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News & Commentary
Content posted in December 2007
CSC Signs $192 Million ITO Contract Renewal with TrygVesta
News  |  12/21/2007  | 
The five-year renewed agreement will provide IT infrastructure services, including help desk, mainframe, midrange, network, Web hosting, and print and distributed computing, in support of the Nordic insurer's growth strategy.
Accenture Sues Guidewire for Alleged Patent Infringement
News  |  12/19/2007  | 
Accenture alleges claims software rival Guidewire deliberately used intellectual property associated with Accenture Claim Components.
Analytics on Steroids
News  |  12/18/2007  | 
"In an area where you haven't found an independent variable closely linked to a dependent variable, there's room for chance and other factors," is how David West, research director, TowerGroup, puts it. The general principle is that "'on any given Sunday' any team can beat any other team," West says. In application of that principle, he adds that, "this Sunday, Miami is will ultimately remain the only undefeated team in history when they spoil the Patriots' season>."
CTO Michael Kim Plays to Win at The Hartford
News  |  12/16/2007  | 
The competitive spirit that drives Michael Kim as an amateur triathlete informs his efforts as eBusiness & Technology CTO to help The Hartford's P&C company to distance itself from the competition.
New Unum CIO Kathy Owen Builds Upon Success
News  |  12/16/2007  | 
A series of challenging technology and business experiences, culminating in the rollout of the Simply Unum product and service platform, have prepared newly appointed Unum CIO Kathy Owen for future accomplishments.
HCL Helps Montana State Fund Deploy Guidewire ClaimCenter
News  |  12/16/2007  | 
Public workers' comp carrier Montana State Fund got more than it bargained for when it engaged HCL Technologies to help replace a legacy claims system with Guidewire Software's Web-based ClaimCenter.
Accenture Releases Enhancements to Underwriting and Claims Solutions
News  |  12/13/2007  | 
Accenture has introduced newly enhanced claims and underwriting solutions for P&C insurers.
News  |  12/11/2007  | 
London insurer picks ImageRight for the vendor's insurance-specific content management solution.
Executive Summit 2007 Participants Grapple with Business and IT Implications of Web 2.0
News  |  12/10/2007  | 
At Insurance & Technology's Executive Summit 2007, insurance technology executives learned about the challenges of serving the younger Millennial customers and workers; the changing nature of globalization; speed to market; and the potential of Web 2.0 and social networking technologies to transform their businesses.
The Resources of Private Equity, Oil-Rich Countries, Hedge Funds, Asian Central Banks Will Transform the Business of Insurance Technology
News  |  12/10/2007  | 
A report by the McKinsey Global Institute outlines the power of four global "financial power brokers" -- oil-rich countries, Asian central banks, hedge funds and private equity firms, which are all becoming increasingly active in the financial services and business technology industries.
Where Are The Experts?
News  |  12/7/2007  | 
There are two great forces that are going to impact our industry. The first is the rate of change in technology. The second is more subtle but just as important - the rate of retirements in our industry.
Insurers View Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity As More Than IT Issues
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
To maintain operations and service levels in the face of a catastrophe, insurers increasingly are viewing disaster recovery plans as full-fledged business initiatives that must be constantly updated to account for new developments.
Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company Revamps its Business Continuity Plan, Constructs Disaster Recovery Facility
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
As part of its business continuity initiative, Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company (GMRC) has built a new disaster recovery facility in Newton, Iowa.
Nationwide Launches "Have The Talk" Viral Marketing Campaign
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Nationwide seeks to engage Web users and provide value-added services with social media and Web 2.0 campaign.
Aetna, CIGNA, Empire BlueCross Establish Standards With New York State AG
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Aetna, CIGNA and Empire BlueCross have reached an agreement with the New York State Attorney General on standards for physician-rating programs.
Automating Underwriting: Moving From Art to Science
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Automating underwriting can help insurers define the appropriate risk parameters and price products accordingly while improving the efficiency of the process.
Insurance Outsourcing Reaches New Levels of Maturity
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
While many insurers are still struggling with the management of offshore resources, industry leaders are crafting long-term global sourcing strategies for strategic competitive advantage.
One on One With Robert Mau, Vice President, eBusiness, Medical Mutual of Ohio
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Medical Mutual's online strategy is as much about user-friendly information access as it is about effective online transaction capabilities, as exemplified by the health insurer's iHealth personal health record.
Nationwide Gets More From Its Infrastructure With Less Investment
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Nationwide deploys HyPerformix to drive up infrastructure performance and application response times.
AAA of Southern California Chooses Guidewire
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
Automobile Club of Southern California begins replacing its legacy claims environment with Guidewire Software's ClaimCenter.
ING Opens Windsor Facility
News  |  12/6/2007  | 
ING's largest IT contingent in the U.S. will benefit from modern IT infrastructure at the carrier's new 'green' facility in Windsor, Connecticut.
Insurance IT Strategies Can't Avoid Addressing Green Computing
News  |  12/5/2007  | 
St. Paul-based Travelers' announcement this week that it is pledging to reduce total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by seven percent by 2011 is another example of how high-profile topics such as green computing, sustainability and energy efficiency have become in financial services.
PruProtect Selects Skywire
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
PruProtect, a joint venture of Prudential Insurance and Discovery Life, has selected Skywire's CCM solutions.
Adaptis Signs Choice Health Plans
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
BPO provider Adaptis has signed a 5-year contract with Choice Health Plans.
The Continuing Importance of Business and IT Alignment: Where Do Insurers Stand?
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
The importance of business and IT alignment within an insurance organization was a common theme discussed by both our Tech Savvy CEOs (June 2007) and Elite 8 honorees (November 2007). And apparently, the call of those leading CEOs and CIOs has been heard throughout the insurance vertical. But while most
Pacific Blue Cross Selects Global IQX
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
Health insurer seeks to streamline and enhance sales and service operations through leading quote and rating automation solution.
Fiserv Completes Acquisition of CheckFree
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
The deal brings Fiserv electronic billing and payment capabilities and a successful online banking platform.
What Makes a Topic "Hot"?
News  |  12/4/2007  | 
It is probably true that CIOs are quite happy to leave actuaries to their arcane concerns unless they are commanded by senior management to get involved.


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