Tripathi Continues IT Transformation at Harleysville

Harleysville Insurance CIO Akhil Tripathi has implemented two new policy administration systems since 2006, earning the carrier a reputation as technology leader along the way.

Akhil Tripathi has been a busy man. In the two-plus years since he joined Harleysville Insurance ($3.7 billion in total assets) as CIO, Tripathi already has racked up a decade's worth of accomplishments while leading a major IT transformation at the Harleysville, Pa.-based carrier.

The carrier recently launched accessHarleysville//CL, a new commercial lines policy system built around AQS technology, in Pennsylvania and will continue to roll out the platform to 32 other states in 2008. This is just the latest win in an ongoing effort to change the technology strategy at Harleysville and also position the company as an insurance technology leader and innovator.

In 2006, Harleysville rolled out a Web-based agent portal with online self-service options, real-time quotes for new business, and access to account and policy information. Then, in September 2007, the carrier replaced its legacy personal lines administration system with accessHarleysville//PL, which was developed in-house on an extensively modified Duck Creek Technologies policy administration platform. Harleysville thus distinguished itself by implementing bona fide end-to-end functionality built on an SOA platform, whereas most carriers simply extend legacy systems with bolt-on front ends.

Tripathi also managed to reduce operating and support costs by coordinating three outsourcing agreements (data center, business processing and legacy application maintenance) and implement a corporate imaging solution that has allowed Harleysville to consolidate 14 processing centers into two.