ARE WE THERE YET?

When information technology first was deployed in the insurance industry, roughly half-a-century ago, the goal was efficiency: Do things faster, do them with fewer resources (people), do it cheaper. Fast-forward to the 21st century and, despite an array of new challenges and goals (customer focus, diversification, etc.) process efficiency remains a tantalizing but often elusive goal. If anything, there have been more disappointments than successes along the way.

But that may be starting to change, as developments such as advances in network and infrastructure technology, standards adoption, and improvements in Web security all come together to make end-to-end electronic processing a reality in insurance. To offer an update on the current drive for efficiency, Insurance & Technology—in partnership with the research and advisory firm Doculabs—presents "The STP Challenge: Achieving End-to-End E-Processing." The insights and strategies outlined in this special report will complement your experience at this year's ACORD Conference, where the focus is on standards ROI and real-world solutions.

Also on the standards payoff front, mark your calendars for the Insurance Standards Leadership Forum, September 18, 2002, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City—a one-day interactive event that will be co-developed by Insurance & Technology and ACORD. From XML to B2B, global standards initiatives to ACORD updates, this new conference will combine the networking opportunities,hands-on interactions and meaningful content take-away that you expect from both ACORD and I&T events. Things are starting to change; let's keep the momentum going!

Have a great show!

Katherine Burger is Editorial Director of Bank Systems & Technology and Insurance & Technology, members of UBM TechWeb's InformationWeek Financial Services. She assumed leadership of Bank Systems & Technology in 2003 and of Insurance & Technology in 1991. In addition to ... View Full Bio