Recent survey recognizes that security extends well beyond IT among best-practice companies.
Between leadership, marketing and operational tactics, certain approaches and mindsets are needed to avoid the pitfalls of the post-recession market.
America’s first CIO Vivek Kundra offers lessons learned while working with enflamed costs and an IT budget of $80 billion.
Cloud is on everyone's radar—but not yet in everyone's data center.
Instead of trying to bunker your systems, Deutsche Bank's head of IT security urges open, frank discussions as the best resolution to security issues.
CIOs enter the spotlight as insurers look to navigate new market terrain controlled by consumer wants and needs.
The success of straight-through processing and product development upgrades relies heavily upon operations adjustments.
Potential consumers already believe they need more coverage, however, they need to be approached just the right way.
A well-grounded IT architectural approach provides the agility required to foster rapid growth.
The relationship between carriers and agents thrives on technological initiatives that simplify communicating and transferring information.
Applications, data security, hidden costs; here are the pros and cons of engaging or resisting a cloud migration.
Technology is rapidly transforming human interaction into informal communications, how can the insurance industry react?
What information to seek out before purchasing an enterprise upgrade and how to find it.
Cloud, mobility and analytics require a focused, enterprise approach—here's how to deliver.
Cloud storage and analytic capabilities could reassign the health insurance industry to the role of data intelligence intermediary.
Monitoring performance and financials before integration is completed can provide invaluable insights down the road.
For one insurance company, a hurricane inspired IT managers to build a better business continuity solution.
Customer engagement and why you need to start catering to the next wave of tech-savvy, demanding insurance consumers.
Three measures of a customer’s worth using analytics that might lead you to question age-old business paradigms.
These tools and methodologies, such as Hadoop and MapReduce, can help insurers unlock the real potential of Big Data.
Social media's versatility makes it impossible to assess objectively, but there are many examples of companies employing different strategies very effectively.
Depending on how insurers utilize the nudge, it can either enhance or undermine customer service credentials.
The carrier's first foray into the cloud came with security concerns that lead to more in-house control over compliance solutions.
Apple's presence in the enterprise is expected to grow still more pervasive in 2012.
It's easy to become servants to your technology—for agents, making technology work for you is key.
'Bring your own device' means more productivity and better service to customers, but are they secure enough?
Can insurers try to leverage social data to open up a new market? If so, would that affect the value of that data for claims/underwriting purposes?
Data security threats evolve even as organizations successfully lock down their systems.
A more optimistic outlook among most industry executives should mean a reinvigorated focus on the fundamentals behind achieving operational excellence.
Insurance companies are committing to technology-led expansion, unfortunately, particularly for IT hiring efforts, so is every other type of company.
Thanks to this week’s Supreme Court oral arguments, insurers have an opportunity to rethink how they conduct business.
What IDC's recent projections of cloud job growth mean for insurers.
The trickle-down consequences of increased outsourcing and reduced developer footprints could be a severe lack of in-house talent.
Is crowdsourcing a legitimate, sustainable method of solving business problems?
For dealing with the immense complexities behind regulatory and risk concerns, static data and spreadsheets may not cut it.
Upcoming IPv6 Launch Day means a permanent switchover. Are all your systems ready?
Automakers’ recent move to incorporate smartphone hubs into production and the recent outcries against distracted driving could put insurers in precarious position.
The imperative is simple — make IT work for the business — but requires hard work and diligence.
Why insurers are increasingly pressured to toss their hats into the policy admin ring.
New CIO survey reveals growing concern over who will be able to run back-end systems.
UK government compiles exhaustive list of open source alternatives to major software needs.
With cloud, you may simply improve your IT operations, or you may disrupt the entire industry.
Could Google's Android glasses push the limits of innovation in the insurance industry?
Key considerations for building a truly social business, on the inside and outside.
A convergence of tech forces are creating a “new norm” for insurance companies.
Jeremy Lin and confirmation bias: How analytics are finding a sure-fire way to upend the status quo.
Think tank Heartland Institute issues another hyperbolic statement, this time on leaked—and possibly fake—documents containing climate change information.
LIMRA survey of 53 life insurers finds vast majority currently engaged in mobile activity directed at producers.
How agents can use Facebook to reach out to policyholders when they need it most.
As insurers' IT infrastructures become more complex, EA provides a roadmap for technology investment decisions.
Well-executed initiatives in the back office can deliver bottom-line savings, are you up to the task?
In light of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's recent release of cloud guidelines, here are six good reasons to go to cloud and four reasons to be cautious.
Translating technology options into business opportunities the chief concern of CIOs looking to strike the perfect balance.
As analytics becomes a key competitive differentiator, the skills needed to manage stores of data are in high demand.
Which U.S. P&C insurance company will be the first to use a social network as a platform to transact insurance?
As a deadline passes, the Federal Insurance Office’s report on modernizing insurance regulation remains a no-show.
Department of Housing and Urban Development proposal an example of why insurers need to engage evolving regulatory risks, rather than bunker down and weather the current storm.
With all the tools and technologies at our disposal, isn’t it just good sense to hold clients’ contractually accountable for known risk management prevention efforts?
Business-minded as well as tech-savvy, this list points to the efficiencies and shortcuts that accompany the cloud.
IT professionals reporting major data breaches outline the ways executives become more engaged and supportive of data security efforts in the aftermath.
While creative disruption can be a factor in insurers’ quest for business growth, getting disruptive requires—careful—thought and planning.
The use of GPS technology by SIU teams may be moot when looking at how proactive improvements in the claims arena may make a bigger difference.
The aspirations of social media networks to glean larger profits from global user bases could intersect with insurers quest for expanded, universal outreach.
Amazon's recently unveiled NoSQL offering promises to pack a lot of capabilities into the cloud, but does this mean anything to insurers?
The new market demands a nuanced approach to reaching consumers, one that involves subtle tactics using today's networks of influence.
Analytics is the becoming the technology du jour.
Business principles of management dating back 100 years still provide insights into fostering continuous growth and efficiency.
While others have spent millions and billions selling into the enterprise, Apple is almost as ubiquitous as Windows PCs in corporate offices without even trying to be.
Charging customers fees to conduct e-commerce is a bad idea and will create scrutiny and ill will; something insurance carriers always need to avoid.
Persistent economic, social and environmental risks are conflating to menace insurers.
New studies confirm many teenagers and 20-somethings prefer keyboards to dashboards.
Are the majority of insurance commercials trying too hard, and missing the point of marketing as a result?
The potential commoditization of insurance products means companies need to focus on self-service Web presences.
Many positive ways to look at this proactive approach to preventing fraud conducted over social media sites.
Insurance companies are now competing with start-ups and tech-savvy companies for a shrinking pool of IT talent.
CIO stress, a Big Data mess and cloud trustworthiness: Five predictions for IT in 2012 and the years beyond.
Internal use and consumer outreach using social media will undoubtedly persist, but it may take marketers to push the format to flourishing heights.
Without previous levels of investment return, the industry's IT stance remained conservative.
Cheaper, more powerful tools and a new breed of specialists will help insurers better understand their customers and markets in the year ahead.
To properly address the pending changes in health insurance, organizations should have both project management and process management offices in place
The industry continues to struggle with a bad economy and tough catastrophes, and technology will be asked to do more than ever, but at a reasonable price.
In the face of the NTSB's recommended ban, auto manufacturers are gung-ho about adding more connectivity in the car.
Off-the-shelf consumer devices present conveniences for IT staffs and employees alike, but the list of potential risks they present warrants concern.
Insurers are skeptical about the cloud, but new developments could lend hope to a secure future.
As IT budgets begin to recover, storage and file recovery are hot items.
The industry's struggle to assess and implement the right technologies at the right time.
New survey shows savings from cloud computing are barely making a dent in corporate IT budgets. Is it time to rethink the approach?
After its first public event, the magnitude of the task facing the Federal Insurance Office becomes apparent.
Keeping property repair rates down requires not only proper initial assessment, but occasional re-evaluations from an underwriting perspective as well.
New survey puts insurance companies at the bottom of the list in terms of consumer-friendliness on the Web.
Potentially simpler interconnectivity and cheaper information dissemination processes could make insurers, and insureds' wallets, very happy.
Risks continue to outweigh the benefits when it comes to implementing technologies of convenience behind the wheel.
Fledgling social network offers unique potential if search engine personalization comes to fruition.
Many companies still operate in the dark while unknown numbers of customers are turned away by websites suffering slow or tedious processes.
Despite pressure to upgrade and leave legacy systems behind, COBOL has remained not only relevant, but common among IT systems within the industry.
10 years after the original call for agile business philosophies, where are insurers prevailing and what do they have yet to learn?
Competition and customer expectations leave little room for error when it comes to website performance, and that pressure only increases with customers using mobile platforms.
With a bearish market persisting, IT is expected to deliver miracles without the luxury of economic hardship as an excuse.
Life insurers need to craft mitigation strategies for a prolonged low-rate environment.
Where do you draw the line between distributed servers and mainframes? Is there even a line anymore?
Properly going through the steps leading up to an IT project, means that by the time actual work begins, the battle should be more than half over.
Recent suit filed in Sacramento should serve as a reminder that when it comes securing data, there is no room for error.
Some say social media can serve as a comfortable setting for learning and receiving encouragement from others suffering similar circumstances, but how can patients verify the information's integrity?
The conveniences of small size outweigh certain impracticalities as tablets and smartphones enamor insurance executives and agents.
Outsourcing is still a multi-billion dollar industry, but the future is getting cloudy as the market braces for a transitional phase.
Here's a lesson on how to assess IT performance by connecting it with business results...
As technology evolves, it may be that smartphone-toting field personnel are capable of doing their job anytime, anywhere.
Women are leading the way in both technology and business.
Business necessity – or perceived lack thereof – holds back many modernization efforts.
Unabashed consumer desire and expectations are spurring the implementation of voice recognition into automobiles, yet questions regarding the technology's effectiveness and driver safety abound.
Insurers waiting for an end to the soft market will be waiting awhile.
Regardless of whether the IT industry's glass ceiling has been broken, entrepreneurs make for an industry of unprecedented opportunity for women.
Growth of spending on risk management tools projected to outpace the growth of overall IT spending, making it the hottest corner of the IT market.
As future leaders are identified, groomed and mentored, it is important to know the traits that must be innate and those that can be developed.
Insurance executives downplay their service delivery and mobile capabilities so far, which is promising.
Three lessons to learn from the ongoing global economic crisis.
Insurers believe creative disruption has value, and they want their share.
Carriers need to strike a balance between standardization and customization when writing policies and paying claims.
A new survey says drivers want more connectivity behind the wheel and that they think automated driving is not far off, but is that what we really want?
As the industry becomes increasingly digitized, marketing and IT must inevitably learn to utilize the integral skill sets they can offer each other.
Cloud technology may solve storage problems, but only while creating security challenges.
Using Wayne Gretzky as a model for effectively processing Big Data.
Monitoring the data made available via social media networks goes beyond internal oversight.
How one financial services outsourcer reduced the pains of taking on new customers.
The FIO Director's testimony hints at the sustained power of state insurance regulators and the influence of the FIO report due in January.
Reducing expenses remains a key priority for insurers, but how much reduction is too much reduction?
What procurement and vendor management functions should be doing for you, and a can't-miss guide on how to use them more effectively.
Five things IT executives should do to enhance the profitability of their departments.
The glut of new interactive technologies for cars being tested presents several layers of challenges to those who must evaluate automotive risks.
Delivering standards across changing technologies and platforms is a fast-moving target. What can we do to shore up our efforts?
As the insurance industry is perceived as increasingly untrustworthy, the candor of social media provides a bridge for the current communication gap between policyholders and agents.
Everyone wants and needs to 'compete on analytics,' but who will assure the right data is being used?
A new report says Smartphones can be used to record keyboard input, increasing the risk posed by such devices to the enterprise.
If there was ever a time to work extra at improving the industry's image, an unfortunate, natural disaster-prone 2011 may be it.
A survey of 90 insurers found customer service experience and product design contribute the highest amount of potential value to creative disruption.
Guidelines asking for disclosure of cyber-attacks aren’t backed by regulation or mandate, so why should an insurer willingly shoot itself in the foot?
With success in fraud detection, automated decision management could spread to low-level decisions in policy administration, underwriting and more.
A new study shows, surprisingly, that outsourcing internal help desk functions is declining, despite the cost savings.
Getting a job is tough everywhere, but IT job seekers still put insurance at the bottom of their wish lists.
New survey of CIO's 2012 priorities begs for a definition of "IT and business alignment."
Reverse the hiring process with capacity management, a focus on internal productivity and a reduced emphasis on arbitrary goals.
Insurers take note: The USPS suggests that customers appreciate the safety and security of paper statements sent via snail mail.
Jobs' ability to simplify the complex created a consumer-driven culture that will force insurers to improve how they conduct business for years to come.
Actually, there are four methods that are still to be considered by insurers when replacing a system...
There’s no question that solid state drives cost more than their magnetic counterparts, but do the costs still outweigh the benefits?
IBM's annual X-Force report reveals the latest trends and abandoned tricks among IT security threats.
The insurance industry has come to call for rapid adaptation, yet core modernization methods remain antiquated within many carriers.
A frozen screen is annoying, but when that screen is part of a mission-critical application, the consequences could be far-reaching; a new software tool offers hope.
Everybody seems to constantly be on the lookout for the next big business breakthrough, but what if that big breakthrough is already right in front of you?
With precise tools to monitor performance out of the office, home-based service representatives are proving themselves a worthwhile investment.
NASA says the overall sea level has declined over the past year, so what are insurers to think?
A natural-language supercomputer holds unlimited potential in unraveling uncertainties surrounding claims and conditions.
An IVANS survey reveals why agents are so reluctant to look to social media for communications and customer service.
Word-of-mouth has always been powerful; social media is simply supercharging the process.
Real-time, location-based intelligence is transforming the way auto insurers operate.
What's different about today's 'Big Data' when compared to 'Big Data' in 2000 or 1990?
Proactive response is the key; government action is not the answer.
Agile may not be a new methodology anymore, but just because it's been around for a while does not mean it's being used optimally.
How far is too far when it comes to gathering and sharing information about potential customers?
GIS and social media converge to provide a 360-degree view of what's happening on the ground after disasters.
TRIA may have survived budget cuts, but insurers are still struggling to manage terrorism risk.
Some surprises emerge as I rehash INN's Legacy Systems Study in light of attempting to update my auto insurance.
Researchers say that old and useless files are taking up valuable space in our systems, space that data-intensive insurance enterprises can’t afford to lose.
Recent discussions on modernizing legacy systems and evolving with cloud computing in the insurance industry reveals transitions are happening quicker and more frequently.
Like walking a tight rope, with social media you cannot remain stagnant or ignore it, yet moving forward presents even more uncertainty as compliance enters the picture.
Hurricane Irene and the recent earthquake have made evident the importance of social media; the trick now is to maintain the connection to improve readiness.
While insurers are dealing with the limitations of “legacy” systems, newer mainframes are making headway by solving legacy problems.
Social media, text messaging, customer assistance and catastrophes: How Irene and the recent earthquake have taught us to communicate.
Steve Jobs' visionary personality often lead him to create against the grain, making it that much easier for him to reshape our personal and professional lives in profound ways.
In a low-growth economy, technology consolidation enables insurers to increase the production of existing agents, expand into new channels and monitor performance of all sales activities.
There are seven sets of open-source applications that run everything from front offices to CRM.
On the heels of its agents’ threats to unionize and the departure of Cynthia Young as president, insurer names Tom Ealy Encompass president.
It seems the demands of virtual and cloud technologies may be overheating older insurance hardware systems, but will we replace them?
Though the core systems technologies and services may have reached critical mass in terms of supporting creative disruption, there's always room to ask: What if...?
A new study says most IT operations have and use steering committees, but do these committees have any real say in what goes on?
Ghoulish? Sure, but how can the industry fight the real cause of insurance fraud?
Rethinking marketing resource allocation and service-delivery functions to serve customers in light of a continuously shifting buyer's journey.
Data centers range from huge industrial complexes to shipping containers to smartphones.
Using technology to stay ahead of the seemingly impossible compliance curve, and saving a few bucks in the process.
Computer modeling has successfully predicted the geographical spread of West Nile virus; can other diseases be far behind?
Most insurers accept Facebook as a platform integral to their online strategies; indeed, one insurer reports that 30 percent of its Web traffic originates from Facebook.
Will new problems with credit ratings and international economies short-circuit growth in IT spending? Quite possibly.
Although the insurance industry can be found cautiously lagging behind social media trends, savvy companies can be found making the simple dynamic and social CRM their endgame.
Data security isn’t the only risk associated with cloud computing; physical security is also a challenge.
There are multiple examples of how social media data can impact operational results at insurance companies.
Women's leadership has come a long way, but as long as women focus their energies on the problem, not the solution, they will continue to play a role in perpetuating a negative trend.
An experimental device is alleged to read a driver’s intention to brake, but its practicality and reliability is questionable.
How will you ensure that the vendor you choose will stand the test of time and will truly become your strategic business partner versus just a technology provider?
Under-utilized and misunderstood, the agile methodology, if handled correctly, helps deliver software and systems with greater speed. In today's hyper-competitive economy, this is essential.
A forecast increase in overall IT spending and in cloud computing funding will have to wait for insurer fears to subside.
The insurance industry is seen as a prime example of how to handle data-sharing the right way; namely, collecting data on policyholders' driving habits in order to offer discounts for safe driving behaviors.
An IBM study confirms consumer demand for technology, but hurdles remain.
Maybe Google Plus will do no more than shake up Facebook ... or will it fragment the audience, making each platform less valuable?
