5. Insurers Become Innovators
It wasn't all bad news for insurance companies in 2012, however. This year, all the hard work technologists have done over the past several years paid off with insurance being recognized in information technology circles as one of the most innovative industries around. Nearly a tenth of InformationWeek's 500 list was insurance companies, and editor-in-chief Rob Preston said the industry is "moving to the front of the pack." Further, SMA's Deb Smallwood, wrote that "insurance innovation is indeed happening, the pace is picking up, and next-gen technologies are an important part of the whole picture." This year saw advances in usage-based insurance, mobile capabilities for policyholders and producers, and customer experience that provide a solid foundation for insurers to build on.
