Up Close & Personal

This month's editorial "Up Close and Personal", by Katherine Burger, Editorial Director.

During this busy sports season the networks are bombarding viewers with a steady stream of groan-inducing "up close and personal" reports intended to show us what great guys (and gals) these big-ticket athletes really are. It's left to a publication such as Insurance & Technology to examine real-world challenges and accomplishments, which is why we continue to lead the way in showcasing insurance industry best practices and the executives who are setting the standards for excellence and vision.

Several new sections are being introduced in this month's issue of I&T. All are intended to provide you, the insurance technology strategist and decision-maker, more information about the people and trends shaping the industry. "On the Record" will bring you "up close" in a Q&A format to some of the insurance technology world's most insightful and successful executives—CIOs and other top executives who stand out from the crowd in terms of their track records and perspectives on how insurance companies can most effectively use technology. The "personal" side will be covered in "Outside the Box", which will explore the ways in which insurance technology execs find balance between the demands of their jobs (including growing in those jobs) and their families, communities and personal interests.

Also, recognizing that, in this era of HIPAA, USA PATRIOT Act and credit scoring concerns, the job of tech exec increasingly requires a thorough awareness of what's happening on the regulatory front, we offer "Reg Watch", a monthly update on where technology fits into a growing body of compliance issues.

Are there unsung heroes we should cover in these new sections? Please let me know, and (last sports metaphor!), thanks for the assist.

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