Converting to a new PAS is much like running a race. Preparation is critical, regardless of the distance.
Congress is patting itself on the back for its new bill, but the fix is far less than is needed.
What's required is an enterprise tool that can capture and process social media conversations for management and maintenance by the carrier, not the social network service.
Other factors, including a bottoming-out of the recession, likely have also played a role.
Outsourcing may be down a bit, but there's a compelling value proposition in the idea of looking to cloud providers to acquire bite-size chunks of services when needed, paying only for what is used, when it is used.
Deciding where to cut the budget is never easy, but insurers that focus on department metrics, communication with stakeholders, and a thorough review of work performed will be at an advantage.
The big worry in cybercrime is data or systems loss, but hacking into implanted devices may also be a cause for concern.
The user experience is changing for the better, in both subtle and dramatic ways.
Insurers have tough decisions to make in order to strike a balance between security and loss of productivity.
Is there technology out there that can save insurers from mistakenly classifying luxury automobiles as farm vehicles?
Insurers that employ value analysis will be on target to see cost-effective improvements that produce expense savings and position the organization for rapid, cost-effective growth.
User organizations are banding together to establish baseline for cloud data interactions.
Is social media about transparency and creating a dialogue with customers, or is it a relatively inexpensive way (to date) to reach large numbers of potential customers? This is an important debate for all insurers.
A power struggle is developing between CIOs and CFOs, and the loser will be our enterprises.
Social CRM may ultimately lose its cachet, but until then, the insurance industry is just beginning to explore the possibilities this new dimension of data provides.
Some say hacking has become a form of entertainment; if so, the insurance industry is likely safer than many.
Social networks and their features are changing the way we interact with the world, each other and with insurers. The insurance industry will be forced to respond.
Winning management teams have adapted to new dynamics, achieving the jet squadron’s equivalent of focused synchronicity in translating shared plans to targeted results.
Without talking to my "friends" directly, I have no way of knowing why they clicked on the Like button, rendering an analytical tool of questionable value even further devalued.
The OS is something we're thinking less and less about, as we focus on higher parts of the stack.
If we collectively suffer from a bad rap, it's because our industry lacks a community of leaders that can act as an organized front—a cohesive voice that can rebrand insurance as a prominent and respected force in financial services.
With a focus on growth rather than simple cost-cutting, insurance CIOs are trying to deeply change the mix of capabilities, knowledge and assets within their organizations.
Insurance is said to be leading a tepid revival in IT spending for 2011, but the overall picture is anything but encouraging.
Once master data management becomes a reality, companies that hope to truly leverage it will need a tool that marries different platforms, different architectures and different brands of MDM.
USAA's corporate culture fostered on the inside is reflected out to the market.
Insurers will be challenged is to make work on legacy systems as interesting and fulfilling as any social networking startup may be.
The insurance industry needs to emphasize mobile initiatives and begin to guide consumer expectations rather than sit back and watch.
My blog on “Why Do So Many IT Projects Fail” touched a nerve with readers who offered more possible reasons.
It pains me to have regular conversations with industry participants of all persuasions where we all agree that there is room for two big industry shows a year, but not within weeks of each other.
New research is advancing the notion of remote healthcare monitoring, an obvious plus for health insurers, but social factors may inhibit adoption.
By comparison, insurers must decide which initiative(s) to fund out of many worthwhile projects; developing an objective decision-making model can both help you choose the best projects and build corporate buy-in.
Insurers need to formulate sensible policies surrounding the use of social media.
When creating an “influence channel,” insurers and agents could really help each other: Insurers need social media fan recruitment, and agents need content.
Experts at the IASA Educational Conference and Business Show came up with lots of potential answers, but a solution continues to elude us.
Still sorting out how they can leverage it, almost one-third of French insurers are considering investment in social networks, a clear sign demonstrating that value can be generated from data gathering from and customer interactions through this medium.
Without dirt-cheap storage, there would be no Big Data. And no cloud for that matter, either.
Scientists and the insurance industry are wise to ponder the potential impact of climate change.
Undergoing a PAS replacement affects nearly everyone in the organization, as well as agents and insureds. As a result, organizational change management is essential.
Another INN blogger had a different take on Al Gore’s speech at IASA, but in the end, Gore cannot escape the slick image he earned as a politician.
How does the strategically-focused insurance organization avoid the anomaly of Parkinson’s Law, especially given the current economic environment?
At IASA, Gore could not resist diving into what he called the “climate crisis” and its alleged importance to the insurance industry.
Former Vice President Al Gore touched on everything from Moore’s Law to Minnie Pearl while pondering the impact of technology on the insurance industry, during his keynote address at the 2011 Insurance and Accounting Systems Association conference in Nashville.
Core systems renewal and improving the customer experience help optimism hold the lead over pessimism.
Organizations need to defend their data assets against internal threats, not only disaffected workers but also trusted administrators who hold the keys.
Insurers contemplating integrating mobile platforms into their enterprises must take heed of this disturbing trend and make tough calls.
Insurers fail to pay timely benefits because life and annuities business units’ motives for discovery of insureds’ demises differ and their separate blocks are administered on siloed platforms.
At the ACORD Loma Insurance Systems Forum, speakers presented a compelling vision of how the mobility, the cloud and Big Data are set to reshape the industry.
SOA has seen a resurgence, largely because most insurers are contemplating a move to cloud – public, private, or hybrid – and need the supporting infrastructure to make it viable.
Does this mean that our technology providers have emerged from the economic sweat lodge and are now gathered around the tribal fires chanting “Kumbaya” for your benefit? Probably not.
To compete for skilled IT pros in this reviving economy, insurers will to market themselves as great places to work, and offer open, flexible working arrangements, likely with compensation tied to performance.
Japanese companies are selling “one-time” policies for risks that are interesting and surprising, thanks to wireless technology.
“Innovate or die” is a phrase often bandied about these days, and for insurance companies, it’s advice to take to heart.
The annual insurance technology conference saw shifting trends, but issues from the past remain a challenge.
Adopting social media for business purposes is all the rage among journalists and analysts, but on the ground, it has yet to achieve traction in insurance.
Cloud computing may help meet some the challenges that are arising from Big Data.
A data center industry survey sees operations migrating to the cloud as resources dwindle.
A recent article identifies the types of individuals who are likely to cause internal data security problems, but many such problems are caused by folks who put themselves first.
Niche brokers and insurers should view telematics as a market differentiator, and auto insurers should think of as a means to meet impending legislation.
Most everyone agrees they are needed, but the practicalities are the 800-pound gorilla in the room.
Shockingly, there is a stunning disconnect between consumers who are increasingly concerned about data breaches and the boards responsible for preventing them.
Even seemingly trivial discussions can help insurers identify brand advocates.
As the use of geolocation data from mobile devices draws consumer complaints and legislative scrutiny, insurers need to proceed with caution.
Remember this when creating your strategy: It’s not about how you want to sell, it’s about how your customer wants to buy.
The recent storm surge affecting great swaths of the nation has placed the onus on carriers to demonstrate superior customer service with swift claims handling.
For at least the past decade, some have been predicting the extinction of agents, but there are many reasons why they will continue to thrive.
A successful PAS refresh requires the collaboration of individuals representing the program management, business and IT functions.
Idea management systems are just one option for insurers looking to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.
Financial and political hurdles continue to dog policymakers and serve to create a stalemate that will affect the program’s fate.
Insurers need a firm strategy when employing social networking channels.
Agents and advisers should be well versed in the facts and fallacies regarding disability income insurance.
A new study demonstrates that most users are unable to focus on a single media channel for very long, so how do we get customers to stop and look?
The emerging social aspect to MDM makes insurers’ strategies around collecting and retaining data gleaned from social media engagements all the more important.
While cloud may have turned the IT world upside down, the basics of business continuity remain the same.
There are scores of companies out there ready to sell you a policy admin upgrade or total replacement, but deciding when to move is like trying to pick the Kentucky Derby winner.
Amazon's recent snafu resulting in outages among its EC2 customers' sites raises the question of how insurers should steel themselves for such a situation?
Apple says it will correct “flaws” that enable it to track iPhone users, but what impact will the privacy/location issue have on auto insurance?
In this economic landscape, insurers are looking for solutions that assist measurable achievement of operational goals, and position the company well for profitable growth.
Social media may still be thought of as a separate emerging technology by insurers, but soon it will be the norm.
Technology should enable complete automation of underwriting to the point where getting insured is a simple plug-and-play process, but will that happen?
While the number of records breached dropped from 2009, the overall number of breaches rose to its highest-ever level.
An Innovation in Insurance survey confirms that carriers value the input and advice of analysts, but don’t always trust its objectivity.
At USAA, the commitment to innovation is readily apparent.
Good governance is the key to keeping MDM initiatives on track at Protective Life.
People think seniors' online habits revolve entirely around looking at their grandkids' pics on Facebook, but they're surprisingly active when it comes to advocacy.
A reported decline in PC shipments in the first quarter is blamed on everything from the growth of the tablet market to the Japan tsunami, but perhaps there is a much simpler reason.
Crazy as it sounds, the Department of Justice needed a court order to disrupt a botnet that has been operating for a decade.
The industry, on the whole, is less profitable than it was 40 years ago. So how do we turn it around?
Insurers attempting to "boil the ocean" when developing a successful BI initiative will fail every time.
Cloud computing offers a variety of advantages, but security concerns will grow with the technology.
Through a combination of key technologies and partnering with the business, IT can help insurers achieve profitable growth.
The Epsilon breach should make insurers question how their data is being protected once it’s outsourced.
Ultra-efficient server design will interest insurance technologists looking to trim energy usage in their data centers.
Carriers need to help their agents leverage social media to attract new clients.
Insurers may be interested to learn about these 5 innovations in auto safety technology.
While the insurance industry has been relatively free of major security problems, a new breach at the Hartford is an ominous sign.
Insurers are finding that they must create a new role in their organization—one that merges IT discipline and business know-how.
In wake of David Sokol’s exit, speculation mounts surrounding Buffet’s possible successor.
One insurer has already gone Lean, and is reaping the rewards.
A huge security breach yields only customer names and e-mail addresses, but that’s more than enough to cause significant problems.
Oftentimes, the one-size-fits-all mentality doesn’t hold true for insurers trying to implement best practices learned from other companies.
Experts say insurance fraud has grown in the current recession, but insurers seem unwilling to fund anti-fraud measures
It’s imperative that insurers’ business priorities and the competitive industry benchmarking process drive their selection of a PAS vendor.
Master data management is insurers’ best recourse to unlock the siloed data often associated with multiple applications for each line of business.
A couple of Chinese insurers have found a creative way to extend the retirement business value chain.
There is no easy answer, but for many insurers, the necessity to upgrade is dire.
While not yet mainstream, electric cars are being mass-produced, and carriers need to get in the driver’s seat when it comes to insuring them on the roads.
Much like how SOX spurred IT spend at the beginning of the last decade, the federal health care reform law is sparking a similar trend.
If perception of risk depends on how it’s described, we need to look closely at the descriptions before making risk-based insurance decisions.
Car manufacturers and consumer electronics giants are working together on a connectivity standard, but seem to be ignoring vehicle and data security.
For many insurers, skill development in business analysis is often insufficient to maintain sustained performance at sufficient levels.
Given Apple's proclamation that its iPad 2 has sparked the "post-PC era," CIOs are worried that this new era will spur an arms race—upgrading to the best hardware available every two years.
As experts express their opinions on the topic, the only consensus is that “Big Data” is a very fluid term.
Insurers may openly welcome Obama’s pick for FIO chief, but risks remain in the rule-making process.
OnStar and other remote services provide many benefits, but also open the door to theft and vandalism.
Aflac’s situation with comedian Gilbert Gottfried’s Twitter comments about the Japanese disaster has shown that insurers must develop well-defined and well-communicated social media usage policies.
Sometimes, leaders can get the most benefit from simply changing the approach used, the questions asked and the focus of attention.
Economic, compliance and geopolitical risks are top of mind at ERM symposium.
As the reality of devastation and loss of life sink in, some seek to point the finger of blame at technology.
With mobile computing, employees in the field can access executive dashboards or alerts that impart streams of critical information.
As part of a broader mobility strategy, telematics has the potential to fundamentally transform the customer/insurer relationship.
French insurance CIOs divinations proving true; the nation's pending tax reforms could impact the life insurance industry for years to come.
A new report says the economy will continue to stall growth in insurance, and points to technology as the competitive differentiator, yet IT budgets are not increasing significantly.
Cloud computing can be an enabler of entrepreneurship and organizational transformation.
Working toward service-oriented architecture is a worthy goal—find out where your company ranks.
While the former U.S. vice president regularly rails against climate change, he has now found other topics on which to opine.
A practical development approach delivers skill and process enhancements as part of software development.
Being ready with the right execution framework, tools and organization structure is the key to a successful integration.
IBM’s Watson-type systems were inspired by science fiction, but until they can understand context, they will be flawed.
P&C agents have their work cut out for them trying to get customers to understand why homeowners coverages cost what they do.
If you have inefficient processes or a creaky, hidebound management culture, don't expect technology to smooth things over.
Scientists have built a system that lets you steer with your thoughts, but insurers will have a tough time rating drivers.
The arguments for each tack are compelling, but is the economy poised to help insurers reach their goals?
An incremental approach can help achieve business benefits during transformation.
A truck insurer is king of the road when it comes to mobile app development.
Advanced AI systems like those being developed by IBM sound great, but acquiring such systems is another matter.
As carriers chase down growth, policyholders are left with inflexible service and often brutal customer experience.
IBM says its Watson computer can do more than defeat human Jeopardy champs; it can be a tool for better and faster insurance processes.
Companies are concerned about application vulnerabilities, mobile device management.
Three IT executives offer some telling evidence that they are forging a path for others who want to earn a spot at the business table.
A report cites social media millionaires as potential wealth management clients, but the risk profile is not pretty.
The speed, scale and accuracy with which you translate analytics into operational improvements can create major cost and competitive differentiators for your organization.
The insurer announced that it's letting Florida policyholders sign up for a program that tracks their driving habits and adjusts their rates accordingly.
As any good insurance exec knows, a company is only as good as its last customer service call. IBM knows this too—that's part of why it’s still here.
Insurance professionals who want to stop the unauthorized flow of data to criminal sources should start by looking within their own enterprises.
Mobile devices are booming, but may never become the computing platform of choice for enterprises.
Everyone seems to agree that legacy systems are a drag on insurance processes, but aren't today's new systems tomorrow's legacy platforms?
The rise of ubiquitous and mobile computing is creating a range of new innovations, limited only by imaginations.
The cyber barbarians are at insurers’ gates—is your data secure?
Even robots can make mistakes, but when a human life is involved, who takes the blame?
Mobile browsers, which are readily available and can be supported on any mobile device, may be a better option for insurance IT departments with overstretched resources.
Today’s CIO should be less a technologist, and more a business person who creates advantages and differentiators using technology
Insurers and others who trust sensitive information to wireless transmissions are putting themselves at grave risk.
The first step for many claims investigators now is to scour social networking sites for information.
Understanding how to leverage social media, winning customer loyalty through service and finding new innovations can make a world of difference for insurers.
While much ballyhooed and potentially important, insurers should first take a breath and think about where they fit into the big picture.
Tracking cell phone and other device locations may aid in fighting crime, but it could also violate privacy and hamper efforts to track vehicles for insurance purposes.
After 18 months of study, presidential commission finds that everybody and nobody is responsible for the financial crisis.
Some insurers have recognized this large base of skills and assets, and found ways to leverage them.
While it may be all fun and games for kids and consumers, the glut of location-aware services pose an increasing claims threat for insurers.
SAS co-founder & CEO Jim Goodnight reflects on the promise and challenges surrounding business analytics technology.
While the movie portrays Facebook as a platform born of a grudge by a jilted, love-struck student, insurers are taking the site very seriously.
A new report says smartphone users are more likely than PC users to fall victim to phishing and providing confidential information.
While many vendor calls to insurance execs aren't immediately valuable, maintaining an inward-facing world view and ignoring what's happening in the industry can be detrimental.
SOA is so pervasive, it impacts everybody in an organization from top to bottom.
10 things CIOs must take into account when justifying the need to transform core systems.
The presidents of the U.S. and China say the right things, but details, as usual, are sorely lacking.
No longer is a simple customer transaction an event that is unlikely to damage a company’s reputation and brand.
A computer of Watson’s power would be a definite boon if available to insurers.
Catalan system sifts through large volumes of data to find patterns of interest.
Aflac’s CIO discusses how technology has made a significant difference for the company’s agents and employees.
After what seemed like a lull over the holidays, spammers are back at it with renewed gusto, and social networking sites offer fertile ground for growth.
Underwriters had their work cut out for them last year trying to figure out these vehicular advancements.
New ioSafe model may appeal for rugged insurance field operations.
Can you imagine conducting all of your day-to-day business on a smartphone? Yeah, didn’t think so…
Cloud, technically speaking, may be a simple concept using existing technologies, but don't be fooled into thinking that's all it is.
Before your New Year’s resolutions begin to fall by the wayside, you should ask yourself the following questions.
How can insurers protect privacy when insureds place so little value on it?
What’s hidden below the surface is what drives disproportionate cost in your organization.
We know mainframes can take a pounding, but they also need to be responsive and Web-aware.
Despite the prevalence of the trusted adviser model, relationships are expensive and at low premium levels, not worth the investment.
In the year to come, popular sentiment will push wireless device growth in insurance/financial services, but increasing security problems will push back.
Judy Johnson, a much-heralded and beloved figure, passes away.
Those who view SOA as a "magic bullet" may consider taking a more realistic approach to its implementation.
