OneShield Announces Partner Certification Program

Westborough, Mass.-based insurance software provider OneShield has created the Dragon Development Partner Certification Program, a program meant to ensure that development partners maintain consistent standards for successfully implementing, extending and maintaining applications for Dragon, its flagship product.

There are three certification levels and accompanying criteria for development partners, which include systems integrators and individual contributors. Silver-level partners are capable of providing resources to help augment staff on a project. Gold-level are capable of providing staff to help augment a project, and can be relied upon to deliver one or more sub-systems independently. Platinum-level partners can take on a major project or phase, but have not yet delivered a project or phase independently of OneShield. Finally, diamond-level certification indicates someone able to take on a major project or phase independent of OneShield, and that he or she has delivered a live implementation or phase of an implementation independently within the past 12 months.

Certification for development partners is re-evaluated each year and certified individuals will need to take a refresher course every two years to maintain certification. Training classes and certification exams are administered at OneShield's Westborough and Gurgaon, India, offices.

"It's become increasingly important for us to establish consistent standards for both organizations and individuals involved with Dragon implementations," Steve Forte, OneShield industry principal, says in a statement.

The Dragon Development Partner Certification Program puts OneShield on the vanguard of an emerging trend among vendors. Guidewire has also launched a similar initiative, PartnerConnect.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio