectly with SPW’s risk management philosophy: address immediate threats while building long-term resilience.
Phase 1: Foundation Security
The initial engagement focused on SPW’s core AngularJS framework, providing immediate protection for their most critical vulnerabilities. But as often happens in complex financial applications, the security assessment revealed additional layers of risk.
“We initially enrolled in the base AngularJS support package, which covered the core framework and addressed our immediate concerns. However, during the onboarding process, we identified that our legacy application also relied on several additional AngularJS libraries and modules beyond the core framework.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
Phase 2: Comprehensive Coverage
What separated HeroDevs from other potential solutions was their flexibility and depth of coverage. When SPW identified additional AngularJS dependencies that also required support, HeroDevs extended their coverage to include these libraries, ensuring complete security across the entire application stack.
This comprehensive approach meant:
- No security gaps in the application ecosystem
- Unified vulnerability management across all components
- Consistent support experience for the entire technology stack
The Service Components That Mattered Most
From SPW’s perspective, three aspects of HeroDevs’ service proved most valuable:
- Proactive Security Management: Regular vulnerability scanning and immediate patching for newly discovered exploits.
- Browser Compatibility Maintenance: Ensuring the application continued working with modern browsers and security standards.
- Expert Support Team: Technical professionals who understood both legacy architectures and modern financial services requirements.
“HeroDevs’ offering was flexible and comprehensive—they were able to extend support to these additional libraries as well. This ensured our entire application stack remained secure, stable, and compliant, without requiring invasive rewrites or workaround strategies.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
The Implementation: Precision Execution
Pre-Implementation: Risk Mitigation
Before engaging with HeroDevs, SPW’s internal team took a crucial preparatory step: upgrading their AngularJS application from version 1.5 to 1.8. This wasn’t just housekeeping—it was strategic risk management.
// SPW's Internal Upgrade Process
// From: AngularJS 1.5 (legacy internal version)
// To: AngularJS 1.8 (latest community version)
// This upgrade ensured:
// 1. Compatibility with HeroDevs NES
// 2. Reduced implementation complexity
// 3. Minimized transition risks
// Example of the version transition:
angular.module("sanlamApp", ["ngRoute", "ngResource"]).config([
"$routeProvider",
function ($routeProvider) {
// Application logic remained unchanged
// Framework foundation strengthened for NES transition
},
]);
The upgrade was conducted entirely in non-production environments, with exhaustive testing to ensure application stability and functionality remained intact. This methodical approach reflected SPW’s commitment to never compromising operational excellence for technical expedience.
Implementation Day: Seamless Transition
The actual transition to HeroDevs’ Never-Ending Support was notable for what didn’t happen—no system downtime, no client impact, no operational disruption.
“The actual implementation of the HeroDevs solution was very straightforward, with minimal disruption to our existing operations. Throughout the process, the HeroDevs team remained readily available, offering prompt support and guidance whenever needed.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
The implementation process showcased the maturity of both organizations:
- SPW: Thorough preparation and testing protocols
- HeroDevs: Deep technical expertise and professional service delivery
- Result: Flawless execution that met financial services standards
The Results: Risk Transformed into Confidence
Immediate Security Impact
The results were exactly what SPW needed—comprehensive and absolute:
- 100% Framework Remediation: Complete elimination of AngularJS-related security vulnerabilities
- 100% Compliance Achievement: Full alignment with internal security policies and regulatory requirements
- Zero Business Disruption: Seamless continuation of all client-facing operations
Strategic Value Creation
Beyond the immediate security benefits, the HeroDevs partnership delivered strategic value that extended far beyond the technical solution:
- Regulatory Confidence: SPW could face any security audit knowing their AngularJS application was fully protected and compliant.
- Operational Continuity: Client services continued without interruption, preserving the seamless experience that high-net-worth clients expect.
- Strategic Flexibility: With immediate security concerns addressed, SPW gained the luxury of time to plan their long-term technology evolution without pressure.
“This approach gave us peace of mind and the breathing room needed to plan a thoughtful and well-paced modernization of the system.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
The Wealth Management Perspective: Lessons for Financial Services
Risk Management as Core Competency
SPW’s experience illustrates how leading financial institutions approach technology risk—not as an isolated technical problem, but as an integral part of their risk management framework.
“In wealth management, you’re constantly balancing multiple types of risk,” reflects SPW. “Technology risk is just one component, but it can undermine everything else if not managed properly. The key is finding solutions that address specific risks without creating new ones.”
The Fiduciary Standard Applied to Technology
Wealth managers operate under a fiduciary standard—they must act in their clients’ best interests at all times. This principle extends to technology decisions:
- Client Data Protection: Technology choices must prioritize the security of sensitive financial information.
- Operational Reliability: Systems must function consistently to support client needs.
- Regulatory Compliance: All technology must meet or exceed financial services regulations.
- Long-term Viability: Solutions must support sustained client relationships.
The Value of Specialized Partnerships
For financial institutions, the SPW experience demonstrates the value of partnering with specialists who understand both technical requirements and financial services constraints.
“Working with HeroDevs taught us that not every technology challenge requires an internal solution,” notes SPW. “Sometimes the most effective approach is partnering with experts who can deliver specialized capabilities while we focus on what we do best—serving our clients.”
Future-Proofing Through Strategic Planning
The breathing room created by HeroDevs’ solution allowed SPW to approach their technology modernization as a strategic initiative rather than a crisis response. This shift from reactive to proactive technology management represents a maturity that other financial institutions can emulate.
A Framework for Legacy Risk Management
SPW’s experience offers a replicable framework for financial institutions facing similar legacy technology challenges.
1. Comprehensive Risk Assessment
- Identify all legacy components and their security implications
- Evaluate business impact of different remediation approaches
- Quantify regulatory and operational risks
2. Solution Evaluation Criteria
- Immediate security coverage
- Regulatory compliance alignment
- Operational continuity preservation
- Strategic flexibility maintenance
3. Implementation Best Practices
- Thorough pre-implementation preparation
- Comprehensive testing in non-production environments
- Seamless transition planning
- Ongoing monitoring and support
4. Strategic Value Optimization
- Use security solutions as bridges to planned modernization
- Leverage specialized partnerships for non-core capabilities
- Maintain focus on client service excellence throughout technology transitions
“By leveraging HeroDevs’ extended AngularJS support, we were able to mitigate security risks, continue safe operation of the legacy application, and gain valuable time to plan a more sustainable long-term migration strategy—all without compromising on client experience or regulatory requirements.” — Sanlam Private Wealth
For wealth managers and other financial institutions, the message is clear: technology challenges don’t have to become business crises. With the right approach and the right partners, even legacy risks can be transformed into competitive advantages.