How will insurance and financial services IT react to a recovering economy? The guru tells all.
With much at stake, insurers may benefit from mobile web best practices being issued by an international standards body.
One thing is certain: Technology will play the most prominent role in all efforts.
Paying attention to the signs and reacting properly will result in success.
When it comes to IT, insurers kept their investment cards close to the vest in 2010.
Despite popular opinions, many firms continue to take a smart approach to SOA.
Insurers may want to take heed of these trends and incorporate them into their own customer experience strategies.
Our industry needs a glimmer of hope in this dreary time.
By streamlining and enhancing IT operations, Chartis already has recouped about $127 million in infrastructure savings.
A culture of complacency hampers information security efforts, and as a result, sensitive corporate data is vulnerable to tampering and theft.
Surprisingly little data combined with new technology can uncover connections between individuals that may hurt insurers and insureds.
Despite significant global economic struggles affecting all financial services firms, Asian insurers persevered to create innovative products and business practices.
Improved searchability and knowledge sharing are just two of the benefits of the “less-paper” office.
Courier services and pizza places already have websites with robust sales and services features; insurers should, too.
For those not on thin-client hookups, the message is clear: Know what applications are on your systems and how they work.
Gone are the days when a single vendor—or even engaging two or three vendors—is a viable strategy.
Between anticipated insurer cutbacks and increased outsourcing of operations, the picture isn’t rosy for insurance IT folk.
If it costs more to process medical records, someone will have to pay those costs--but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Could mobile apps be making insurance fun and friendly for the consumer?
While insurers still have to pour money and resources into developing for different mobile platforms, end-users have alleviated much of the pain.
It's never been more important for insurers, especially in the UK, to talk to the business about how and where IT can contribute to cost containment and profitability.
Celebrities aren't the only ones protecting "unusual" assets from potential risks.
Nations are vying for the exascale computing crown, but are we prepared to handle the speeds at which our computers will function?
Today’s new business and underwriting systems offer broad functionality for producers and underwriters, and with the right strategy, could lead to big wins for both down the road.
The Swiss government defines aggregators as brokers, leading to an interesting situation in which insurers pay them for use of their platforms.
Private clouds still present the same maintenance and hardware costs that companies have been struggling with all along, say some industry analysts.
Carriers still challenged with aligning operating expenses with the "new normal" should pursue a transformational strategy rather than an incremental approach.
Report of Internet traffic hijacking highlights danger.
Celebrities have long been insuring their most valuable assets, but sometimes those assets can be a little over the top.
While IT grunt work may be outsourced, the need for talented managers and professionals who understand both business and technology sides remains.
As climate researchers turn verbal somersaults to explain their findings, insurers will remain perplexed over future weather patterns.
Many insurers think their IT departments can do as good of a job—or better—on a project than a vendor, but they may not be right.
Many believe that the future for insurers is in the mobile Web.
The outcome of the current administration's efforts to clamp down on Internet privacy may create a positive spin for President Obama—and migraines for insurers simply trying to conduct business.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little imagination … and some collaborative software to kick-start the process.
As studies confirm the promise and limits of traditional safe driving initiatives, technology may provide an answer.
The feds say it will be a “secure” system, but definitions of security vary.
IT is now called upon to play a more proactive role to help insurers advance in a new globalized, hyper-competitive environment.
Complexity, timeliness, effective teamwork, risk mitigation, cost management and delivery—all aided by using a checklist.
The President does his best to mollify India while dismissing the idea of lost jobs at home as “an old stereotype.”
Many in the insurance world are still slow to recognize social media as a viable tool and an effective way to reach the customer.
Although depended upon for virtually every aspect of the business, IT still has issues that are shrouded in uncertainty.
Republican plans to overturn Dodd-Frank and Health Care Reform are long shots; the real action may be elsewhere.
Like many other areas of specialized knowledge, this information can be invaluable and will position you as a value-added practitioner.
A new report sees wireless devices and social networking applications as enticing targets for cyber-criminals.
Insurers can take simple steps that ultimately return far more than what they initially cost.
For years we have accepted that software glitches are inevitable, but we can’t afford to allow that to continue.
As an innovation inabler, IT needs to be able to turn things around faster than ever, and at the same time, let the business guide the process.
Though the devices may be inevitable, whose devices will be the standard?
The insurer enables five different business lines to tap into common data services supported by a data warehouse.
The dreaded budgeting process is well underway (hopefully), and without scenario-planning tools to help with projections, the task can be difficult.
The recent extension does little to address the long-term viability of financially hobbled flood insurance program.
While many Asian consumers are staring to purchase policies from banks, the majority still prefer the personal touch of agents.
Driven by visions of future savings, some enterprises are flirting with the idea of thin clients, but users will not be so easily parted from their desktop PCs and laptops.
One of the reasons mainframes are so popular again is their ability to scale to the growing requirements of cloud computing.
Given its value, it must be treated with the same sense of security and accountability as money.
Facebook is suing some spammers, but will it really do any good?
With the inexorable move toward the commoditization of IT, CIOs' duties may eventually float off into the cloud.
While the business and IT linkage still is not perfect, it has come a long way.
While insurers have the technology to do amazing things, they must not let organizational issues hinder them from putting it to good use.
Software is still a hot area for VC investment, but green technologies seem less appealing.
Analysts from around the globe discuss regional insights that could aid U.S. insurers.
Putting analytics in the hands of decision-makers up and down the line helps affect positive and profitable changes for the business as situations change.
Legal requirements drive tech product development and data management policies.
Despite the economy's negative effect on insurers' IT strategies, there are a few "new normal" factors in play that may provide balance.
P&C insurers still aren’t taking advantage of customer data that already exists within their organizations.
If you’re wondering what to do with your IT outsourcing budget while the recession rages on, start by cleaning up your data and processes.
Insurers ranked No. 42 out of the top 50 industries in regard to their social media savvy, just ahead of debt collectors and hair salons, but way behind banks, which were ranked No. 3 in a report.
High-powered tech execs have ideas, some of which are actually good.
Innovation, growing the business and keeping the lights on are crucial for insurance IT shops.
Given the emergence of social networks, insurers should consider how the data they provide on individuals is being used—both in their companies and by others.
Vicious computer worm’s intended or unintended victims may include large, highly insured industrial facilities.
Experts offer competing visions on what it takes to make insurance companies thrive.
A puppy may be just the thing to turn the tide of negative public perception.
An outgrowth of "The Great Recession," The Great Inflection may lay the groundwork for new, more innovative ways to do business over the coming decade.
Most P&C agents’ attempts to sell life products fail, but there are workable solutions to the dilemma.
While BlackBerry may be late to the game, insurance IT shops prefer its security features to Apple's.
Despite pronouncements that the recession has ended, we're still not back yet to business as usual.
Companies that figure out how to manage for creativity will have a crucial advantage in the ever-increasing competition for talent.
An economist group might think the downturn is over, but reality tells a different tale.
We may just be emerging from a recession, but these IT shops will soon be facing tough challenges in not only standing up new systems, but finding the talent to do it.
ISO plans to develop a behavior database to aid underwriting decisions, but it’s important to remember that correlation does not necessarily equal causation.
Almost 80% of insurers are willing to outsource printing and mailing, but there are other, less drastic ways, to save money.
Insurers should look at six key areas going forward to develop a competitive advantage.
Enterprise architects should follow a similar mantra to the Hippocratic Oath, and strive not to leave a system in worse shape than before they started.
Outsourcing jobs may or may not be a sensible financial decision, but either way, both the outsourced individual and the company pay the price.
At CSC’s Future Focus, the buzz was around consumers, agents and mobility—all topics insurers can’t ignore.
An effective social media approach to HR and recruiting may be the LIFT needed to get through what will soon be challenging times for insurers.
Risk management software company is a natural fit with Big Blue’s insurance offerings
Insurers could realize a 105% return on equity as a result of a 10% improvement in data quality and mobility.
All these technological changes are reshaping customer expectations. What’s a carrier to do?
A noted Children’s Hospital is appealing a $250,000 fine for not reporting a data breach, but this should be a huge red flag for insurers.
Finding examples in other parts of the company can contribute a focused and meaningful perspective.
Technologies such as business analytics are opening up new possibilities for coaxing businesses out of their comfortable boxes.
When perpetrators of major cyber-crimes get a mere slap on the hand, we all lose.
While the long-term answer is likely no, many companies presently will be able to succeed without hiring new workers inside or outside of IT.
Data migration issues have long held life insurers back from replacing their legacy systems.
With the economy continuing to suck wind, vendors, too, need to find ways to get more value out of what they produce.
Insurers may want to ensure they're not guilty of providing a vastly different quality of customer service via social media versus other channels.
A new study and some Congressional testimony reinforce the difference a CEO’s abilities have on company performance.
Expert believes it’s more about communication and less about alignment.
A new report says PC shipments will diminish over the rest of this year due to a sluggish economy, but maybe people are just tired of large boxes.
Hyper-social product development and innovation are the next frontier for insurance companies.
