Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management articles from November 2004

Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management archives from November 2004

Carriers Enter The Eye Of The Storm.
November 1, 2004... Nothing tests the resolve of an insurance company's claims processing division more dramatically than a natural catastrophe. Typically, one natural disaster is enough to test the capabilities of the most competent claims units, but when...

Beyond Inventory: What's Next?
November 1, 2004... Y2K brought the issue of IT assets to the executive table. To prevent the collapse of their operations when the clocks struck midnight on December 31, 1999, companies worked furiously to find out what computer hardware and software they were...

The High-Stakes Game Heats Ups.
November 1, 2004... Insurance companies have been battling for high rankings on the search engines for years. Now, making an end-run around the search engine wars by simply paying for placement. With these firms, the game is no longer who is best at coding...

Truth Be Told.
November 1, 2004... The recent scandal involving CBS News' reporting of President Bush's National Guard records has many people, including journalists, wondering about the accuracy of the news we read and hear. It's especially troubling to me when I see the...

Manulife, CGI Embark On IT Application Outsourcing Endeavor.
November 1, 2004... As it pertains to information technology strategies, life insurers are regarded by many industry experts as trailing their counterparts in the property/casualty and even health insurance sector. But when Waterloo, Ont.-based Manulife...

Consumers Still Don't Know The Score, Survey Finds.
November 1, 2004... Although lending institutions have been using credit scores since the 1990s, most consumers still don't know what their credit score measures, what good and bad scores are, or how their scores can be improved. What's more, most consumers...

Life Insurers' High Wire Balancing Act: Improving Profitability While Cutting Costs.
November 1, 2004... Reducing costs and stimulating corporate growth can be a tough proposition for insurance companies. Often, reducing costs only serves to inhibit growth as a reduction in spending undermines targeted growth areas. A new study released by...

Product Previews.
November 1, 2004... RMS SUPPORTS HOURLY WEATHER DATA Risk Management Solutions, A Newark, Calif.-based natural hazard risk management firm, has released version 4.2 of its Climetrix weather derivatives trading and risk management system. The new version adds...

Fitch: How Technology Affects Insurers' Ratings.
November 1, 2004... Insurance companies that have learned to use technology to become information users rather than information gatherers have a decisive competitive advantage over their peers. But few insurance companies have "turned that corner." This is...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... Fundamentals of Insurance Sponsor: Risk and Insurance Management Society When: Nov. 4-5 Where: University Club, Symphony Towers, San Diego www.rims.org Reinsurers, Receivers & Guaranty Funds: Working Together More Effectively...

Business Alliances.(Vista Equity Partners; Corporate Systems Inc)(Valen Technologies)
November 1, 2004... EQUITY FIRM ACQUIRES APPLIED SYSTEMS Vista Equity Partners and James P. Kellner have acquired Applied Systems Inc., University Park, Ill. Vista is a San Francisco-based private equity firm that invests in private and public...

Safeco Realigns Top Management.
November 1, 2004... Safeco Corp.'s recently announced organizational changes are part of the Seattle insurer's effort to redesign itself as a property/casualty company now that it has shed its life insurance and investment operations. The new structure's goal...

Contracts.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... 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...

BPO Adoption: Room For Growth.(business process outsourcing)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Despite insurance executives' renewed attention to reducing costs, and their increased acceptance of IT outsourcing, they still appear to be wary about expanding their business process outsourcing (BPO) plans beyond non-core activities such as...

American Fidelity Gives Legacy System A New Lease On Life.
November 1, 2004... American Fidelity's successful deployment of Web services illustrates how insurers can quickly enhance their electronic capabilities without resorting to a legacy system overhaul. With the stakes-and their IT investments-high, many insurers...

Esurance Puts Web Visitors In The Limelight @SH#The direct-to-consumer insurer adds two new technologies to its arsenal: a Web monitoring application that encapsulates every user session on its site, and "click to call," which enables visitors to talk to a customer service rep over the Internet.
November 1, 2004... When you're running an insurance company with a business model based on Internet distribution, you need to develop a top-notch Web site. That was management's goal when online insurer Esurance Inc. was launched in 2001 at the height of the...

Web Monitoring tool Passes the Test.
November 1, 2004... Production support staff and marketing specialists at Esurance Inc. use a Web monitoring application to correct errors that deter customers from purchasing insurance online and to improve the overall performance of the company's Web site. ...

Going the Extra Mile to Quell Catastrophes.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... In the field, Allstate Insurance Co. deployed what its calls Mobile Response Units to handle claims resulting from the hurricanes. Equipped with desktops PCs, these mobile units were supported by satellite technology to enable field...

Companies Throw Money away with Their Old assets.
November 1, 2004... IT asset management comprises the entire lifecycle of hardware and software-from requisition to deployment and management to retirement and disposal. But some companies fail to harvest the value that remains in their assets at the back-end of...

Compliance Issues Surfacing in IT Asset Management Discussions.(information technology)
November 1, 2004... When companies invest in IT asset management tools, the primary reasons are to keep systems available and service levels high, according to industry sources. But another concern is beginning to surface in asset management discussions. "In...

e.Business Briefs.
November 1, 2004... KANSAS BLUES PROVIDES ELECTRONIC ENROLLMENT Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas has partnered with Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based Benefitfocus.com Inc. to provide electronic enrollment to a select group of clients for the fall open enrollment...

Optimizing Policy Management: The emerging concept of Optimized Policy Management combines processes and systems that reinforce decisive, economical sales and service workflows.
November 1, 2004... During the boom and bust cycles of the last decade, insurers have looked to policy management technology as a potential magic bullet that could strengthen growth. Unfortunately, magic bullets come few and far between. Yet, according to...