AIG Division VALIC Selects Keynote DeviceAnywhere for Mobile App Testing

VALIC (Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Houston), a division of AIG that provides retirement plans for educational, healthcare and governmental institutions, has selected Test Center Enterprise (TCE) Interactive from San Mateo, Calif.-based Keynote DeviceAnywhere to provide technological support for its mobile app.

Keynote DeviceAnywhere will build an on-premise environment to host dedicated iOS devices behind the VALIC firewall on which it can identify and address potential issues that may cause downtime. VALIC released a mobile app in February for iOS and Android that lets its customers view a summary of their portfolio, plan, and outside assets, as well as check their transaction history, personal performance, and industry news. It also includes a savings calculator.

VALIC could not be reached for comment. Faraz Syed, president of Keynote DeviceAnywhere told Insurance & Technology that his company provides testing capabilities in two models: One is a pay-as-you-use arrangement in which Keynote DeviceAnywhere hosts a test bed of devices.

"But VALIC had us create a private cloud [of devices] for them," Syed adds.

For more from Syed on how Keynote DeviceAnywhere's insurance clients are using mobile, see related article.

In May, Keynote DeviceAnywhere released data indicating that the financial sector — which includes insurance — is the third-largest user of mobile testing capabilities, behind only software and media and ahead of retail, real estate and government.

"As a company we are focusing on the verticals that are ahead on mobile strategy," Syed says. "To accomplish the level of testing that's needed, it would be a very costly activity. You'd have to procure the devices, set them up, manage them. When you have a test bed of devices always available in a cloud format, you don't have to worry whether the phone is ready, you can jump right in."

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio