Content posted in May 2007
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ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: New Product Configuration Software for Life/Annuities from CSC
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Computer Sciences Corp. unveiled Product Accelerator software, which is designed to simplify the creation of life insurance and annuity products. The software gives business experts - rather than software programmers - control of product introduction.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: Exstream Brings Dialogue Live to Insurance
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Exstream Software introduced to the insurance industry its Dialogue Live, new software designed to manage the editing of all types of interactive documents across the enterprise, while controlling content and costs at the corporate level.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: Camilion Debuts New P&C Policy Admin System
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Camilion Solutions introduced Authority Suite, which it describes as a next-generation policy administration system for the property and casualty market.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: More Than 140 Enhancements in Skywire's Documaker 11.2
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Skywire Software announced the general availability of version 11.2 of the Documaker Suite, including Documaker Studio.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: Prima Solutions Launches Reference Insurance Model 5.0
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Chicago-based Prima Solutions announced the availability of Prima IBCS 5, the latest version of the vendor's Reference Insurance Model.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: SEEC Unveils Online Catalogue of 280 SOA Components
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
SEEC, Inc. has launched its searchable online catalogue of 280 pre-built, reusable SOA components.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: Whitehill Technologies Announces New IStream Functionality
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Whitehill Technologies has released significant new functionality in its IStream document automation suite, which includes IStream Publisehr and IStream Document Manager, according to the vendor.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: MajescoMastek Introduces New Insurance Carrier Software
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Edison-N.J.-based MajescoMastek has released software the vendor says can cut by up to 50 percent the time it takes life insurance carriers and their producers to issue policies.
Ohio National Implements Vignette's Next-Generation Web Solution
Seeking to upgrade its aging extranet, Ohio National chose Vignette's integrated portal and content management for its range of functionality and ease of deployment.
Insurance & Technology’s 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs Agree: The relationship With The CIO and IT Organization Has Never Been More Important
Insurance & Technology's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs emphasize just how integral IT has become to insurers' growth, customer retention and distribution strategies.
ACORD/LOMA News Briefs: LOMA Launches Corporate Learning Practice
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
LOMA has launched its Corporate Learning Solutions Practice, which will provide member companies and their employees with new solutions to meet their professional and development needs.
CIOs Discuss Legacy Replacement and Other Key Issues
By Nathan Conz
Associate Editor
Legacy systems migration was one of several key topics discussed at a Tuesday morning CIO panel during the 2007 ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum in Orlando.
All four CIOs on the panel - Saad Ayub, CIO for Sales and Service Applications, The Hartford; Jeff Carls
2007 ACORD/LOMA Insurance Systems Forum Lives Up To Its Potential
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Everyone I've spoken to agrees: this year's ACORD/LOMA Insurance Systems Forum is the most vibrant in years. One friend who began working within the insurance systems world right after the dot-com bust expressed just how much the show has improved: "The first one I went to wasn't a show, it was a wake," she quipped. But this year's event, s
AXA Enhances Broker Web Site
By Anthony O'Donnell
Senior Editor
Acting on feedback from distributors and insight from research, AXA Distributors LLC has launched significant enhancements to its AXAdistributors.com Web site to provide users with greater control and security.
Insurers Outline Best Practices for ACORD Standards Implementations
By Kathy Burger
Editorial Director
Acknowledging that "implementation is an important part of standard setting," ACORD president and CEO Greg Maciag kicked off the 2007 ACORD LOMA Insurance Systems Forum at the annual ACORD Awards Luncheon, which recognizes excellence in ACORD standards implementation. Forty-four organizations received awards at this year's event. The program featured a
Unum CEO Utilizes Technology To Provide Superior Employee Benefits
Technology is essential to improving the ease of doing business with -- and driving growth at -- Unum Group, says president and CEO Thomas Watjen.
Medical Mutual of Ohio CEO Kent Clapp Brings Efficiency to IT Spending And Operations
Kent Clapp concedes that he's not a tech guru. But his understanding of how technology relates to business processes and customer service has helped Medical Mutual of Ohio reach new heights.
Fireman Fund Insurance Company CEO Joseph Beneducci Drives Innovation to Develop Customized Products and Services
For Fireman's Fund's Joe Beneducci, the ultimate goal of technology innovation is to provide customers with products and services tailored to their needs.
Ohio Casualty CEO Dan Carmichael Says Company’s Technology Is Just How It Should Be
Ohio Casualty Group CEO Dan Carmichael, one of Insurance & Technology's 2006 Tech-Savvy CEOs, explains how his firm judiciously leverages leading-edge technology to support the needs of the business and its distribution partners.
Alliances & Partnerships for June 2007
Fiserv Acquires NetEconomy; Vertafore Buys ImageRight; OneShield Adds Mellon App; Thomson Adds Oden FS; and 3PAR Partners With Incipient
TechWatch for June 2007
Pyxis Mobile released mAdvisor, AMS Services introduced AMD Producer Plus, Cognos launched its Cognos Insurance Product Performance Blueprint, and more
Insurance Companies Not Reaping Full Benefits of Fraud Tech, Celent Report Says
Insurers can do more to leverage fraud-prevention technology, Celent says.
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Pitney Bowes expands its reach in GIS analytics with MapInfo acquisition.
Fireman Fund Insurance Company CEO Jospeh Beneducci Drives Innovation to Develop Customized Products and Services
For Fireman's Fund's Joe Beneducci, the ultimate goal of technology innovation is to provide customers with products and services tailored to their needs.
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Former Integro Insurance Brokers and Hartford Financial Products CIO Craig Lowenthal has taken on the CIO role at New York Marine and General Ins. Co., aka NYMAGIC.
CIGNA HealthCare Names Conde First CIO
Former Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CIO Juan Conde will occupy the newly created position of CIO for CIGNA HealthCare, a division of CIGNA. Conde will report to Scott Storrer, executive vice president, Enterprise Service and Information Technology, CIGNA.
Executive News for June 2007
Appointments, promotions ripple through insurance tech industry.
Effective vendor management enables insurance companies to get the most out of software, IT services and outsourcing contracts
To get the most out of their relationships with service and solutions providers, insurers must establish clear goals up front and maintain open communication at all times.
Drive For Automation Causes Insurance Carriers To Integrate
Ease of doing business has become the mantra among insurance companies that want to become the carrier of choice for agents, who now wield the power to tap comparative rater and aggregator sites to choose the products they distribute.
Executive Search Firm Consultants Discuss Roles and Responsibilities of an Insurance CEO
Few have a better understanding of the insurance carrier CEO role than consultants for leading executive search firms, such as Korn/Ferry, Heidrick & Struggles and Spencer Stuart, which have helped countless insurance companies find, recruit and hire candidates for C-suite positions. Consultants with these specialists offer their views on what makes insurance CEOs effective and how an understanding of technology can better equip them to face current and future industry challenges.
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Lincoln Financial Group CIO and SVP of shared services talks with I&T about the company's system integration process, his vision of a shared services model, as well as new initiatives such as SOA and Web services.
ICAT Selects Thunderhead’s Enterprise Communications Platform
A new document-issuance system allows ICAT to grow without adding staff.
Making a Difference: Joseph Beneducci, Fireman's Fund
 Anthony O'Donnell, senior editor of Insurance & Technology, chats with Joseph Beneducci, one of I&T's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs, about how technology innovation at property/casualty carrier is enabling creation of products and services that answer the unique demands of customers and enable competitive differentiation.
Eyes on the (Customer) Prize: Thomas Watjen, UnumProvident
 Kathy Burger, editorial director of Insurance & Technology, speaks with Thomas R. Watjen, one of I&T's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs, about the ways technology plays a direct role in helping employee benefits provider Unum Group deal with change and gain competitive advantage and do things differently to serve employer customers.
Technology-Driven Destiny: Ned Hamil, Life of the South
 Anthony O'Donnell, senior editor of Insurance & Technology, hears from Life of the South Corp.'s Ned Hamil, one of I&T's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs, about the challenges of creating a technology-driven life insurance company, including an organizational transformation that involved systems conversions, consolidating operations, and creation of a thriving TPA business.
Keeping It Real: Kent Clapp, Medical Mutual of Ohio
 Nathan Conz, associate editor of Insurance & Technology, talks with Kent W. Klapp, one of I&T's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs, about how Medical Mutual of Ohio has cultivated technology initiatives that have expanded the business and enabled efficient IT spending and operations, including streamlining claims and creating a for-profit BPO company.
Innovation Catalyst: Rod Fox, Praetorian Financial Group
 Anthony O'Donnell, senior editor of Insurance & Technology, speaks with Praetorian Financial Group's Rod Fox, one of I&T's 2007 Tech-Savvy CEOs, about Fox's commitment to transform the carrier's paper-based legacy environment and invest in leading-edge technology to provide maximum accessibility to internal users and ease of use to distributors.
Nominate the Elite 8!
The appearance of I&T's annual Tech-Savvy issue means that the Elite 8 issue is just around the corner. In order to bring that issue to life, we appeal to our friends in the industry, be they technology professionals, business unit leaders, vendors, consultants or analysts, to nominate the senior insurance carrier technology executives they believe stand head and shoulders above the rest. The 2007 Elite 8 hon
Editor's Note: Tech-Savvy CEOs Preview
Once a year Insurance & Technology turns its editorial focus away from the doings of representative peers of our senior technology executive readership to the business leadership that gives them context and scope for their efforts. We profile five insurance CEOs deemed to be "Tech-Savvy," as demonstrated by their understanding of and commitment to information technology as a means of competitive distinction and a prerequisite of operational excellence.
I&T's annual July issue dedi
Tech-Savvy CEOs 2007: A Personal View
By Anthony O'Donnell
In the vein of author Steven Covey's work, there are no doubt common characteristics of highly successful insurance CEOs-and even Tech-Savvy CEOs, as we suggest elsewhere. However, there is no template for technology-astute insurance leadership. This year's crop of I&T Tech-Savv
Praetorian Financial Group CEO Rod Fox Drives Distributor-Friendly Technology
Given the opportunity, Praetorian Financial Group's Rod Fox chose to invest in leading-edge technology to provide maximum accessibility to internal users and ease of use to distributors.
Unum CEO Utilizes Technology To Provide Superior Employee Benefits
Technology is essential to improving the ease of doing business with -- and driving growth at -- Unum Group, says president and CEO Thomas Watjen.
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Kent Clapp concedes that he's not a tech guru. But his understanding of how technology relates to business processes and customer service has helped Medical Mutual of Ohio reach new heights.
Life of the South CEO Ned Hamil Has Overseen the Life Insurer’s Technology Transformation
When given the task of recreating the carrier's technology organization, Life of the South CEO Ned Hamil used the opportunity to lay the foundations of a technology-driven company.
Profiting From Technology
by Nathan Conz
There's an old military strategy known as "pivot and hammer." The pivot is a defensive position that takes less energy to defend. The hammer, on the other hand, is an attacking position. There's more opportunity for gain here, but more energy needs to be expended to support it.
When it comes to technology, insurance companies traditionally have focused on the pivot. Thinking about IT has been of a more defensive sort, dedicated to minimizing cost and minimizing the impact of the
Aligned for Success
By Anthony O'Donnell
Just as lack of understanding between business and IT is one of the great predictors of failure in technology investment, one of the distinguishing features of companies that effectively invest in technology is tight alignment between the two camps. That insight is broadly appreciated in the industry today but like so many things, achieving business/IT alignment is easier said than done. It is far more likely to be achieved, however, when driven from the top, as exemplified
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