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News & Commentary
Content posted in January 2008
Aflac's Other BlackBerry Expert
News  |  1/29/2008  | 
It appears that Keith Brannen, second VP of IT - advanced technology group, isn't Aflac's only BlackBerry guru.
BCBS of Florida Enters the Retail Market
News  |  1/29/2008  | 
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida creates retail stores to sell health insurance and other coverage directly to individual consumers.
Document Automation Vendors Emerge As Enterprise Solution Players
News  |  1/28/2008  | 
In a Web-based world, document automation solutions - which focus on the end product rather than the storage location of content - are becoming a focus of enterprise-wide content management solutions.
AEGIS Deploys DFA’s ADVISE Risk Modeling Solution
News  |  1/28/2008  | 
Associated Electric & Gas Insurance Services replaces its eight-year-old proprietary risk management model with
In-Flight Internet: It's About Time (so to speak...)
News  |  1/28/2008  | 
There's something to be said for the ability to tune-out when various parties are clamoring for one's attention, most blissfully unaware of one's other demands and some with an exaggerated sense of their priority. However, in a life tied more to deliverables than simply "being there," no downtime goes unpunished, so it's nice to have the option to catch up as one can. However, given that the technology is available in-flight Internet should be regarded as a "must-have" for business travelers, no
SMIC Goes Live on IDP’s AgentXpress
News  |  1/23/2008  | 
Ease of use and efficiencies for the Upstate New York-based regional P&C carrier and its agents alike drove adoption of IDP's portal technology.
HP & Exstream: More Consolidation in Content Management
News  |  1/23/2008  | 
More big news in the document/content management space as HP announced that it will acquire Exstream Software. The last significant example of the ongoing consolidation in this sector came at the turn of the year with EMC's agreement to acquire Document Sciences.
IBHS Makes Board Officer Appointments
News  |  1/22/2008  | 
State Farm VP for P&C underwriting Rod Matthews named chairman of the board, Farmers' EVP Kevin Kelso named vice chairman and chairman of the executive committee.
Midwest Family Mutual Partners with CGI
News  |  1/22/2008  | 
Minnesota-based personal and commercial lines P&C carrier will be beta site for the next generation of CGI's INSideOUT
Is Insurance Sexy?
News  |  1/22/2008  | 
At the Sexy Insurance homepage you'll see a portrait of Warren Buffet with a thought balloon saying, "I'm so sexy it hurts." Bourgeois could have left out the words because, frankly, it's written all over Warren's face. Who can deny it? If Henry Kissinger is sexy, Warren Buffet is doubly so. What the site needs is a picture of Hank Greenberg saying, "I'm so sexy it hurts Eliot Spitzer."
Older Workers Could Help Insurers Faced With Workforce Shortages
News  |  1/15/2008  | 
At last November's I&T Executive Summit, Deb Smallwood (then with ICW group, now with Smallwood Maike & Associates) quickly polled the audience during her presentation. First, she asked how many in the crowd were baby boomers. Then, how many were a part of Generation X. And as you might imagine, each question led to a significant number of raised hands. Finally, she asked how many considered themselves members
Farmers’ Kelso Named Vice Chair Of IBHS
News  |  1/15/2008  | 
Kevin Kelso, executive vice president, Farmers Group, has been named vice chairman of the board for the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Metavante To Acquire Bensoft
News  |  1/15/2008  | 
Metavante plans to acquire BenSoft and its RepayMe solution.
Hillary's Inspiring Example
News  |  1/15/2008  | 
It is beside the point whether the only fall one is threatened by is a fall from favor, or whether the only rarified atmosphere one struggles in is that of the corporate boardroom. Anybody attempting novel accomplishments against daunting obstacles can draw inspiration from Hillary's example.
News  |  1/15/2008  | 
German Mutual will implement two of Connective Technologies' TEAM-UP solutions.
Norwich Union Chooses Exstream
News  |  1/14/2008  | 
Norwich Union Life has selected Exstream's Dialogue enterprise document automation software.
5 Claims Service Standards
News  |  1/14/2008  | 
Gartner principal research analyst Stephen Forte offers as a baseline service standard for claims adjusters a five-part prescription.
Technology Plays Critical Role In Fighting Fraud
News  |  1/14/2008  | 
Liberty Mutual Agency Market (LMAM) special investigative unit manager Joe Zuromsky says anti-fraud technology is key to identifying certain types of fraud.
Annuities Carriers Cooperate On NAVA STP Initiative To Improve Service Levels
News  |  1/14/2008  | 
Under the NAVA STP initiative, carriers such as Jackson National Life are looking to improve service levels and processing times, which could eventually change the way they view competitive differentiation.
Main Street America CIO Joel Gelb Manages Transition
News  |  1/11/2008  | 
Since joining The Main Street America Group as CIO in 2001, Joel Gelb has focused on transitioning the Jacksonville, Fla.-based insurer from a legacy mainframe technology infrastructure to one that includes a mix of Web-based front ends and brand-new claims and commercial systems.
Mobile Sales Force Automation Growing In Demand
News  |  1/11/2008  | 
Having already realized the benefits of mobile technology within their claims operations, many insurers are looking to bring mobility to their sales forces, as younger agents and consumers demand more functionality via their handheld devices.
Diamond Digital IQ Study: Insurers Yet To Establish True Partnership Between Business and IT
News  |  1/10/2008  | 
Despite what they say, many insurance business and IT leaders still have a long way to go to establish true partnerships with one another.
What Could Prevent the Property/Casualty Industry from Continuing Its Strong Performance?
Commentary  |  1/10/2008  | 
Thanks to a relatively mild year, catastrophe-wise, as well efficient operations and astute underwriting practices, the property/casualty insurance industry posted a healthy combined ratio and an underwriting profit in 2007. Does the industry have the discipline to continue this kind of performance?
Midwest Insurance Licenses Fiserv Claims Module
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
Midwest Insurance Company has licensed Fiserv's PowerSuite Claims module for workers' comp. The new contract addresses the carrier's attempt to update to Web-based technology.
New Sources of Advice
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
Matt Josefowicz's move from Celent to Novantas has resulted in the launch of new research and advisory services subsidiary Novarica; and former TowerGroup analyst Deborah Smallwood has left her carrier executive post at ICW and teamed up with IBM alumna Cindy Maike to launch Smallwood Maike & Associates.
How Insurers Can Help Customers Help Themselves
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
In the business world and maybe even within the much smaller world of insurance technology journalism there's always a tendency to over-hype the latest and greatest, whether that be in terms of a new technology or a new trend in the marketplace. That said, there's one trend that I'm seeing that seems to be under-hyped: how growing numbers of consumers, when considering a new purchase, first turn to the internet in an effort to educate themselves on a given field or topic. As this "self-help" tr
EMC Plans To Acquire Document Sciences
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
EMC aims to extend its position in the document output management space with the planned acquisition of Document Sciences.
Extreme Weather Gives Insurers Cause To Look At Role Of Technology For Catastrophe Response
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
Insurers have made significant progress with the use of GIS technology, and also in the analysis of claims data to refine rating and underwriting. But it is in the nature of these tools that they can be used in increasingly refined ways as insurers get more comfortable with them and incorporate more and more experience into the way they are applied.
Tufts Health Plan Expands Emdeon Relationship
News  |  1/8/2008  | 
Tufts Health Plan will add payment management services an existing relationship with Emdeon Business Services.
Cincinnati Insurance Selects Audatex
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Cincinnati Insurance has chosen Audatex software to help streamline its estimating and audit procedures.
PHS Chooses Duck Creek
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Preferred Health Systems will use Duck Creek's Healthcare Solution for Sales Automation.
Real-Time Information Crucial To Informed Healthcare Decisions
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Facing increased pressure to control costs, the health insurance industry must empower consumers to make informed healthcare decisions by providing them with access to real-time information.
Insurers Improve Claims Process Through IT Alliance
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Achieving optimal claims performance requires a high level of IT/business alignment to deliver high-tech, high-touch service.
HEMIC Streamlines Enterprise Data Protection with Data Domain Appliances
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Data Domain's enterprise storage technology brought Hawaii Employers' Mutual enterprise-class greater productivity and data security, and previously unaffordable business continuity capabilities.
GuideOne Insurance Chooses Infogix Assure Audit System
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
GuideOne's search for an audit control reporting tool leads back to a familiar partner -- Infogix.
Lombardi Powers Aflac Service-Related BPM Effort
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
Aflac achieves greater customer service efficiency through using Lombardi Software's Teamworks to automate manual business processes.
Pacific Northwest Storm Challenges Insurers
News  |  1/7/2008  | 
For the second time in a year, insurance carriers' CAT response teams faced the unique challenges associated with a Pacific Northwest storm.


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