Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management articles from October 2006

Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management archives from October 2006

Redefining the Insurance Landscape.
October 1, 2006... "You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Unknown This month's cover story proves that much is indeed being discovered by what some call a growing minority: women in upper management. ...

Mission: Educate the Boomers.
October 1, 2006... The stats have arrived- survey results from insurers and researchers have one thing in common: Baby boomers are not prepared for retirement, and therefore insurers could be missing out on business. Some companies are stepping up, using...

Thinking Thin.(Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co. is using thin clients)
October 1, 2006... You don't hear much about thin client computing these days. As yet another new tool on the shelf, thin computing was the rage in the mid-1990s, as financial institutions clamored to provide control and security at the desktop by providing...

A Leadership Mindset.
October 1, 2006... It started with a casual conversation at a CIO luncheon held in conjunction with IASA's annual meeting in Las Vegas in June. Although there were an equal number of men and women at my table, ours was the exception. Most of the other tables were...

News Briefs.(Zurich North America Insurance Co. appointed John LaGrassa)(National Association of Insurance Commissioners launched a website)(young independent insurance agents survey by Drive Insurance Group)
October 1, 2006... YOUNG INDEPENDENT AGENTS WANT MORE TECHNOLOGY Young independent insurance agents identify technology to help them more easily write business and service customers as the second most important thing-after competitive rates-carriers can offer...

Solutions.(Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc. introduced customer interaction management software)(American Para Professional Systems Inc. and E-Z Data Inc. signed mutually beneficial services agreement)(Quality Care Solutions Inc. introduced end-user training program)
October 1, 2006... VOICE SELF-SERVICE AND CUSTOMER INTERACTION MANAGEMENT The customer interaction management software suite from Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Inc., headquartered in Daly City, Calif., enables SAP solutions to integrate with voice...

Automatic Enrollment and The Law.(Pension Protection Act of 2006)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... In August, President Bush signed the Peension Protection Act of 2006, which requires companies with under-funded traditional pensions to pay up, and ensure that most pension plans become fully funded within seven years, beginning in 2008. ...

Getting Your Arms Around IT Asset Management: Compliance pressures, disaster planning and the desire to run IT as a business are three forces driving more companies to take hold of IT asset management technology.
October 1, 2006... After surveying a cross-industry spectrum of companies, Lori Sechio confirmed what she already suspected: 95% of them had inaccurate information on the number and configuration of their IT assets-a discrepancy that could put these firms at risk...

Women Resources: A number of organizations and resources exist for women in the financial services (insurance) and technology industries. Below are just a few.(Directory)
October 1, 2006... THE ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL INSURANCE WOMEN (APIW) Headquarters: New York, with networks in Chicago and New Jersey Established: 1976 Web site: www.apiw.org Mission: Provide women in the insurance industry with opportunities...

Are Insurance Vendors Ready for SOA Prime Time?: Educated carriers can avoid a business and technology "bait and switch" on the way to SOA implementation.(service-oriented architectures)
October 1, 2006... I was speaking with an IT executive recently about service-oriented architectures (SOA), and while he understood the grand vision of what SOA could bring to his company, he claimed it wasn't ready for "prime time." Probing a bit further, he...

Keeping it Personal, Thanks to Automation: Groupama digitizes its call center capabilities to increase responsiveness in both sales and disaster claim scenarios.
October 1, 2006... In the highly competitive European insurance marketplace, Paris-based Groupama Insurance Co. Ltd. has built a reputation on the personal touch and close relationships it develops and maintains with customers. However, the carrier, which has...

Knowledge-Based Systems Defined: In addition to other benefits, knowledge-based/expert and artificial intelligence systems capture and retain knowledge for reuse and are constructed to input, manipulate, edit, store and eventually execute or react to existing data.(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Insurance Networking News asked James Bisker, global insurance industry leader, IBM Institute for Business Value, to define knowledge-based, expert and artificial intelligence systems and provide insight into how they can benefit insurance...

IT Salaries and Job Trends.
October 1, 2006... After years of IT departments having to cut costs, businesses across North America now are upgrading systems, developing new products and restarting projects, according to "Robert Half Technology 2006 Salary Guide," a report from Robert Half...

Solutions.(Intellitactics Inc. introduced Security Manager software)(CA Inc. introduced CA Service Management Accelerator )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... SECURITY MANAGEMENT Intellitactics Inc., Reston, Va., released its latest Security Manager software, designed to simplify implementation and administration of security information and event management (SIEM). The system analyzes security...

Conversions: No Longer the Black Hole for Resources: Two life insurance IT executives tell how they're converting currently owned blocks of business from old policy systems to new ones-with much less stress and cost than in the past.
October 1, 2006... Say the word "conversion" in a roomful of insurance technology professionals, and you'll likely hear a cacophony of moans, groans and expletives. That's because converting policy data from one administration system to another is tedious,...

News Briefs.(ISO Properties Inc. acquires Xactware Inc.)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Chicago introduced Blue Health Intelligence database)(International Business Machines Corp. acquires Webify Solutions)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... ISO ACQUIRES XACTWARE ASSETS ISO Properties Inc., Jersey City, N.J., acquired assets of Xactware Inc., a provider of estimation software and services for the property insurance, remodeling and restoration industries. Terms were not...

Who's Buying What: Recent deals for technology software and services.(Desjardins Group General Insurance selected BluePhoenix Solutions Ltd.)(New Mexico Mutual Casualty Co. is using ClaimCenter of Guidewire Software Inc.)(Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. selected MFX)
October 1, 2006... BUSINESS SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR ATLANTIC New York-based Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. chose MFX to provide business software development, maintenance and enhancement services from MFX's data center facility in Roanoke, Va. MFX...

Ad Index For October 2006.
October 1, 2006... Advertiser Website Address Page # AdminServer www.adminserver.com 23 AQS www.aqsadvantage.com 11 CCC ...

Why Outsource?: Insurers face a mixed bag of challenges, such as outdated technology, the need for business continuity and the ability to meet ever-changing market demands, and outsourcing may help.
October 1, 2006... Carriers operate in a complex environment that challenges their ability to do business efficiently and cost effectively. As regulations become more complex, customer needs, behaviors and demographics, distribution channels, product design and...