Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management articles from June 2005

Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management archives from June 2005

Start Your Engines.
June 1, 2005... You've driven the winding road to ERP. You've navigated the bumpy journey to CRM. Now, it's time to rev up your engines for the next big technology race: the race to the newest enterprise goal: CPM. If you haven't already heard the term,...

Seeking Relief From Information Overload: Network storage solutions can alleviate the rising tide of data and digital documents that threatens insurers' ability to quickly retrieve vital information.
June 1, 2005... Network storage isn't an issue insurance executives spend much time thinking about. But it should be. For starters, regulatory demands, such as those spelled out in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), are putting the onus on executives to...

Speed, Service Define Success: Capturing data and eliminating multiple handoffs are contributing to carriers' improvement in managing claims. The result: reduced cycle time, lower loss costs and higher customer retention rates.
June 1, 2005... For insurers, handling claims is not only costly in terms of paying for damages, it ultimately can cost them customers: A poor claims experience will motivate angry policyholders to switch carriers. Processing paper-based claims creates...

A Time For Change.
June 1, 2005... We've often covered in the pages of Insurance Networking News the need for insurance companies to be flexible, nimble and responsive to change. Similarly, the publications that cover the insurance industry must rise to the same challenges. ...

Nationwide Identifies Value-Added Solution For Identity Theft Crimes.
June 1, 2005... A growing number of insurers are harnessing technology to improve services to customers victimized by identity theft. Some have established outreach programs that give policyholders access to third-party identity theft restoration services....

Sold: Online Auctions Bid For Secondary Life Insurance Sales.
June 1, 2005... A national life settlement broker is taking an eBay-like approach to the secondary life insurance market, linking cash-strapped policyholders with institutional investors. In April, Life Settlement Insights drew a handful of institutional...

Contracts.
June 1, 2005... The Contracts Update section includes announcements of contracts insurance information technology companies have signed with customers in recent weeks. Contract news can be faxed to Insurance Networking News magazine at (312) 913-1366 or by...

Agent Group, Carriers Urge Agencies To Tighten Internet Security Through Employee Training.
June 1, 2005... Carriers have been addressing Internet security ever since they realized the public network exposed them to denial of service attacks and theft of policyholder information. Firewalls, intrusion detection, encryption, virus scanning, access...

Product Previews.
June 1, 2005... MCCAMISH OFFERS AGENT MANAGEMENT BPO McCamish Systems LLC, an Atlanta-based BPO service provider to the life and annuity market, is offering a range of agent management services on a business process outsourcing model. Previously, McCamish...

Business Alliances.(Whitehill Technologies Inc. acquires Metaserver Inc.)(Eagle Technology Management Inc. signs an agreement to distribute State Filing Software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... WHITEHILL ACQUIRES METASERVER'S TECHNOLOGY ASSETS Whitehill Technologies Inc., a Moncton, Canada-based document composition and data transformation software firm, has acquired the technology assets of Metaserver Inc. Whitehill now owns the...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2005... In the April issue, it was incorrectly stated that IVANS' Transformation Station is used for agency download; IVANS' Transfer Manager is the tool for download. Also, a comment by Donna Barr on how agents could react to "unconventional"...

CPM Components.(Informatica Corp.)(Control Program for Microcomputers)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Business intelligence: A category of applications for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to make better business decisions. It includes decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing,...

At Penn Mutual, There's Been A Change Of Policy: Penn Mutual Life Insurance is relying on change management to help its business people ease into adoption of a new end-to-end automation strategy to streamline annuity policy processing and build new business.(Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co.)
June 1, 2005... From the highest executive to the lowest-level associate, business people in corporate America are creatures of habit-often to a fault. Take paper processing. The reliance on paper documents might represent a drag on day-to-day workflow,...

Don't Forget the People.
June 1, 2005... Brett Champlin has one message for companies that are adopting business process management strategies: Don't forget the people. "It's a lesson we should have learned again and again," says Champlin, president of the Chicago-based...

Claims 'Hubs' Improve Workflow.(insurance claims management)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... By definition, a hub is a center of activity that consists of spokes spread wide apart at the periphery and coming together at the center. In the claims management process at many insurance companies, the spokes represent the multiple...

Carrier's Name Reflects Claims Strategy.(workers compensation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... How critical is speedy claims resolution to property/casualty insurers? A good illustration might be the decision by 1-888-OHIOCOMP to use its unique name as the toll-free phone number that employers call to report a workers' compensation...

MetLife Makes Retirement Planning Easier To Understand: MetLife executives understood that to grow their business, they had to improve how they presented information to plan participants and customize their presentations cost-effectively.
June 1, 2005... When executives for MetLife Retirement & Savings were considering how to make retirement planning easier for customers to understand, Chris McCloy decided to take matters into his own hands. In late 2004, the New York-based insurer had its...

Collaboration Builds Consensus between Business, IT, and Legal.(MetLife Real Estate Investments)
June 1, 2005... As business leaders with MetLife Retirement & Savings were planning to develop a new communications strategy to grow their business, they collaborated with the insurer's IT unit to discuss how technology could support their endeavor. The...

Web Marketplaces Remain Open For Insurance Business: Although few policies are actually sold online, insurers say online agencies are still relevant to their e-business plans.(insurance networking)
June 1, 2005... When online insurance marketplaces first appeared on the Internet horizon more than five years ago, they filled an important gap in carriers' online business strategies. At that time, most insurers had Web sites that industry experts mockingly...

e.Business Briefs.( Xcipio Inc)
June 1, 2005... ZURICH UPDATES SURETY EXPRESS Zurich North America, the Schaumburg, Ill.-based commercial property/casualty insurer, has launched Surety Express Release 2, an updated version of its free online surety bond processing system. Offering a...

Index Of Advertisers.
June 1, 2005... Advertiser Site Addresses Page # ACORD http://cartoons.acord.org 22 AQS www.aqsadvantage.com 36 CCC Information Services...

Six Steps For SOX Compliance: Understanding Sarbanes-Oxley compliance is one thing; turning knowledge into action is another.(Sarbanes Oxley Act )
June 1, 2005... What are the most important IT considerations for complying with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002? By July 15, all U.S. companies under $75 million in annual revenue must demonstrate they know the answer to that question, because...