Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management articles from October 2008

Insurance Networking News: Executive Strategies for Technology Management archives from October 2008

IT OUTSOURCING: Carriers Look to Strike ITO Balance: Leveraging information technology outsourcing without relinquishing control is a key for insurers.(Company overview)
October 1, 2008... Whether you are a parent or CIO, letting go is never easy. While a parent seeing a child off to college can at least look forward to holiday reunions, an insurance technologist passing off an internal function to a third party may well be...

FRAUD TECHNOLOGIES: Fighting Endemic Fraud.
October 1, 2008... Data mining, rules-based tools, neural networking, predictive modeling, case management systems... such is the growing smorgasbord of technologies that Pittsburgh-based Highmark Inc. is implementing to reduce fraud. Working with the...

TELECOMMUTING: Vacating the Premises: School's Out for Workers.
October 1, 2008... Given the continued improvement of technology and the advent of mobility in today's society, workers can now do their jobs teleworking from a remote location-be it in the comfort of their home office, the backseat of a taxi or even lounging in...

A New Take on the Evolving Workplace...
October 1, 2008... "As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." The Internet is a hotbed of information-some...

Patience Yields a New, Improved Agent Portal: Harford Mutual took advantage of the benefits of hindsight when building its interface.(Company overview)
October 1, 2008... Bel Air, Md.-based Harford Mutual Insurance Co., Bel Air, Md., is a latecomer to agency portals, and that, suggests Steve Fabian, assistant VP for IT, isn't necessarily a bad thing. By arriving late, the company was able to draw on its agents'...

Solutions.
October 1, 2008... REGISTERED E-MAIL SERVICE RPost, Los Angeles, a specialist in managed outbound messaging solutions, says its RPost's Registered E-mail service reduces litigation risk, errors & omissions exposure and aids the sender in evidentiary disputes...

Solutions.
October 1, 2008... CHECKFREE GROUPS JOIN FISERV INSURANCE SOLUTIONS Fiserv Insurance Solutions, a provider of technology, professional services and strategic sourcing options, has assumed responsibility for three compliance products that Fiserv acquired with...

Promise of IT Innovation: Study shows that equity analysts reward insurers that stress process optimization.
October 1, 2008... Insurance equity analysts have been described as the "E.F. Huttons of the insurance industry." Since 1985, the number of publicly held insurers has increased nearly five-fold. And with this expansion, equity analysts have emerged among the most...

Managing Vulnerability: While advanced computing and technology is typically a blessing, with more avenues for exploitation, it also can be a curse for IT security.
October 1, 2008... Insurance companies, like many other financial services organizations, have computing infrastructures that are perpetually at risk. Vulnerabilities in networks, computers and application software have holes in security that can be exploited,...

Solutions.
October 1, 2008... AUTOMATED DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT, WORKFLOW Cabinet NG Inc. (CNG), a Madison, Ala.-based automated document management and workflow solution provider that specializes in small enterprises, announced the availability of its CNG-API, a...

Health Claims Processing Gets Automation Boost: By investing in new systems, health insurers are handling claims in near real-time-even at the provider's office.
October 1, 2008... For years, claims processing has been a complex administrative challenge for the health insurance industry. Once performed almost entirely manually, adjudicating health claims requires reviewing and approving claims from multiple sources and...

Solutions.
October 1, 2008... NEW DATABASE APPLIANCE Dublin, Calif.-based Sybase Inc. has released Sybase Analytic Appliance, which combines Sybase IQ with technologies including Sybase PowerDesigner, IBM Power Systems and MicroStrategy. Sybase Analytic Appliance...

Who's Buying What: Recent deals for technology software and services.
October 1, 2008... UNITED AMERICA SELECTS POLICY ADMIN SOLUTION Cayman Islands-based United America Indemnity Group Inc. selected Bolivar, Mo.-based Duck Creek Technologies Inc.'s Policy Administration Commercial ISO Lines Solution for commercial package...

CORRECTION.(Correction notice)
October 1, 2008... In "Sound Off: How Agents & Carriers Forge Success" (September 2008), Rob Dearman title and location were incorrect. Rob Dearman is senior executive in charge of information technology for National Planning Holdings Inc. (NPH), Lansing, Mich....

Customer Service Involves More Than a Quick Quote: EFM software alongside CRM tools enhances the process of soliciting, capturing and analyzing customer feedback.
October 1, 2008... Most P&C insurers differentiate nearly exclusively on price, a point proven by a quick online rate check. Such differentiation means that customer acquisition is often a loss-leading exercise, yet renewal can be the first opportunity to...