TechWatch

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE -- THAZAR SOLUTIONS

KANSAS CITY-Thazar Solutions Corp. released Claims Monitor and Claims Portal, two new business analysis applications in its INSsight Business Intelligence Suite. Thazar describes Claims Monitor as a best-practices approach to analyzing trends in claims operation, including reserve accuracy, movement in claim costs, salvage and subrogation efficiency and time lag between key dates in the claim cycle. The Claims Portal product is a query and reporting application providing a 360-degree view of claims operations data with drill-down capabilities, providing the ability to analyze claim performance, identify trends that affect claim quality, improve reserve experience, identify fraudulent characteristics and improve caseload management, according to Thazar Solutions.
WWW.THAZAR.COM

APPLICATION INTERFACE -- JACADA

ATLANTA-Jacada has introduced two new products, Jacada Integrator and Jacada BPm. Jacada Integrator provides fast, cost-effective integration of legacy functionality with packaged applications or application development frameworks without requiring changes to the existing system, allowing CRM solutions and other applications to leverage the business processes and data in core legacy business systems, Jacada claims. The solution supports seamless, real-time integration between packaged applications and S.390, AS/400, DEC VAX and other legacy systems. Jacada BPm is a business process management solution enabling automation and improvement of workflow while leveraging existing systems, according to the vendor. It provides a top-down approach, allowing business analysts to graphically design new or improved business processes capable of extending and complementing existing applications, Jacada says.
WWW.JACADA.COM

FINANCIAL MODELING -- SS&C

WINDSOR, CT-SS&C has added new features to its PTS financial modeling software. PTS Version 2001 adds Virtual General Ledger (VGL), a feature designed to mirror an insurer's general ledger, which uses OLAP techniques for rapid online access and interrogation of results, SS&C claims. The other new feature, Report Generator, streamlines and simplifies reporting by enabling users to produce reports directly in Microsoft (Redmond, WA) Excel, according to the vendor.
WWW.SSCTECH.COM

FIREWALL -- BORDERWARE TECHNOLOGIES

TORONTO-BorderWare Technologies' BorderWare Firewall Server V6.5 has been accepted for re-certification under Common Criteria EAL4+ with EAL5 vulnerability analysis. The inclusion of EAL5 vulnerability analysis increases the level of independent assurance that the product is well designed and engineered to provide protection, the vendor says. Version 6.1.1 was the first firewall product worldwide to gain a Common Criteria EAL4+ certification in January 2000, and the product is now on track to be the first to pass EAL5 vulnerability analysis, BorderWare claims.
WWW.BORDERWARE.COM

BUSINESS DOC EXCHANGE -- SYBASE

EMERYVILLE, CA-Sybase has released its New Era of Networks EDI server and adapter for EDI v2.8, designed to provide an easier and lower-cost alternative for carriers to integrate back-end systems and middleware to exchange business documents with their partners, the vendor says. The New Era of Networks EDI server and adapter includes integration features leveraging MQSeries messaging and an EDI-to-XML utility, along with other ease-of-use features; and an adjunct HIPAA accelerator product leveraging the EDI suite, according to Sybase.
WWW.SYBASE.COM

LOSS REPORTING -- PINKERTON

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA-Pinkerton Computer Consultants, Inc. (PCCI), has created a solution for companies looking for a centralized browser-enabled reporting system to help lower claims and allow for faster claims processing, the firm says. PCCI's First Notice of Loss Solution provides an easy-to-use data capture system; a centralized data repository; automated interfacing to existing claims and workflow processing systems; the ability to produce output in required formats, such as EDI; the ability to create acknowledgement letters and jurisdictional-specific notice-of-loss documents and a secure Web-based server environment utilizing role-based security techniques, PCCI says.
WWW.PCCI.COM