Car insurance has been on the market since 1897—six years after the first recorded car accident.
Insurers should ensure that the Web portals being used to simplify transactions with agents and customers don't make things harder on them.
Bounties on defects make a lot of fiscal sense.
How do increased automation and the advent of “swarms” fit in an industry that seriously values its personal interactions and relationships?
If U.S. and European governments don’t address their chronic deficit and debt problems soon, we may see a major nation’s economy fail in the next five years.
Effective distribution management strategies result in 65% adoption rate among growing demographic.
Perhaps the answer is to take user-empowered networking and secure it with user empowerment.
Tracing the history of insurance through the ages, the practice of transferring risk in exchange for money really began to take hold between the 14th and 17th centuries.
Academics and security vendors say they uncovered Windows vulnerabilities months ago; what did Microsoft know?
A key benefit of having a common MDM repository is enhanced customer support and increased customer loyalty.
From the ancient Chinese to the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans, the insurance industry can trace its history back to the beginnings of our civilization.
To ensure effective change within an organization, C-level executives need to cultivate leaders at the business unit level.
New drives are smaller than a postage stamp with no moving parts.
There are many avenues open for insurers to either migrate or modernize legacy systems to bring them up to code.
What have we learned in the past 18 months? In an industry where confidence, stability and trust are critical, we must strive to do better.
The government of India may shut down BlackBerry and other messaging services for security reasons, but is wireless technology really the problem?
Compliance only seems to be stepping up, as governments require more information and accountability from enterprises.
Containerized data centers may be a viable option for insurers that want to keep their servers in-house, while keeping their purse strings tight.
Still slow to catch on in the United States, bancassurance is quickly becoming a major distribution channel in Asian markets.
Toshiba drives offer auto-erasing of sensitive data on shutdown, but their limits have yet to be tested.
In this time of economic uncertainty, should auto insurers align themselves with Big Brother approaches to catching the uninsured?
Technology may some day enable cars to sense danger and avoid it, but how will this affect auto insurance?
Employing business transaction management practices is a good starting place.
The innovative app took social networking to new levels, but failed to make it relevant to the humans who tried it.
Understanding your customers and their traits is only the first step.
Definitions and interpretations aside, an effective SOA deployment can lay the groundwork for cloud formations.
Grinding out a meaningful cost-benefit analysis is nothing new, but it is the only way to be certain that the varied benefits to your organization outweigh the costs.
An apparent shift in criminals’ strategies toward poorly protected banking services should spark concern, but does it?
The negative public perception of the industry only compounds insurers’ challenges to hiring new employees.
Who thought the entertainment industry might be in a position to liberate insurers from an unrelenting bad rap?
Many insurers are now securing their databases by "data masking," which removes confidential data elements and replaces them with usable, fictitious data.
License revocations and opprobrium are the inevitable results of those who are seen as having taken advantage of service members or their families.
Insurers must devise a plan to communicate with aggregators, properly utilize agents and create an effective multi-channel management strategy.
Social networking and BPM could create a new approach to collaboration across organizations.
Enterprise managers are keeping their cards close to the vest as they wait for the economy to show more definite signs of recovery.
Some think mobile devices are the rising stars while PCs are legacy toast. But is that true for insurers?
The business often asks crazy things of IT, but sometimes that craziness can lead to creativity.
The first ripples from regulatory reform are already being felt.
Survey data reveal that IT employees are more confident about a number of things—including finding employment elsewhere.
The concerns of Japanese insurers are very similar to those of their North American counterparts.
Many business and IT initiatives fail because decision-making responsibilities are given to under-skilled or under-talented managers who wind up making bad decisions.
Investments can be made in one area, but if other related areas are forgotten, the initial investment's benefits may be less than expected.
Effective deployment of information technology will be a difference-maker for insurers.
Giving customers what they want seems like a no-brainer, but where do we draw the line between service and servitude?
To reach consumers, the confectioner, like many insurers lately, is eschewing traditional e-mail marketing in favor of social media.
Imagine the benefit of agents logging in and accessing application processing or customer verification services, or internal departments helping with claims processing or adjusters in the field.
Black Hat was set to expose Chinese cyber-attack capabilities until big-money agencies stepped in to silence them.
The insurer believes an analytics-based strategy is the future of customer relationships.
Insurers watch and wait as Microsoft looks to standardize cloud services around its Azure platform.
Researchers and TV shows have already proven that it’s possible, but is it advisable?
No prior IT architecture initiative has had an impact as positive or broad-reaching as SOA.
Effective data management and data quality are no longer “nice to have” options.
When was the last time your company rolled out an innovation? Are you playing catch-up?
Consumers want it, but will we survive it—and how do we insure it?
An increase in qualified actuarial resources, and a need to move actuaries into more strategic activities, will offer insurers opportunities that were previously unavailable.
Universities have taken up the challenge of grooming willing replacements for needy insurers.
However, we now have new means and methodologies to add to our toolboxes.
The economy, it seems, is forcing us to make choices.
In the face of public anger, and legislators anxious to produce a fix, the insurance industry was able to influence the course of financial reform legislation largely to its liking.
Study shows consumers want responsiveness, but clearly they also don’t trust portals when it comes to more difficult issues.
Insurers are finally starting to stand up and take notice of Lean IT, which has been a staple in the manufacturing world for years.
Insurers should look at how many websites they're running, what they cost and if any of those services could be merged onto cheaper platforms.
The federal government wants to build a place where everyone feels safe online, but are they instead creating a tempting target for cybercriminals and other enemies?
While it doesn’t make sense for insurers to hand over critical systems to third-parties, there are many other processes that can be handed over without worry.
While some hopeful signs are anticipated, economic recovery is still not a reality in terms of IT budget levels.
Even the best-aligned insurers face IT departments not quite getting what the users want, and users not understanding how IT operates.
A new tax on British insurance purchases creates a challenge for insurer IT departments to respond in a timely fashion.
The best way for insurers to differentiate themselves from their competitors is to deliver on this simple promise.
Pundits and analysts are having a field day with social media for insurance, but is it really that big of a deal?
Asian insurance CIOs tend to be very tech-aware, and are actively pursuing process automation.
Not treating data quality as an IT issue and taking critical enterprise info out of employees' heads are two of the keys.
The economic recovery horses are at the starting gate, but when will the race begin, and when do we plunk down our bets?
Insurer says achieving efficient, green data centers need not be expensive or overwhelming.
Cyber-security is a rapidly growing problem, but you’d never know it by the response in our industry.
Risk management is only the first of many apps and functions that can be delivered via cloud-based services to insurers.
A more integrated and holistic approach to the delivery of health care is crucial.
The economy still stinks, but the IASA Educational Conference and Business Show came up smelling like a rose.
Most bad business policies involve similar one-stage thinking—the type of thinking that never considers the question: “And then what happens?”
An industry analyst survey says BI systems efforts aren’t cutting it in the insurance industry.
Messaging and collaboration, and infrastructure have even the largest of carriers reaching for the cloud.
A good reputation will prevail over all, especially in the insurance marketplace.
Vendors are making insurance software tools easier for business users, but how much technology can we leave in the hands of non-techies?
Breaking business process problems down into components to be digested by groups of three people can save insurers significant amounts of time.
Exhibitors acknowledge improvements, but daunting challenges remain.
What insurers can do to enhance their customer experience in the years ahead.
For those who see converting to a green facility as daunting or expensive, Aflac has five words: it's okay to start small.
Seriously engaging and understanding the customer is of dire importance.
A surprising reprimand of national politicians and a less surprising disregard for the industry highlighted the conference’s first day.
One of the keys to good employee management, and ensuring fairness, for insurers is open, effective communication.
Without cloud, insurers risk obsolescence as their competitors may win on cost and efficiency alone.
As a result, the government ponders creation of a Financial Stability and Development Council to lay down clear guidelines for the financial market.
As part of its green strategy, Allstate is pursuing “aggressive virtualization,” which dramatically cut the amount of servers and storage needed to support present and future operations.
We provide insurance for those whose identities are stolen, so why not add preventive services?
Facebook remains an intriguing channel and marketing tool for insurers, and this debate with regulators underlines just how important it could be.
The question of how to handle security identification is a thorny one.
Insurers must ask themselves ‘What?’, ‘When?’ and ‘Why?’ while defining their cloud adoption strategy.
The boundary between where social networking for an employer stops, and personal networking begins keeps getting fuzzier and fuzzier.
The new Cyber Command appointment confirms the notion that we really are engaged in cyber-war.
As insurers expand accessibility for the customer and distribution systems, streamlining supporting processes becomes even more important.
Everyone wants to appear to be a good global citizen, but the bottom line still dominates decisions.
Expert believes cloud, for insurers, is “the next phase in the logical evolution in the delivery of IT services.”
BPM was front and center at this year's IBM Impact conference, which may be a first for IT-leaning audiences. The fusion has finally arrived.
IT budgets aren’t growing, but critical needs are still critical. How do we know when to take the economic recovery seriously?
Given the importance of distribution management to P&C, life and annuity insurers in 2009, carriers should go one step further with PRM.
There are many ways to store data, but mitigating risk must be priority No. 1.
For insurers like SafeAuto that heavily rely on online consumer engagement, robust application uptime and performance means the difference been competitive edge and sure trouble.
Insurers should keep apprised of Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook's latest developments, as they could have profound effects on the business.
Social media outlets are hot marketing tools—and dangerous security risks. What’s an insurer to do?
Perhaps this isn't surprising, as smaller firms have a lot more to lose if they have fraudulent accounts in their midst.
If the insurance industry truly designed technology to meet user needs and expectations, it could avoid a lot of pain and effort by leveraging existing user behaviors.
Insurers’ self-service strategies should be about bringing together process management and customer experience management.
Steering a car with one’s eyes seems like a neat idea ... until you look the wrong way.
Narragansett Bay Insurance’s CIO offers tips for insurers on how to best leverage the cloud while minimizing risks.
Planned acquisition of compliance specialist firm will pay dividends in an industry sharply focused on complying.
While mainframes are still both viable and valuable, perhaps the key to this semantic pretzel is that the needs of the business must come first, and executives shouldn’t rush to adopt new systems simply because they're the latest-and-greatest new tech.
Starting slowly and establishing best practices from the outset are two keys to mitigating cloud computing's risks.
A university study implies that young people are just as concerned as baby boomers about online privacy, but the details tell a different story.
Letting customers do the work for themselves obviously saves money for insurers, but why don’t more customers do it?
Insurers will increasingly use public, shared data to make informed pricing decisions, which begs the question: How will underwriters use this new information?
An IBM report recommends aggressive adoption of tools and platforms that foster collaboration between employee groups as a key to maximizing growth in this recovering economy.
As insurers emerge from the economic downturn, opportunities for growth may not follow traditional patterns, nor are things likely to improve as quickly as before.
If Tiger Woods' image can have such a profound effect on Gatorade and Nike's bottom lines, can characters in insurers' ad campaigns do the same?
Recent security breaches have focused attention on Indian outsourcers at a time when they can least afford it.
Messaging and e-mail are the best starting points for insurers, experts say.
A federal court says the FCC has no authority to regulate broadband Internet providers, but a free-market will still create opportunities.
Expert says insurers should mandate risk management exercises be a part of every IT project.
Expert says one of the most common misconceptions is the belief that cloud computing is a cheaper technology to be implemented and deployed.
Two senators warn of impending disaster, but some seem to think the threat is overblown.
Unified communications is the integration of various communication media with business process management and workflow.
It’s no surprise that customers don’t relate well to the machinations of our customer-facing software.
The challenge for insurers, experts say, is to stay focused on the customer, but without additional funding to do so.
An unbalanced UK economy and uneven success across Europe utilizing a bancassurance model have hindered life insurers overall success.
As a trillion-dollar industry managed by political cronies and policed by the IRS, government-run health care is a series of problems waiting to happen.
When paired, cloud computing and BPM permit insurers to identify, model and automate mission-critical business processes.
Any organization connected to health care is going to need lots of expertise in data management and architecture sooner than later.
The Chinese government and Google both seek the moral high ground, but China’s record on the Web reveals hypocrisy.
Insurers can create a hybrid cloud that keeps certain tasks within the enterprise on a private cloud, but leverages the public cloud for other tasks.
Thinking globally and acting locally, Patni follows the example of Mitsubishi and others that have brought jobs to the United States.
The reality is self service is one of the key value drivers in insurance systems these days, and can have a significant and rapid impact on the business.
When developing new processes and implementing new applications systems, it's vital to eliminate the uncertainty and get the necessary information from those who do the work.
Creating this type of a dialogue between employees frequently yields greater efficiencies for the organization.
Would Apple’s show of appreciation land it in hot water with Obama’s salary watchdog?
Insurers that were most happy with their IT services vendor felt they had a true partnership with their vendor.
A new IBM study finds CFOs have gained power as a result of the financial crisis, but lack tools needed to make good decisions.
Sure, online health care will save time and money, but it will also alienate patients from their providers.
Insurers shouldn't ignore developing mobile apps for customers, integrating social media across all activities and honing multi-channel communications.
The average large insurance company has 13 Twitter accounts, according to the study.
UK consumers have learned that their loyalty is usually rewarded with a hike in premiums.
A new, more robust version of the federal government’s intrusion detection program could be a blessing for U.S. businesses, but already the specter of invasion of privacy is being raised.
While greatly desired by many insurers, this promise is often more aspiration than realization.
While the space insurance market is currently small, one expert says it's vital for sustainable commercial space activities.
Everyone agrees that something needs to be done, but crooks know they can count on government for a phlegmatic response.
New studies find consumers are still slowly recovering from the economic maelstrom that hit between 2007 and 2009.
Implementing new strategy requires leadership, executive involvement, a plan, technology and discipline, among other things.
IT is a world unto itself, and that’s part of the problem when it proves to be ineffective.
Leveraging existing assets and getting privacy concerns right the first time are two important lessons insurers can learn.
The end-goal for many insurers is to bring self service to all aspects of customer and agent interfaces. And everybody wants it.
The federal government seems keen on developing commercial space flight technologies, but how do we insure those who go where very few men have gone before?
Part of IT planning is to consider how a system will be kept up-to-date, and how it will eventually be retired.
By opening channels for customer interaction, USAA shows that it's keeping customer care front and center.
When you do something wrong with someone else’s computer, are you still entitled to keep it secret?
The latest social media "trial" is designed to improve preventive care and decrease emergency room visits, the results of which could have far-reaching benefits for its target audience, as well as for insurers.
The challenges inherent in legacy system maintenance are not impossible to overcome; but they do require a combination of technical and soft skills, and the right leadership in place to anticipate turbulence.
Maintaining control over quality should be your strategic objective, but how do you do so when you are forced to cut costs?
The bleeding edge is a risky place, and our industry doesn’t like risk.
A new survey suggests that organizations are finally starting to get their arms around MDM. For insurers, it could pave to the way to more focused marketing and services.
Most of us would not buy a car based solely on a review of features and functions on the manufacture’s Web site or brochure, and it’s similar in the world of core system evaluation.
Google Buzz users went nuts when their contacts were assembled without their consent, but other social media users are only too happy to air every piece of dirty laundry in their baskets to anyone who will listen.
Open source offers rapid turnaround and quicker time to market, which appeals to many insurers.
Insurers don’t buy tech for policyholders to tell them how pretty their bill is but, instead, as part of a bigger strategy to do something for the business.
Speed is an important part of the equation that yields customer satisfaction and begets retention, but not at the cost of relationship building.
The Toyota recall is the perfect opportunity for carriers to encourage online self-service.
Experts believe companies should gradually immerse themselves in social networking strategies—not dash in an all-at-once fashion.
Insurers looking at IT outsourcing, whether for hardware, software or people, should focus not on cost, but long-term business value.
A new study from IBM suggests that data governance is critical, but actions based on data are unique.
Critic contends that all this cloud terminology is sort of silly, and suggest that it may even be setting the industry back.
IT personnel budgets for 2010 are slightly higher, but who will actually benefit from the increase?
Today's insurance CIO must rise above the shortcomings of his predecessors, and be equally adept at dealing with both business and technology issues.
The green concept is catching on with insurers as well, as Allstate opened a data center last year based upon best practices and technology aimed at saving energy and employing renewable resources.
Just a few pieces of information may be all that is needed to identify you—yet new methods make breaching your privacy even easier.
Wouldn't you love to have even a piece of that magic when you're pitching ideas for a new underwriting system or agency portal? Learn how.
A Texas bank is suing a business customer that was victimized by cyber-theft; what will insurers do in similar circumstances?
Platform and infrastructure, software development customization and application maintenance are expected to garner the biggest spending increases.
The focus of lean IT is to put forth “a set of principles that says you are going to slow down in order to speed up.”
Actions by French insurers could trigger new rounds of discussions and delay the effective implementation of the Solvency II directive.
The tech icon says it will cost fewer dollars, but it can also subvert key relationships that make for success.
MetLife's new teleconferencing setup may have cost about $1 million, but it expects a double-digit ROI in travel savings.
Using technology, insurers can anchor claims at the first notice of loss to improve the fairness, accuracy, speed and consistency of claims.
Several high-profile insurers incorporated elegant designs into service processes, and the impact on their market presence has been phenomenal.
Everyday users worry about their privacy, so how much more should business users be concerned?
For an industry built on trust and relationships, technology is beneficial, but there are still times when face-to-face contact is still important.
The industry considers salivating over the huge China market, but it does so at the expense of our security.
A LinkedIn discussion chain yielded a surprising array of responses from IT folks on this question.
Internet marketing will be regulated by 2015, controlling more than $250 billion in Internet marketing spending worldwide. Outlandish? Maybe not.
Insurers that tie themselves to major sporting events build brand by capturing eyeballs in an innovative way, not by trying to be "cute" with their sponsorships.
Instead of focusing on product features, insurers are focused on growing customer wallet share and capturing emerging customer segments, such as Gen Y’s. Tech vendors need to pay attention.
Two insurers prove that SOA has finally reached a stage of maturity that allows it to address real business problems.
The amount of data we have is growing faster than our ability to store it, and that spells trouble for enterprises.
IT departments sometimes fall into the trap of gauging success solely on project-management parameters or technological criteria, which isn't always the best measure.
While still seen by many as a double-edged sword, social media helps insurers bring bring about innovation.
“Faster” and “easier” are very appealing buzzwords, but “safer” is even better in the current security climate
Going forward, insurers will be employing their existing Web application platforms for all manner of devices.
As usual, the federal government chooses a sledge hammer to swat a fly, which means we all get squashed.
The Y2K "crisis" spawned major shifts in the IT landscape that are still felt today... what might tomorrow bring?
Many of us are trying hard to see positive trends for the coming year, but employment remains the only meaningful bellwether of change.
What to their wondering eyes did appear? Probably not what they were hoping for.
A McKinsey & Co. study finds 55% of execs say current performance in providing basic IT services is very or extremely effective, but only 21% are happy with IT's ability to add value to the business.
Search is now generating thousands of new policies for agents and carriers, making it an indispensable part of their marketing strategy.
Many times, insurers don’t look closely enough at all available data and information to see clearly, and lose out on opportunities as a result.
OK, so some prominent global warming acolytes have been rigging the numbers; let’s just pretend that didn’t happen.
Survey results show younger generation more open to being approached via non-traditional channels.
Sources say personal computer sales will increase in the commercial sector, but where will the money come from, and who will use them?
Businesses need working solutions to their problems, and spending capital on all the latest bells and whistles is not the answer.
Fresh thinking and innovation is needed in the health care sector, and only then will IT improvements begin to have their desired impact.
Since research has found that 41% of online insurance consumers are interested in PAYD policies, why hasn't this seemingly innovative and intuitive program been adopted by more states, or backed by regulatory groups?
The few insurers that have released mobile apps have found success but, eventually, every insurer that has invested in a Web-based channel will be taking full advantage of all mobile devices.
Joblessness has hit most sectors of the U.S. economy, including technology, but companies are still begging for low-cost labor from overseas.
Celent says customer portals should behave in the manner customers expect, which requires continued investments to reflect changing customer behavior, and the leveraging of new technologies.
A new Celent report concludes that the greatest challenge facing insurers is their siloed environments. Improving info sharing would help eliminate this problem.
With the proliferation of security devices and software, you would think that virus infections are decreasing, but exactly the opposite is true. The question is—why?
Fundamental to every insurer's improvement initiative is the need for managers to provide personal-written or verbal permission to make improvements.
While the law may eventually get watered down, the transparency and accountability of information will live on as perhaps insurers' most important corporate value.
No one wants to spend more money these days, but cuts can bleed in ways we never would have imagined.
Move over James Bond, new “gadget-friendly clothing” redefines “cool” for the technophile.
Social media is invaluable in helping people find each other, share information, communicate and learn, but it's not without its pitfalls.
U.S. life carriers need to understand consumer behavior in order to help agents close new business.
Repealing McCarran Ferguson could have serious implications for insurance companies and, ultimately, would burden consumers.
While Web apps are a critical part of many insurers’ business strategies, there needs to be better, more systematic approaches to addressing potential performance issues.
Internet-related crime is a fact of life, but can we afford to simply write it off and forget about it?
Experts say the answer might be a hybrid cloud and on-site computing model.
Eliminating workarounds, or "swamps," can pay great dividends for insurers.
In this age of tight markets and a floundering economy, some are suggesting that carriers take all their sales in-house, but will that happen?
A lack of funding for IT and eBusiness initiatives, channel conflicts and confusion about the role of social networking also plague overseas insurers.
From gathering intelligence to problem solving to making IT decisions, a CIOs job is always varied and busy.
Experts believe insurers eventually will buy into the cloud hype, but in the form of "private clouds" contained within enterprises and close partners and agents.
What does it mean for an individual or a company to be a thought leader? For some the answer is powerful, but some refuse to drink the Kool-Aid.
There's been intense debate among insurance IT pros lately over what SOA is—or is not—supposed to accomplish. Fortunately, experts at last month's International SOA Symposium have helped to shed some light on the subject.
Will anyone need today’s data a millennium from today? Quite possibly, the answer is yes.
What would it look like if Apple's “I'm-a-Mac” commercials were elevated to the enterprise level?
While legacy architectures may make things easier on IT departments, they don't necessarily ease headaches for users.
Holy temblors, Batman, what will the global warming acolytes do with this one?
Management teams have found a need to reset their strategic direction in 2010, so it's imperative insurers improve project execution.
While the government continues to fumble with determining its oversight plan, insurers struggle with their own compliance efforts
Access and authority can be tricky and risky, but someone—or some thing—has to be in charge. Is automation an option?
Research from Forrester finds that while U.S. auto insurance customers often utilize the Web to shop, they still prefer to purchase through agents or the call center.
Insurers may call the rapidly increasing pace of change “normal,” but it still amounts to a loss of control.
New Celent research examines what's hot and what's not for insurers and their IT investments.
The challenge to insurance IT proponents is while they have the support of their companies, they need to do a better job of linking IT projects to actual business gains.
Young graduates seem uninterested in computer science, but some say the real problem is that U.S. companies are opting for cheaper foreign labor in their enterprises. The result is a lack of demand for more highly paid American IT workers.
Forrester talked to 70 North American insurers about their hardware and infrastructure investment plans and found that they're very concerned about risks associated with cloud computing and virtualization.
The cumulative costs for insurers of not fixing all the niggling IT issues and workarounds can be significant.
One plan is to provide services to agents who already have affinity marketing schemes in place.
Zach McCoy, SVP at Kaplan Compliance, offers four recommendations for insurers currently seeking to adopt business process management.
While the federal government’s irrational urge to throw money at every problem is sickening, more funding for cyber-security makes a lot of sense, especially for health insurers.
As more and more consumers use comparison-shopping sites, a major question arises for carriers and agents: Are online comparison shoppers really good customers for your book of business?
The problem stems partly from the Disney mindset of many parents.
We already know the self-service ethic is a winning approach for many insurers, so why not self-service IT?
AHIP's last-second change of heart exposes the organization to retribution.
A new paint formula is said to block Wi-Fi signals, but will it bring more headaches than benefits?
The real issue buried behind the Justice Department's investigation of IBM is not the hardware monopoly, but the fact that many companies have mission-critical systems running on these mainframes; systems in which they have invested too much money to move.
What do we do when the technology environment changes too quickly for us to respond to it? Quantum physics may provide an answer or two.
Reports indicate that revenue support is not going to come from a hardening market.
The power of the list is its ability to bring focus, which is especially helpful for insurance and IT professionals who invariably have their plates full.
Forrester polled 65 insurance IT decision-makers about their infrastructure priorities for 2010, and 48% said extending the life of their hardware was of critical importance.
Despite the gloomy economic picture, many insurers are still upgrading or replacing policy admin systems but, once done, place more responsibility in the hands of business users than IT.
Insurers must encrypt or mask sensitive data that leaves production environments regardless of its destination.
In this information age, perhaps the biggest challenge for insurers and consumers alike is learning to filter through the media deluge for what's truly meaningful.
IT departments are now expected to play a feature role in driving the future growth of the business.
Given the rise of smartphone adoption among U.S. insurance customers, there is now a massive demand to engage insurers via the mobile Web.
Royal Bank of Scotland Insurance is reportedly moving its claims management system to India.
Insurers cutting maintenance levels is a bit like a pro athlete cutting back his workouts—the lack of “maintenance” will eventually show in his performance, or lack thereof.
Insurers should examine their current systems for untapped features and functionality.
Millennials dislike the world their forebears created, and have the current financial crisis, complete with negative opinions of banks and insurers, fueling their disdain.
Celent says two recent policy admin deals in the UK is a sign insurers are looking to get back on track with IT investments.
The arrival of BPM as a transformational initiative is creating new opportunities for carriers to think about new ways of doing business.
The quashing of accountability of a yet-to-be-appointed cyber-security czar is, perhaps, standard operating procedure in the world of politics, but it smells rotten to those of us who live in objective reality.
It’s a tricky time for those who must make plans for next year, but where should insurers draw the line between caution and boldness?
Without an innovation plan, insurance CIOs and IT teams could get a black eye, spending scarce budgets on initiatives that do worse than go nowhere, but end up disappointing the broad customer base.
Insurers should think less about functions and the data itself, and focus instead on processes.
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With 40 years of reliability, there may still be a place for mainframes in insurance IT shops.
By utilizing Forrester's simple methodology, insurers can evaluate any social, Web, mobile or IT investment.
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