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News & Commentary
Content posted in October 2003
Web-Based Apps Simplify Employee Benefits
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Insurance trust automates employee benefits administration to realize increased accuracy, efficiency and savings.
MassMutual Leverages SAP for BPM
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Insurer re-engineers business processes and creates an enterprise standard for business administration.
’Chef’ Information Officer
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
When not running the technology that supports commercial lines at The Hartford and executing her duties as a board member of IASA, Mary Francis, vice president of business insurance IT, is likely to be cooking.
EXECUTIVE NEWS
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
MetLife’s Bozzo Takes Show on the Road
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Since arriving at MetLife two years ago, Steve Bozzo has been helping the carrier manage the infrastructure needed for the Internet age.
Product & Services Showcase
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Turning Mandates into Strategy
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
I&T's Executive Summit 2003 will address critical concerns such as transforming cost-of-doing-business matters into strategic opportunities.
IT Security: Room for Improvement
Commentary  |  10/29/2003  | 
Financial services companies could still do better, but the unique concerns of the industry will result in valuable lessons to share with other industries and government.
Improved Corporate Content Management
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
New regulations and competitive pressures have insurers turning with renewed urgency to document technologies to manage corporate information.
Built for Speed
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Building from scratch makes start-up Arch Insurance a model of simplicity, flexibility and maneuverability.
Insurers Speak Up for VoIP
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Intrigued by the possibility of lower costs and greater flexibility, a number of insurance carriers are moving toward IP-enabling their traditional PBX systems.
What’s your Legacy plan?
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
One thing's for sure: A monolithic approach won't work. Depending on the particular application and platform, insurers' legacy replacement/enhancement strategies vary widely according to the project specifics.
Staying Ahead of the Pack
Commentary  |  10/29/2003  | 
Russ Esposito, vice president and chief information officer, Vytra Health Plans
Second Time Around Is a Charm for Alfa
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Legato's ApplicationXtender suite helps Alfa Insurance improve its imaging system.
https://www.informationweek.com/
News  |  10/29/2003  | 
Obsolescent legacy system drives Equitable Life's switch to a high-functionality ActiveBatch job scheduling application.
Job-Loss Bill Proposed
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
Over the next few years, financial services companies have the potential to save close to $30 billion by migrating approximately 500,000 jobs offshore.
Alliances & Partnerships
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
Tech Not M&A Motivator
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
Technology tends to be a consideration, not the driver, of carrier M&As.
Cyber News
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
AIG Opens Texas Data Center
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
New York-based carrier intends to improve risk management picture.
Conferencing -- AnvaSoft, Inc.
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
Internet tool that provides users of the Internet pager ICQ with new features.
Aetna Offers Solution to Suit
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
The carrier's settlement with the ADA aims at communications clarity.
OneBeacon's Claims Contract
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
As part of an effort to eliminate the need for manually entering first-notice-of-loss-data received from its independent agent force via fax, Boston-based OneBeacon Insurance Group has awarded a contract to EasyLink Services Corp.
NEW CONTRACTS
News  |  10/28/2003  | 
Linux May Not Lead to Savings
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
Free software doesn't necessarily lead to lower computing bills.
Summer Viruses Keep IT Security Busy
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
The high cost of installing patches raises questions about the Microsoft platform.
Telephone Tag
Commentary  |  10/28/2003  | 
Considering how long it takes to accomplish much of anything in Congress, it was impressive how quickly our elected officials reacted last month to the legal back-and-forth regarding the national Do Not Call Registry.
Past Elite 8: Where Are They Now?
Commentary  |  10/22/2003  | 
Despite the challenges of adapting to new positions and responsibilities, former Elite 8 honorees make the most of 2003.
Not Routine: A Day in the Life of an Insurance CIO
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
What really goes into the daily routine of an insurance CIO? I&T editor Anthony O'Donnell recently shadowed 2002 Elite 8 honoree Dennis Callahan, CIO of Guardian Life Insurance, through what Callahan calls a "not atypical" day.
UICI Builds Strategic Technology Framework
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Aiming to support an aggressive expansion of its youth insurance business, UICI Student Insurance has implemented a major data warehouse project that enables the delivery of mission critical information to company executives and serves as a foundation for technology renewal.
Chubb Takes Step Toward Uniformity
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies has begun to provide its producers using an Applied Systems agency management system with real-time online policy inquiry for personal lines policies and loss reporting capabilities for most lines of business.
Siebel Increases Presence in EIM and Hosted CRM Markets
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Siebel Systems' recent acquisitions of UpShot Corp, a provider of Internet-based hosted CRM services, and enterprise incentive management provider Motiva, Inc. are part of the CRM giant's overall growth strategy.
Making Change Easy
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Since accepting change is the hardest thing for any organization, Joe Gauches strives to ease transition pains.
Navigating Competitive Direction
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
To advance Highmark Life's strategic direction and position, CIO Matt Piroch constantly must adjust.
Scholten’s School of Collaboration
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
The enactment of a federated IT governance model is producing sustainable results at The Principal Financial Group.
Consolidation Queen
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
With experience in Lincoln's life and annuity units, Linda Fraley is well poised for the consolidation of those lines of business.
Allmerica’s IT Gets the Business
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Realignment of leadership, refocusing of sourcing priorities, and process improvement measures turn a passive IT organization into a source of competitive advantage.
See You On The Flip Side
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Providence Washington's Ed Leveille flips IT spending percentages to increase R&D funding.
Bragging Rights
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
The leadership and technology vision of David Saul have helped Zurich North America become one of the largest P&C writers in the US.
Innovating For The Business
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Enterprise CTO Srinivas Koushik is driving Nationwide's technology to the competitive forefront.
The Wrong Stuff: Cautionary Tales of Insurance IT
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Successful technology executives are rightly celebrated for their positive contributions to the success of their companies. But what might be called their negative contributions-the ills they avoid-deserve attention too.
Above All: Leadership
Commentary  |  10/22/2003  | 
In an information-driven industry, the successful IT executive exercises a distinctive influence on his or her company, and bears a unique burden for that privilege.
Ahead of the Curve
News  |  10/22/2003  | 
Although there's a lot of truth in the adage, "perception is reality," I tend to think the frequent, almost knee-jerk, slams of insurance IT organizations as backwards, stodgy, etc., are based on outdated assumptions.
Laggard Firms Face Liability on Do Not Call
News  |  10/8/2003  | 
Yesterday's federal appeals court ruling on the Do Not Call Registry made suddenly real the possibility of penalties to financial services companies for failure to comply.
RBC TAPS WEB TECHNOLOGY TO ENABLE EXAM-FREE RISK ASSESSMENT
News  |  10/8/2003  | 
Catalyzed by the desire to reach the lower-income customer segments that have tended to be overlooked by many life agents, RBC Insurance has created RBC ExpressTerm, a term life insurance product designed to be underwritten and bound online in as little as 15 minutes. Through a partnership with Quotesmith.com, ExpressTerm will be sold on Quotesmith's consumer Web site, Insure.com.
ANALYSIS FROM GOMEZ: CARRIERS ACCELERATE INTO SITE ENHANCEMENT FAST LANE
News  |  10/8/2003  | 
Analysis of the Gomez Q3 2003 Internet Carrier Scorecard reveals an increased pace of site enhancements by many carriers, with more to come in the future, which could pose a stiff challenge to Progressive's continued dominance (eight consecutive number-one finishes).
ELITE 8 INSIGHTS: SUCCESSFUL CIOS BALANCE LIFE & WORK
News  |  10/8/2003  | 
Becoming a successful CIO takes a lot of hard work and there are many challenges as an executive moves up the corporate ladder. But getting to the top IT spot is only half the battle -- staying there and continuing to be successful leader, while not burning out, can be just as difficult.
Successful CIOs Work Hard, But Know How To Delegate
News  |  10/8/2003  | 
Past Elite 8 honorees discuss how they continue to produce results and remain successful, while building great teams and overcoming budget and time management hurdles.


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