INSTANT MESSAGING -- FACETIME COMMUNICATIONS

FOSTER CITY, CA-FaceTime Communications has released its new Auditor solution, which enables financial services organizations to leverage the power of public instant messaging networks from AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo! for time-sensitive communications, while ensuring the organization's administrative controls are in place to comply with government regulations, the vendor says.
WWW.FACETIME.COM

CRM -- AMACIS LTD

BELFAST-Version 2 of Amacis Ltd.'s Visibility platform for managing Internet activities is now available. Version 2 is designed to enhance the experience of customers as they communicate with vendors via e-mail, chat, mobile messaging or secure messaging. The product comes with a browser-based application for contact center agents that allows for globally distributed contact center resources and introduces a method of dynamically routing chat sessions to appropriately qualified agents. The new release adds outbound campaign and response management features to the product.
WWW.AMACIS.COM

PROJECT MANAGEMENT -- PM SOLUTIONS

HAVERTOWN, PA-Project management consulting, training and research services firm PM Solutions has launched its project maturity model, a Web-based tool giving the firm's consultants a way to rapidly deliver consistent, objective project management maturity assessments throughout an organization, PM Solutions says. The tool provides codified guidelines for surveying and interviewing organizational personnel. The tool also automates the comparison of client results with industry benchmarks from PM Solutions' Center for Business Practices independent research division.
WWW.PMSOLUTION.COM

PERSONALIZATION -- EXTREAM SOFTWARE

LEXINGTON, KY-Extream Software has released version 2.5 of its Dialogue high-volume personalized document creation software. Version 2.5 enhancements include a regulatory support module, a module to handle dynamic data access and transactional processing in real-time to and from any data source, and a component library allowing users to store and maintain document components in one place for dynamic update in all applications in which they appear, according to Extream.
WWW.EXTREAM.COM

CONTENT MANAGEMENT -- GAUSS

IRVINE, CA-Gauss has launched its VIP Enterprise 8 (VIP 8) enterprisewide solution, which combines Web content management software and business process management products. According to the vendor, VIP Enterprise 8 enables organizations to eliminate content management redundancies and reduce costs associated with software implementation, integration, administration, training, upgrade, conversion and ongoing systems maintenance. VIP 8 features integrated but modular architecture based on J2EE technology, the vendor says. The solution creates a single sign-on view to information necessary to drive business processes; its J2EE- and XML-based VIP Enterprise Objects layer maximizes interoperability with legacy systems and a range of ERP, CRM and e-commerce systems, Gauss claims.
WWW.GAUSSVIP.COM

BUSINESS PROCESS -- TABLELOGIC GROUP

AUSTIN, TX-Addressing the challenge of customer Internet and business-to-business interactions, TableLogic has released Directed Smart Entry (DSE). DSE is described as a smart system development process utilizing TableLogic's development facility and commonly available office tools. Using DSE, a carrier's staff can reengineer edits and/or quality assurance processes to develop the five to 10 business characteristics that define the expected values of data elements, replacing the entry of those data elements with smart-system generation of data. DSE also enables staff to develop rule sets to generate combo-box values that simplify and limit the number of characteristic entries to a level manageable by a non-technical person. Resulting rules can support Internet or voice recognition data capture, TableLogic says.
WWW.TABLELOGIC.COM

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE -- HNC SOFTWARE

SAN DIEGO-HNC Software Inc. launched its Critical Action technology platform, which allows customers to make mission-critical business decisions in real time using a combination of workflow, business rules and analytics, including neural networks and optimization algorithms. The solution combines business decisioning with advanced science in an open, next-generation architecture, according to HNC.
WWW.HNC.COM

CAT MODELING -- RISK MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

NEWARK, CA-Natural hazard risk modeling vendor Risk Management Solutions relased the latest version of its United States and Canada Tornado/Hail models for use with the firm's RiskLink-DLM and ALM catastrophe modeling platforms. The models analyze risk at a higher level of resolution in areas of greater risk and exposure concentration, simulating intense events in metropolitan areas.
WWW.RMS.COM

Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio